Al's Morning Meeting

One in four workers plans to work while on vacation this year, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual survey. (So is it still considered a vacation? Or are you just working from a prettier office?)

Meanwhile, workers are expected to give back 574 million vacation days in 2006, depriving themselves of much-needed breaks, according to Expedia.com's annual vacation deprivation survey. The number of vacation days that employees are skipping this year increased by one from last year. On average, Americans leave at least four days unclaimed annually.

"People in America don't take all the vacation time they should or could," said Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health, which is based in Washington, D.C. They "actually work very hard, have very long hours and are under a lot of stress. ... It's a very tough world out there, and unfortunately it has the effect of leading people to take less vacation or, when they take it, they take much of their work with them. And they are under a lot of stress and having problems balancing their lives."

Vacation, she said, could ease stress and cut down on health problems.

Compared with other developed countries, Americans receive the fewest vacation days per year, on average: 14 days, as opposed to 17 in Australia, 19 in Canada, 24 in Great Britain, 27 in Germany and 39 in France, according to the Expedia survey. So not only do we earn less vacation time, but we also take less than we're provided.

The CareerBuilder survey found:

• More than half of workers say they work under a great deal of stress, and 77 percent say they feel burned out on the job.
• While 84 percent of workers are planning to take a vacation this year, they might not be taking enough time to recharge.
• Thirty-two percent of workers are taking a vacation of five days or [fewer] while one in ten [is] limiting [him- or herself] to weekend getaways.
• To enjoy uninterrupted time off, some workers have elected to lie about accessibility at their vacation destinations.
  
• Eleven percent of workers blamed bad wireless connections and other technology issues to avoid work while away from the office.
  
• Men were slightly more apt to lie about finding Internet access or cell phone signals to avoid being contacted by their employers at 13 percent, compared to 10 percent of women.
• The survey also shows men are more likely to work while on vacation. Thirty-three percent of men expect to work on projects or check in with the office while on vacation, compared to 25 percent of women.
  

"Work can be demanding, but taking it all with you just brings the stress to a new location," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com. "Cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices can create an e-leash of sorts. Planning ahead, managing expectations and setting boundaries with your co-workers are key to making sure you get the break you need."

To enjoy a stress-free and work-free vacation, Haefner recommends the following tips:

• Give 'em the 411. If you, your significant other and your travel agent are the only ones who know about your plans, you're heading into trouble. Give early notice for the dates you plan to take off to make sure your schedules run smoothly.
• Think big. If you have a big project and a great vacation planned for the same week, you can expect one of the two to give. Schedule the dates before and after the big stuff to lighten your load and enjoy your time off.
• Cross-train. You may feel you are irreplaceable for the work ahead, but cross-training a co-worker to share your task enables you to take time off and creates a network. Next time a co-worker needs to take a vacation, you can return the favor.
• "Sorry, I missed your call…" Giving an alternative contact via voicemail or an automated e-mail response lets people know you'll be out and where they can get immediate assistance, so you don't experience inbox overload when you return.
• Set limits. Checking in a couple of times during a week off is one thing, but if your job requires you to be a slave to your cell, you may want to talk it out with your boss before you go to establish boundaries.
• What if you're the boss? If you're working for yourself, make sure you anticipate your busy seasons by reviewing your previous sales and current situation. Save vacation time for slower periods and make sure to notify customers in advance.

Vacation Illness

OK. My spider senses tell me to be careful with this one, since the survey comes from a drug company and comments come from a vitamin researcher. But it is interesting fodder to explore.

According to a survey commissioned by pharmaceutical company Novartis, 63 percent of people questioned said they came down with some form of malady from the flu to a severe sunburn while on vacation.

The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer said:

"Many people live their daily lives in the fight-or-flight survival mode, working off adrenaline, caffeine and sheer will power," said Dr. Chris Meletis, a clinical physician and the director of clinical research and education for Vitamin Research Products in Carson City, Nev. "The moment things settle down even a little, the ramped-up defense mechanisms that allow one to barely stay above water begin to drop."

Meletis said physiological research has shown that the stress response of the hormone cortisol (a.k.a. the stress hormone), adrenaline and lower secretory IgA, the immunoglobulin that coats mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, throat and elsewhere keeps harmful microbes from worming their way into tissue. But when that stress response disappears -- Bam! -- your defenses weaken, and you get sick.

Vacationing With Laptops

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

A survey released last week revealed that for today's vacationers, "getting away from it all" no longer means disconnecting from their favorite movies or games or losing touch with family and friends. Consumers are bringing their laptops on vacation for fun.

The "Intel Unwired [Travel] Survey," commissioned by Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp. and conducted by Harris Interactive, says that 38 percent of those surveyed have taken their laptops on vacation and that more than half (53 percent) are likely to take their laptop on a vacation in the future. The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive between June 9 and 13.

