Survey Says: Secretaries Want TIME More Than MONEY

A Just A Sec Exclusive!



Just A Sec: The Lifestyle Blog for Busy New York Secretaries recently conducted an informal survey of 300 secretaries, administrative assistants and executive assistants (for the purpose of this article, referred to collectively as "secretaries") working in New York City to find out what might entice them to leave their current job, if another company came a-courting, but did not offer an increase in salary.

Out of 300 secretaries surveyed, a whopping 282 would definitely consider leaving their current job for another -- even if their salary would remain the same. Clearly, this indicates very little loyalty on the part of secretaries to their employers, or even to their immediate bosses.

We asked the 282 who'd consider making a change what would entice them more: a company offering fully-paid medical insurance, or an employer offering four weeks of paid vacation and an additional 16 paid sick/personal days.

91 secretaries were more seduced by the paid medical coverage, leaving a majority of 191 who'd rather receive the benefit of more paid time off.

"I'd rather get a slightly bigger paycheck and know my medical insurance was always there, and not have to worry about it," one secretary commented.

Still others argued in favor of vacation and sick time.

"I'm used to seeing that money come out of my check for insurance premiums," an administrative assistant named Pam told us. "To me, it's more important to know I can stay home when I'm sick and not feel guilty about it, or not go in and work when I feel bad just because I'm afraid of using up all my days before the end of the year."

Jessica said: "Too many people work when they're sick, or come back before they're really ready. And it's not good for the rest of the office, because half the time they're just spreading germs around."

"I think having more paid vacation days is extra health insurance," said Linda. "It's important to take care of yourself. Everyone needs to balance work with time away from work. In the long run, I think people would do a better job when they're at work if they had more time to clear their heads and relax."

Elena, an aspiring artist, made another excellent point about balance and how it's a good thing for employers: "These corporate entities need to stop seeing (employees') outside interests as some kind of threat, or treat(ing) a person's extracurricular activities like they're going to bleed something important away from your efforts at work," she said. "If you have interests outside of work, I think it shows that you're a smart person...Wouldn't (employers) rather have smart, ambitious people working for them? So if you support your employees and their outside interests, and give them more time off to pursue those interests, I think you're going to get better employees all around. It's the ones who are unhappy and never get to do what they love who slack off at work or have a chip on their shoulder. Plus (an employer) can't really expect their entire secretarial staff to be as interested in the company's business as management and the executives. Those people went to school to do (the type of business the company engages in). And it's not like there are huge opportunities for advancement for secretaries. If (the company's business) was your one big interest in life, you probably wouldn't choose becoming a secretary as part of your career path. So (companies) have to accept that their support staff have outside interests. That's a good thing. They should support it!"

Of the 300 secretaries surveyed, only 46 receive four weeks or more of paid vacation (ouch!) Only 118 said they received more than 7 paid sick/personal days.

Most telling of all is the fact that only 12 out of 300 secretaries felt they received enough vacation, sick and personal days to adequately address their needs.

REAL Food for Dinner?: Easier Than You Think.

A Just A Sec Exclusive!



You work all day. You come home, you're hungry for dinner.

How many of us still have the energy to do anything more than pluck a cardboard box from the freezer and toss its contents into the microwave?

You made that new year's resolution to eat healthier. And sure, if you had a personal chef, you too could enjoy a restaurant-quality meal at home every night. Maybe a nice filet of salmon and a compliment of fresh-from-the-farmstand veggies. But who has time to deal with "real" foods during the work week?

You do! Haven't you ever thought about steaming?

Kim hates to cook, especially after a busy day. And in an effort to eat "better", she found herself relying on low-fat frozen meals. The problem was, they left her dissatisfied. "They taste like the box they came in," she said. "And the portions leave me starving."

We challenged Kim to prepare a healthy dinner employing fresh, whole foods -- and with minimal effort. To help her out, we gave her a Nesco 5 Quart Steamer with Rice Bowl.

So what did Kim whip up for dinner?

"A swordfish steak, zuccini and rice," she told us. Sounds intimidating!



So what kind of work was involved? Here are Kim's steps to preparing her meal:

1. "I stuck the reservoir under the tap and filled it with water." (OK. So far, we can handle this. But surely it gets more complicated.)

2. "I unwrapped a filet of fish from the supermarket and put it inside the steamer tray with slices of zuccini." (Unwrapping and putting. Still with you, Kim.)

3. "I poured some water and rice into the rice bowl." (Poured...OK, still in the game...)

4. "I put the rice bowl into the second steamer tray, and then stacked the trays on top of each other and put on the lid."

5. "I plugged in the steamer, turned the timer dial. Later I took the food out of the steamer and ate it."

