Employees are more comfortable telling co-workers that their zipper is undone than to point out any other embarrassing gaffes, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Two-thirds of employees said they’d tell a peer about an undone fly, while half would do the same to a higher-level co-worker.

Lowest on the comfort scale? Discussing personal hygiene. Just 28% would tell co-workers they needed a shower. The number’s just 11% when the dirty employee is higher in the ranks.

The rest of the list:

1. You have food in your teeth (66% for a same-level co-worker, 49% for someone higher)
2. You have something in your nose (51% and 33% )
3. You have a stain on your clothes (51% and 34%)
4. Your hair is messy (33% and 13%)
5. You need a breath mint (33% and 14%)
6. Your clothes aren’t appropriate for the workplace (32% and 10%)

What conversations are you most uncomfortable having with your peers? How about folks higher up in the company? Let us know in the comments section below.

Here are the behaviors that could indicate a top performer has one foot out the door:

1. Change in attitude – For example, a top team player might withdraw and stop helping others.
2. Sloppiness – Formerly top-notch employees will make more errors when they know they’re leaving.
3. Solitude – The employee might start to distance himself from others, for example, by eating lunch alone.
4. More absences – Workers headed for the door will take “sick days” to attend interviews.
5. Formal attire – Employees will also use lunch to go to interviews, which normally will require them to dress nicer than usual.
6. Increased Web use – Departing workers are less inclined to do actual work, and they’ll spend a lot of time on online job boards.

A four-year study, recently published in the Harvard Business Review, looked at what would happen to employees when they were required to take vacation time.

Employees of 12 consulting teams at the Boston Consulting Group were forced to take scheduled time off each week, ranging from a full day of vacation to not working after 6 p.m. one night a week (the consultants frequently work long hours after they get home).

The results: The benefits of mandatory time off went beyond the obvious prevention of burnout. Employees said they came to back to work refreshed after a short break and were more productive. But, perhaps more importantly, teams said the required time off forced them to come up with ways to work more efficiently, and now their work gets done more quickly.

Few companies are likely to actually require employees to take vacation time. But as the study shows, managers might want to avoid giving employees the impression they should never take time off.

Almost 30% of managers believe more employees are using fake excuses than in previous years, according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder. The suspected reason: stress and burnout caused by the economy.

They may be on to something. About 32% of employees admitted to playing hooky from the office at least once this year. Their top reasons:

1. they “just didn’t feel like” going to work (32%)
2. needed to relax (28%)
3. wanted to catch up on sleep (16%)
4. had errands to run (13%)
5. wanted to miss a meeting (12%), and
6. used the time to see family and friends (10%).

The managers were also asked for the strangest absence excuses they’ve ever heard. A sample:

1. I woke up in Canada.
2. I got caught selling an alligator.
3. My buddies locked me in the trunk of an abandoned car after a weekend of drinking.
4. My mom said I was not allowed to go to work today.
5. A bee flew in my mouth.
6. I accidentally hit a nun with my motorcycle.
7. A random person threw poison ivy in my face and now I have a rash.
8. I’m convinced my spouse is having an affair and I’m staying home to catch them.
9. I was injured chasing a seagull.
10. I have a headache from eating hot peppers.

Keep skepticism reasonable

Managers clearly have reason for healthy skepticism when employees call in sick — but, especially during flu season, they need to be careful about the message they send those employees who actually are sick.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends employees with swine flu stay home for at least a week (people who get the virus usually remain contagious for about five to seven days).

Managers need to understand that if they put too much pressure on employees to avoid taking sick days, there’s a chance they could actually add to the absenteeism problem by inadvertently spreading illness.

The best strategies for making sure sick days are taken only by those who need them? Managers’ favorite strategies: Asking for a doctor’s note and calling the employee at home.

A recent poll by IT research firm Gartner asked technology pros to rate which perk was most important to them, and most likely to keep them in their current jobs: job security, company-funded training and certification courses, flexible work hours, or recognition from upper management.

The results: 35% said job security was number one. Training and flexibility came in a close second and third, respectively, with 32% and 31% of the votes.

