Bulletin Board by Amy Winter

If you have a hard time eating healthy and finding time to exercise while you're at work, it may be beneficial to evaluate your daily office habits to help keep the weight off. Forty-five percent of employees, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com that questioned 7,688 workers, say they have gained weight at their current jobs.

Twenty-six percent of respondents have put on at least 10 pounds, while 12 percent say they gained more than 20 pounds. Female workers (50 percent) are more willing to admit adding pounds, compared to male employees (42 percent). Among surveyed industries, financial services workers and government employees reported the highest weight gain in their current positions.

"Weight gain can be quite common in the workplace, especially when the winter months keep most of us cooped up all day and calorie-laden treats seem to wait around every corner," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources.

Snacking and eating out for lunch can lead to more pounds. Thirty-eight percent of respondents eat lunch at a restaurant twice or more a week, making it harder to manage portions and calories. And 12 percent purchase their lunch from a vending machine at least once a week. Sixty-six percent of employees grab snacks once a day, while almost 25 percent reach for snack items at least twice a day.

Going to the gym at lunch may help maintain a healthy routine, but only 9 percent break a sweat during their break. Twenty-eight percent of companies are helping to encourage an active lifestyle by offering gym passes, workout amenities or wellness benefits.

Haefner offers tips to reduce workplace weight gain:

- Gain energy by eating a breakfast with protein and fiber. Steer clear of high-fat break-room treats like doughnuts and candy bars.

- Keep hydrated by having water or another healthy drink at your desk during the day.

- Write down your snacks and meals to see what you are consuming and what foods you need to reduce in your diet.

- Walk when you can. Instead of sending an e-mail, venture over to your co-worker's desk.

- Manage stress with exercise rather than excessive snacking or overeating.

"As the weather warms up and people are more likely to get in a healthy mindset, it's a great time of year to be more aware of your health, get active and be more cognizant of your food choices," says Haefner.

For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

OFFICE TV TALK

Office discussions about TV shows may benefit employee friendships.

Forty percent of workers, according to the workplace snapshot survey by Spherion, a recruiting and staffing firm that questioned 1,435 workers, say that TV talk increases office camaraderie. That's a small decrease from 44 percent of workers in the 2007 survey.

"American Idol" gained the top spot for the program most talked about in the workplace at 33 percent. "Dancing With the Stars" came in at second with 15 percent, followed by "Lost," "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office," "Law & Order," "Heroes," "24," "Big Brother" and "America's Next Top Model." "American Idol" and "Grey's Anatomy" held the top two positions in last year's survey.

Female workers preferred to converse about "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars," while male workers chose "American Idol" and "Lost." And those employees age 65 and older seem to be the top age group engaging in conversation about "American Idol."

For more information on the survey, visit www.spherion.com.

FREE TECH PROGRAMS

Companies don't have to pay top dollar for new technology programs. Keep payments down by choosing tools that are available for free on the Internet.

Nitasha Tiku, a reporter for Inc. magazine, says younger companies can save money by reducing technology costs.

Some of the services are considered open source, maintained by advertisements or consist of giveaways from companies that charge more for top versions of the same item, according to Inc.com. You may need assistance from your IT department for using and installing such tools.

Try Basecamp, Huddle, Wrike or Yugma for single-project management; they provide to-do lists and file sharing. To protect your data and keep a firewall use Untangle, an open-source item that provides 13 kinds of security tools. DimDim provides free Web conference service through a browser.

Looking for free e-mail? Consider Google's Gmail, BlueTie (for companies with less than 20 employees) or Zimbra.

If you buy a headset and use Skype, you can talk on a computer with fellow Skype users for free.

For more information, visit www.inc.com.

E-mail Amy Winter at amy.winter@copleynews.com or write to P.O. Box 120190, San Diego, CA 92112.

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