You're kidding. That's it?

Well, OK, but how was the food?

"Perfect!" Kim raved. "I wasn't sure how steamed swordfish was going to turn out. I don't know, I just had this prejudice in my head that if it was steamed, it was going to turn out soggy and gross. But it was delicious. It was flaky and tender. The rice was perfect. The vegetables were a little softer than I like them, but next time I'll know to set the timer for less time so they're a little crisp. Then if I'm cooking them with something else that needs more time, I can just re-set the timer to continue cooking the other thing. Or, add the zuccini in later."

We were impressed that the Nesco steamer was able to cook a complete meal all together.

So how was clean-up?

"Very easy. The product manual says the plastic trays are dishwasher-safe, but I don't have a dishwasher. So I tossed them in the sink with some warm soapy water while I ate, and half an hour later I was able to rinse them clean right under the tap. The food doesn't really stick to the plastic surface that much. The inside of the water reservoir wiped clean with a soapy sponge, then I just rinsed it out with a slosh of water."

Will Kim use the steamer on a regular basis?

"No doubt! I didn't know you could get something like this. I'm going to buy a lot more fresh food from now on. This is awesome!"

The Nesco steamer works with a wide variety of foods including grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs, seafood, meat and poultry. It comes with a 60 minute timer and is equipped with an automatic shut-off when it's out of water.

And this beautifully simple little appliance costs only $29.95.

For more information, visit www.nesco.com.

Open Your Ears @ Work to Domestic Violence

Domestic violence will follow anyone into the workplace.

It could be affecting that seemingly happy-go-lucky secretary in the next boss. Or your strictly-business boss. Maybe even you.

It's important that you open your ears for these victims, or tell a trusted co-worker about your own situation.

Employers themselves have been hesitant to accommodate domestic violence issues. But Safe Horizon is working to change that. Read more.

Get Pricy, Healthy Snacks on the Cheap -- Here's How.

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

Got a sweet tooth that flairs up around 3 PM?

Would you love to replace those junky candy bars with healthful, super-sweet and delicious dehydrated fruit snacks from the health food store, but you just can't afford that regular expense?

In our 'hood, dried strawberries go for about $8 a pound, and dried raspberries, $17 a pound!!!! No wonder so many of us reach for the M&Ms -- they're a quick fix for less than a buck. (A fix that doesn't last very long, however -- you're sugar-crashing an hour later.)

Maybe, like us, you looked at those neatly sealed bags of pricy dried fruit and automatically assumed they came from giant drying factories, and that nobody had the ability to do the same thing at home. At least not without a lot of fuss. And who needs that?

We were delighted to discover that fruit-drying can be done at home, very simply, using personal food dehydrators by Nesco.



To test the ease of the process, our volunteer Stacia put the Nesco Snackmaster Express Dehydrator and Jerky Maker, Model FD-60, to the test. Never having used a food dehydrator before, in one weekend, Stacia dried enough strawberries to feed all the secretaries in her office during the following Monday's 3 PM energy plunge.

So did Stacia have to labor the entire weekend for those few moments of glory?

"No, it was easy. Much easier than I expected," she said. "I sliced the strawberries in half, placed them on the (dehydrator's) trays, turned the dial (on the dehydrator) to the recommended temp for strawberries, and came back six hours later. They were done. I put them into baggies and stored them in the fridge 'til Monday morning."

Wow -- pretty simple!

The dehydrator is made up of a plastic base, a lid (which contains the drying mechanism -- fan, temperature gauge, etc.), and a stack of trays in between on which fruit is placed for drying. Stacia's Snackmaster Express came with four trays, but additional trays may be purchased and added to the machine, creating a taller "tower" with space to dry even more fruit at one time.

The dehydrator's literature stresses the option of pre-treating fruit before drying it. Although not necessary, pre-treatment reportedly gives dried fruits a longer shelf life, and for fruits that tend to brown (like apples), it reduces browning.

Stacia opted not to pre-treat (to save prep time) and still got a perfect product that her co-workers raved about. But pre-treatment would have been as simple as soaking her strawberry slices in fruit juice for five minutes before drying.

We were impressed by the variety of things the Nesco FD-60 is designed to do.

Besides drying fruit (not just for snacks, but for adding to granola, yogurt, cereal, etc.), the Snackmaster Express comes with a special tray for making your own "Fruit Roll-up"-type snacks using your own homemade puree. Nesco's dehydrator comes with recipes for fruit roll flavors like "Orange Julius", "Strawberry Daiquiri", "Strawberry Cream Cheese" and "Pina Colada".