But these travelers aren't using their laptops to stay in touch with the office or do work while away. According to the survey, the top three uses of laptops were for checking or sending personal e-mail (79 percent), entertainment such as watching movies or playing games (60 percent) and finding information for vacation planning and activities (48 percent).

"The stereotype that people taking their laptop on vacation means that they're dragging the ball and chain of work along is not borne out by this survey," said Ralph Bond, Intel's consumer education manager. "People are enamored with the idea of having wireless access to the Internet for a whole host of reasons, entertainment included." 

Should School Dress Codes Include Piercings?

The (Lynchburg, Va.) News & Advance has the interesting story of local school board members suggesting that schools get out of the piercing-patrol business and let kids wear body jewelry -- within reason:

In Bedford County Schools, high school principals have recommended relaxing the dress code to allow students to come to school with hoops, rings and studs [in] places other than just the ears.

At a school board meeting last month, Jefferson Forest High School principal Tony Francis, who acted as the spokesman for the division's principals, commented on the growing number of students coming to school with facial piercings.

Changing the current policy to allow piercings beyond the ears would make it easier for administrators to enforce the rules.

"A lot of students are sticking things in their nose and they are these very small diamonds, or studs, and they are very hard to see," School Board member Gary Hostutler said Friday.

"You're checking every kid's nose as they come in and it's hard to say that it's a safety issue if they're so small," he said.

"It seems that we need to be flexible with the times, as long as it doesn't become a distraction at school or a safety hazard. We're certainly open for discussion and potentially changing it."

Lynchburg City Schools' policy allows body piercings, according to schools spokeswoman Treney Tweedy. ...

Body piercing is becoming more popular among teenagers in Central Virginia. Tattoo and piercing shops in the Lynchburg area allow teens as young as 16 to get pierced -- as long as they have a parent with them.

Networks About to Solicit More Video from Viewers

Broadcasting & Cable says that, while TV networks have not been too keen on using cell-phone video from viewers so far (mostly because of concerns over authenticity, quality and newsworthiness), it might become easier for the average person to contribute video these days:

Perhaps more than any other network, ABC has tried to exploit user-generated content. ABC News Now, the digital news service from ABC, will this month launch a daily program based on content submitted by its viewers. Seen & Heard will solicit viewer video and questions for ABC News experts and news figures online and string them together into an hourlong 12:30 p.m. program, focusing each show on one issue, such as global warming or social security.

ABC's seven-day-a-week show is being designed as "a big daily electronic town meeting," according to ABC News Digital Executive Producer Michael Clemente, aiming to empower viewers by harnessing technology to allow them to create the news rather than just passively watch it. ...

News Now's reach is tiny: It's available as a broadband channel and to two million cell phone users, as well as to subscribers to Verizon's FiOS service. Seen & Heard selections will be offered to ABC affiliates and to the network news programs like World News Tonight and Good Morning America, for incorporation into TV shows that reach a mainstream audience.

Nonetheless, News Now is still ahead of the pack in establishing a broadcast network's interest in more heavily incorporating video from viewers.

CBS News' efforts to empower viewers have so far been limited to "Assignment America," largely on the evening news, where viewers vote on which stories the network pursues for a weekly segment. Like other news divisions, CBS News ran viewer video on Hurricane Katrina and the London subway bombings on-air only after vetting each submission. But unlike ABC, CBS does not plan to let viewers upload video to its Web site.

"As a news organization, we have to verify the authenticity of any video before using it on our site," says a CBS spokesperson.

NBC aired viewers' video footage of the London bombings, but the majority of its viewer contributions are in the form of e-mailed comments or questions on stories.

No one understands demanding high standards of quality when it comes to viewer-submitted video better than Current, the youth-targeting digital cable channel that aims to fill its entire programming grid with content from viewers. ...

In the year since its launch, Current has grown its distribution from 20 million to nearly 30 million homes and increased the amount of viewer-contributed content it programs from 10 percent to 30 percent. Despite the growth, the network still expects to program 40 [to] 50 percent of content from viewers in its next year.

"We could be 100 percent if we wanted because we certainly have the volume of contributions," says Current President of Programming David Neuman. "But we're keeping the standards very high. We're the highest-level quality of user-generated content -- the absolute best and most compelling stuff.

"It's not home video at the dinner table of the adorable 2-year-old throwing his food."

On cable, MSNBC launched a "Citizen Journalists Report" on its Web site during Katrina, but at press time, the top viewer-contributed posting was dated Nov. 15, 2005.

MSNBC says it's working on technology to let viewers upload more video to its site. CNN, which calls on viewers to submit content for breaking-news stories, will shortly announce a plan to solicit viewer-contributed content, says CNN/U.S. Senior Vice President Sue Bunda. She says CNN puts viewer clips through the same vetting process as any other story that runs.

It took researchers nearly a year to find out why gorillas eat rotting wood. I knew you would want to know what they found.