subject: Should Americans Have Seen This Coming? [print this page] More American workers are working through lunch or eating at their desks. According to a 2011 Web survey by Right Management, a human resources consulting firm, only 33% of workers took a lunch break and 65% ate at their desks or not at all. According to CareerBuilder, another employment consultant, less than 20% of executives surveyed ate lunch at a sit-down restaurant, 40% took a brown-bag lunch and 17% ate fast food. Although no federal law requires companies to provide a lunch break, 22 states have meal-break laws. That means 28 states haven't reached the "breaking point".
More American companies are serving alcohol at the office. The custom seems to be most prevalent in advertising agencies such as J. Walter Thompson, BBDO and TBWA/Chiat/Day. Tech companies such as Tello and Yelp permit on-the-job drinking too. So does CrowdFlower, a crowdsourcing employment company in San Francisco. A 2012 study by researchers at the University of Illinois/Chicago and published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition found a little bit of alcohol (just enough to register 0.075 on a breathalyzer) helps the mind explore unorthodox solutions. Does this mean the office bar will become the 21st century version of the "drinking fountain"?
Americans are having more "chinplants". According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, chin implants increased 71% between 2010 and 2011 - outdoing breast augmentation, liposuction and Botox. The procedures popularity with both men and women resulted in almost 21,000 operations in 2011. Because the chin is one of the first areas to show aging, people 55 and older were most likely to get chin implants - 8,459. People in their 40's were second - 5,075. Although people seeing themselves via video chat technology is thought to have caused much of the increase, the economy has made it difficult to "keep your chin up".
Americans are spending more on senior proms. In 2012 prom spending is expected to average $1,078 - up from $807 in 2011. According to research by USA TODAY, celebrities, reality TV and social media have influenced the increase. Also proms have replaced debutante balls and coming-out parties as THE formal event for young adults. Prom spending is also influenced by location. Southerners are expected to spend about $1,047, while Northeasterners are expected to spend almost $2,000. Westerners and Midwesterners will spend an average of $774 and $696 respectively. It seems prom is part of the "prom-ise" of a very special night.