The Snackmaster dries vegetables and herbs for use in stews, soups, casseroles, marinades, pizza, breads, etc.

The Snackmaster is also a jerky maker. Dried meat snacks aren't cheap. Making your own is much cheaper.

For you crafty types, the Nesco Snackmaster Express FD-60 will keep you busy in all sorts of new ways, drying plants and flowers for potpourri, dried flower arrangements, wreaths, etc. There are some clever instructions for drying dough ornaments, too.

Stacia added that cleaning the dehydrator was also easier than expected. "I thought if any part of this process would be hard work, it would be cleaning those trays. They have all those little slots in them and I thought I'd end up spending a lot of time cleaning them up. But I just let them sit in my sink full of warm soapy water for a few minutes and the pink residue from the strawberries rinsed right off with plain water."

You should know that dehydrated foods, when stored in a cool, dry place, can last a year or longer.

You might even find ways to bring in extra income with a Nesco dehydrator -- think about it.

You can get your own Nesco Snackmaster Express for $59.95 at www.nesco.com. Not only is it affordable, but it quickly pays for itself.

COBRA: Even Cheaper Now

If you're about to get laid off and your company employs at least twenty people, you'll most likely be continuing your health insurance through the COBRA program. But did you know that COBRA is now a lot more affordable, thanks to the prez's economic stimulus plan? Learn more from Daily Finance.

$1 Oatmeal at Jamba Juice!!!

Now through March 31st, get yourself a deee-lish oatmeal at Jamba Juice for only a DOLLAR. Just print and present the coupon below. To find the Jamba Juice near you, use the Jamba Locator.

How to Beat Office Stress

We let stress get to us. Keeping stress in check is a matter of health, which is why, every now and then, we remind you how. This time, Men's Fitness has the tips. And if you've read them before and are putting them into regular practice, feel free to tune out. Otherwise, pay attention -- this post is for you.

How to Turn Workplace Fear into Courage

If economic fear--of losing your job, retirement fund, and security--is starting to take a toll on your emotional health and workplace performance, there's good news. You can transform fear into its positive, antidote emotion--courage--much like you'd flip on a light switch. All it takes is a few tried-and-true techniques.

Check 'em out at the Minneapolis Workplace Examiner.

Beating the Afternoon Blahs

Feel your eyes glassing over in that dead zone between lunch and the end of the workday? This article from CNN will help you put a little oomph back into your afternoons.

Yoga Enters the Office

If your employer has introduced an employee wellness program, or is just thinking about it, maybe you should encourage them to incorporate yoga.

They might be interested to know that yoga improves the immune system, which means fewer sick employees and fewer absences.

If you need more ammunition, check out this article. You might even send your boss to the link.

Your Office is Full of Sick People.

We know, we know...tell us something you didn't already know, right?

Oh, wait -- we're talking about the flu. What are you talking about?

According to a new survey by OfficeTeam, more than 40% of office workers said they often go to work when they feel under the weather.

Only 17% of bosses, on the other hand, believed this was common practice among their employees.

In our humble opinion, this just screams for more paid sick days for everyone, period.

Source: Memphis Business Journal

Bedtime Gets an Upgrade

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

At Just A Sec, we believe in making weeknight bedtimes as cozy and welcoming as possible.

Drifting off into a heavenly, quality sleep goes a long way towards having a happier workday the next day. When you sleep well, you feel better. Tasks seem closer to effortless. You're nicer to people, so they act nicer to you.

So why aren't you looking forward to your bedtime?

Angeline is a secretary in midtown who, for months, wasn't getting enough sleep, and the quality of sleep she was getting was poor. She volunteered to test our drug-free, three-step formula for giving the end of the day a well-deserved upgrade. Here's her feedback:

Step One: The Happy Company Sleep Mask



First, we advised Angeline to sink into her own private world with The Happy Company's Sleep Mask. Not only would it block out any annoying light from streetlights, a too-full moon, etc., but the soothing lavendar tucked inside the lining would calm her senses, aromatherapy-style.

"I've never worn a sleep mask in my life," said Angeline. "It's not something I ever thought I needed. I always imagined they'd be kind of uncomfortable, anyway. Like why would you want to sleep in one of those?" But Angeline's experience with The Happy Company's sleep mask changed her mind. "This is really nice. I'm hooked now," she admitted. "It's really soft, it smells wonderful, and it wasn't tight like I imagined a sleep mask would be. It fit really comfortably, and the sensation of having the mask on my face turned out to be really comforting. It was very light and soft. It was like someone gently encouraging my eyes to rest."

