Quick hits

1. Respond only to important emails Instead of reading and responding to emails in chronological order, read the important ones first and respond only if necessary.

2. Keep conversations short Have a quick chat with a colleague to find out where the team is and what needs to be prioritized. But avoid the temptation to end that chat with a 30-minute conversation about your vacation. Limit it to five or 10 minutes— otherwise, you’ll have less time for time-sensitive tasks, which will increase your stress.

3. Avoid meetings Meetings and events can steal huge chunks of your time, so avoid them on your first and possibly second day after work, if you can. Be ruthless with your time, eliminating less-essential tasks and focusing on more urgent ones.

4. Leave on time On your first day back, it may be tempting to stay late to catch up. But don’t do it: if you’ve been strategic and disciplined about tackling tasks and emails, you should be in good shape. Just as you should strive to do your best on the job, you should also be disciplined about protecting your time outside of work to avoid burnout.

HEALTH BYTE

Goodbye, gluten…or not

Many people think they have an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in rye, barley and wheat. But chances are, they don’t.

A recent study by the University of L’Aquila in Italy examined 392 patients who complained of gluten-related symptoms— such as abdominal pain and bloating—and self-identified as gluten-sensitive.

During the two-year clinical trial, patients consumed gluten for a certain period, eliminated it and then reintroduced it so researchers could determine if they actually had a gluten-related condition.

As it turned out, only 0.51% of patients suffered from a wheat allergy and 6.63% had Celiac disease, which causes damage to the small intestine’s lining when gluten is consumed. Another 6.88% had non- Celiac gluten sensitivity—a condition in which patients exhibit Celiac-diseaselike symptoms but don’t have the same antibodies and intestinal damage brought by that disease.

The overwhelming majority of patients who went gluten-free, 85.96%, didn’t experience any change in symptoms.

How can employers help those who do have gluten issues? Before hosting meetings and events with food, ask if any attendees have special dietary requirements. Also, if you have an on-site cafeteria, make sure it offers gluten-free options.

Top 10 Childish Behaviours at Work

“But I only snort cocaine in my spare time…”

U.S. employees recently polled by CareerBuilder were asked to name the type of childish behaviours they’ve observed at work. Here are their top 10 picks.

1. Whining: 55%

2. Pouting over something that didn’t go his or her way: 46%

3. Tattling on another co-worker: 44%

4. Playing a prank on another co-worker: 36%

5. Making a face behind someone’s back: 35%

6. Forming cliques: 32%

7. Starting a rumour about a co-worker: 30%

8. Storming out of the room: 29%

9. Throwing a tantrum: 27%

10. Refusing to share resources with others: 23%

Employees say they want to exercise at lunch— but most don’t

Many Canadian professionals have sedentary lunch breaks even though they’d like to exercise, a recent Accountemps survey reveals.

The study—which polled accounting and finance professionals and allowed multiple responses—showed 46% of respondents normally spend their lunch breaks eating alone.

Forty-three percent said they eat a meal with co-workers. About one third (34%) said they run errands. Another third (36%) said they simply surf the Internet.

And while 48% of respondents indicated they would like to exercise or go to the gym, only 17% said they actually do that.

“A change of scenery, including one that gets the blood pumping, can go a long way when facing productivity slumps or challenging tasks,” says Dianne Hunnam-Jones, Canadian president of Accountemps.

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