The Happy Company's sleep mask is made of 100% cotton flannel. features a "lights out" lining, and fluffy-as-a-cloud filling with lots of lavender. It has fouble elastic straps and comes in two color choices: lavendar or cream. Cost: $8.95. Find out how to get yours at www.thehappycompany.com.


Step Two: The Happy Company Body Wrap



Next, we prescribed the sleep mask's perfect companion: The Happy Company's soft flannel Body Wrap. It features a grain-filled insert which can be heated in the microwave for steady, long-lasting heat comfort. And like the sleep mask, it too contains lavendar for sweet, soothing aromatherapy.

When we asked Angeline about her experience with the Body Wrap, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "If I'd known about one of the these, I would've used one a long time ago."

"It seems like in the old days, people went to bed with hot water bottles a lot. But that never struck me as especially soothing," Angeline told us. "(The Happy Company Body Wrap) is another story. It really melted away my tension. I felt like a happy little infant drifting off in her crib! Most of the time I fall asleep with it flat under my shoulder blades, while I'm laying on my back. But occasionally I'll curl up on my side and just hug it to me." "Oh, and it's really nice when you have menstrual cramps," she added. "Is that TMI?"

The Happy Company Body Wrap has a machine washable cover, which comes in your color choice of lavender or cream. Cost: $16.53. Find out how to get yours at www.thehappycompany.com.


Step Three: Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow with Sound Therapy System




"This was the magic ingredient," Angeline said of the Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow and Sound Therapy System. "This changed my world."

"I used to stay up late every night watching TV shows I really didn't care that much about. And here's the stupid reason: I felt like by going to bed, I might be missing something. Not on TV, I mean just in general. Like life was passing me by if I went to sleep. Meanwhile, I'd be getting so freakin' tired. I told you, it was stupid. It was completely psychological and made no sense. Total anxiety."

Sound Oasis made its first difference for Angeline by making her look forward to going to bed. "Oh. Oh, you don't know. I value that time so much now. It's my time. Better than a trip to a spa, I'm not kidding."

The Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow is a standard-size pillow with two slender speakers buried inside. A plug extending from the side of the pillow attaches to the Sound Oasis Sound Therapy System, a small, sleek machine that produces sounds scientifically designed by doctors to relax and/or induce sleep.

When laying one's head on the Sleep Therapy Pillow, the sounds from the Sound Therapy System gently surround you in ambient music or sound effects. There's also a button to optionally launch Sound Oasis's patented Sleep Enhancement technology, which alters your chosen sound to specifically lull you into sleep, rather than just relaxing you.

Angeline reported that since using the Sound Oasis Sleep Therapy Pillow and Sound Therapy System, she's been getting more sleep, and sleeping much better through the night. She's "less grumpy in the morning" and more attentive during the day. She also told us her frequent headaches have disappeared.

The Sound Therapy System uses tiny sound cards, each loaded with 12 amazingly soothing sounds. The system comes with the "Sleep/Relaxation/Wellness" sound card. Others are available, including "Ear Therapy" and "Spa Retreat".

"I'm not sure I can pick a favorite (sound)," said Angeline. "There are a few I use all the time. I like the ocean, thunderstorm, and some of the musical ones."

Angeline described her experience with the product. "This is the most relaxing thing in the world. Every night I lay my head on that fabulous pillow, and I get completely lost in the sound. The speakers are positioned just right, so you really feel surrounded. I find it works best when I lay on my back. You get real stereo that way. But it's still great when I sleep on my side."

"I never feel the speakers," she added. "It's not uncomfortable at all. You would think you'd feel these hard speakers in there, but you don't."

"I find that the SE button really works to put me to sleep." (She means the "Sleep Enhancement" feature.) "On the weekend sometimes I just lay down for a while and chill out, but I don't press the SE button, and I find I'm able to relax, but not drop off into a nap when I don't really want one."

Angeline uses her Sound Therapy System with its timer feature. You can program the machine to play the sound of your choice for 30, 60, or 90 minutes before gently fading away to silence. This way, it doesn't run all night while you sleep.

The Sound Therapy System also works like an alarm clock, allowing you to wake to a buzzer or your favorite sound.

"It's not for couples," Angeline cautioned. "If you're sleeping next to someone, they can hear the sounds too. The speakers don't work like private earphones. So it's best if you sleep alone, or if your partner doesn't mind the sound therapy. Actually, they'd probably enjoy it."

Here are a few other things you should know:

-- Pillow speakers are removeable, and the pillow is washable.
-- Pillow speakers don't just work with the Sound Therapy System -- you can plug them into your MP3 player, CD player, or TV!
-- You can buy the pillow and Sound Therapy System separately
-- The Sound Therapy System comes with an AC adapter for plugging into the wall, but it will also run on batteries for portability
-- Pillow has hypoallergenic polyester fiberfill

The Sleep Therapy Pillow costs $49.99. The Sound Therapy System retails for $99.99. Buy directly from Sound Oasis at www.sound-oasis.com.

Love Your Cubicle -- It's Keeping You Healthy

On those days when your cubicle makes you feel like a lab rat stuck in one drab corner of a maze, look on the bright side: an open office plan would be much more likely to make you sick. Curious? Read more.

NJ Woman Sues Employer Over Perfume @ Work

A New Jersey woman is suing her employer claiming she became ill when a co-worker sprayed perfume near her. The perfume, she says, exacerbated her lung condition.

Read more at The Daily Record.

The Second Half of Your Day: Getting a Boost

Feel yourself slacking off after lunch? Want to give your productivity a boost in the second half of your workday?

The Boston Herald offers some tips you may not have thought of before.

Head and Neck Pain? A Quick Fix.

Working at a desk can routinely cause head and neck pain. But here are some exercises you can do right there in your chair that may alleviate some of your misery. Take a minute every day to do them and give yourself a break, in more ways than one!

The Tricked-Out Desk: Winter Duo!

A Just A Sec Exclusive!

During the work week, you spend more waking hours at your desk than you do in the comfort of your own home. So why not make your desk as homey as possible?

Here are two new goodies that Just A Sec loves. They make our workspaces healthier, happier places to be. Check 'em out!:

Beat The Winter Blues:
The Sunlight 365 Mood-Enhancing Light Box



Most of us have heard of "SAD" -- Seasonal Affective Disorder. When winter sets in, some of us suffer from SAD symptoms like depression and fatigue. An increasingly common treatment for SAD is light therapy -- that is, exposure to bright lights that mimic natural sunlight.

Seasonal depression, ay? Like you needed another reason to feel like crap at work! But the good news is, you could feel a lot better every day, starting now -- with a Sunlight 365 by Zadro.

The Sunlight 365 is the perfect size for your desk -- it fits in the palm of your hand -- about the size of a pocket calculator. It has a built-in stand that props the Sunlight 365 up on your desk surface and bathes you in therapeutic light while you work. A simple-to-use control panel allows you to make adjustments to the intensity of light and how long you're exposed. You can choose to let the Sunlight 365 run for 15, 30 or 45 minutes at a time, and then the light shuts off automatically. In fact, the Sunlight 365 even lets you create and save three different "programs", or combinations of intensities and lengths of exposure. It plugs into an electric outlet. The Sunlight 365 also comes with a soft carrying case -- handy for taking it home for a happier weekend!

Save a fortune on anti-depressants -- get your Sunlight 365 for $59.95 today from Zadro.


Your Secret Weapon:
The Sunpentown Personal Humidifier



A humidifier can keep you healthy, beautiful and feeling your best. It adds moisture to the air and helps eliminate itchy, cracked skin, a dry nose and allergy and asthma problems. And did you know that many viruses that cause sickness can only live in a low humidity environment? That means they'll die out in an environment where the moisture level is raised by a humidifier.

All great reasons to use one -- but who wants to hook up a big, clunky humidifier on their desk? How many of us have that kind of room?

Sunpentown has a treat for you! Their Personal Humidifier is the cutest thing we've ever seen, and it's got substance behind its style. This tiny humidifier is about 4" long and 2.5" wide!! And get this: it works with an ordinary plastic water bottle. That's right -- there's no tank. Just keep a small bottled water bottle on-hand, fill it at the water cooler, and attach it to the Personal Humidifier. This smart little device comes with two different adapters to fit small and large water bottles.

We were impressed by how efficiently this baby works. It quietly emits a steady stream of cool mist, which is adjustable with a low-to-high dial. There's even a light-up indicator to let you know when it's time to refill the water. The Personal Humidifier plugs into an electric outlet. Choose from three colors: all-white, black-and-white, or pink-and-white.

Your overall well-being is priceless -- so invest in your Personal Humidifier for $59.00 today at Sunpentown.

Stop Right Now and Do This Stretch

Never underestimate the importance of stretching, especially when you're working at a desk for hours at a time. This link gives an example of one simple but potent stretch you can do periodically that will help prevent pain and injury later. Try it now, and make a habit of it!

Get Paid to Stay Healthy

Many companies are now offering wellness programs that reward employees for taking good care of their health. Read a real-life example of a woman who put money back into her pocket through an employer good health incentive program.

Health Coverage After a Lay-Off

What happens to your health coverage after you're laid off? What are your options? If these are your concerns, reading this article from Forbes is a good place to start getting informed.