Very few (2%) feel recognition is most important.

These days, job security can’t be easily guaranteed, and there’s little room in most companies’ budgets for extra training. But flexibility is a cheap benefit that can be offered in many cases. And going the extra mile to provide training could be worth it in some cases to retain top-performing employees.

Some managers think their best employees will stick with the company just because they have nowhere else to go — but that type of attitude could leave many employers with a huge turnover problem in the near future.

Once more jobs are available, current employees will jump ship to take them. In fact, 54% say they plan on changing jobs once the economy rebounds, according to a survey from Adecco Group North American.

And the younger employees are, the more likely they’ll be out the door at the first opportunity. Of employees ages 18-29, 71% plan to look for a new job after the recession.

Why? It’s easier now than usual for employees to get disgruntled, considering many have survived layoffs and been asked to do more work for less pay.

To compound that, too many managers think they don’t need to worry about retention when the economy’s tanked.

But a lousy job market really only delays retention problems, which could leave companies stuck with a mass exodus of top talent.

Here are the top ways managers ensure people will leave the company as soon as they can:

1. Staying silent – Employees need honest, open communication. When managers withhold information, employees will always feel uncomfortable and on edge.
2. Being too cynical – Being honest and open doesn’t mean only focusing on negatives — employees still need a healthy dose of good news. To provide that, announce and celebrate the company’s small victories.
3. Keeping employees out of decisions – Top performers want to know what’s going on — and feel like they’re making a real impact in the company’s future. Managers should involve employees in some of the decision making about cost-cutting measures. That’ll generate some good ideas and make employees feel trusted and valued.
4. Forgetting the little things – Even when budget cuts lead to benefit reductions or salary freezes, there are still some low- or no-cost benefits managers can add — for example, flexible scheduling and training.
5. Ignoring compensation concerns – Though everyone should understand what difficult times mean, top employees still want to know their interests are important to the company. It’s important for managers to maintain an open dialogue throughout the entire process and remind employees that only their hard work will ensure that pay raises are available in the future.

About 63% of HR pros say their company’s employees feel insecure due to the recession, according to a poll by Linkedin. But when the question was posed to the rank-and-file, only 34% of employees said they feel insecure.

Similarly, just 11% of HR pros said their employees feel appreciated by the organization, while 37% said they do feel appreciated, despite recent salary freezes, loss of benefits and other cost-cutting measures.

Of course, companies would like those numbers to be higher. But it’s nice to know HR managers are doing a better job than many of them think.

According to a report last year by consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, 90% of employees decide how long they plan to stay with an organization within six months of their arrival. Many employees will even make that decision within the first few days.

Most companies have the basics down for getting a new hire ready — get a mentor, make sure the workstation is ready, show them where the bathrooms are, etc. But here are some other reasons a new hire’s early experiences could drive them away from the company:

1. Managers assume the deal is set in stone – When candidates accept an offer, the “sale” isn’t over. There’s always the chance they’ll get a counter-offer or an offer from another company before their first day with your organization. And even after someone starts, there’s a chance they’ll change their minds. Managers need to understand the impact that an employee’s early tenure will have on long-term retention.
2. No one keeps in touch until day one – New hires’ biggest complaint is often that the few days are disorganized and they don’t get to do any actual work quickly enough. One solution: Have managers contact new hires before the start date and give them any pertinent information. Contact before the first day also reduces the chance the hire will accept a counter-offer and quit before even starting.
3. HR doesn’t stay involved – HR pros are a new employee’s first point of contact with the company. They’re familiar with the person’s expectations and what motivated them to take the new job. So HR can provide a big retention boost by periodically checking in during a new hire’s first few months.
   
4. Managers’ expectations are unreasonable – When a desirable candidate gives a knockout interview, it’s common for the hiring manager to expect a miracle as soon as the person arrives. But any employee, no matter how talented, needs time to adjust to a new environment, and managers  should temper their expectations accordingly. But note: The flip side can also be true: Some managers take too long to start trusting new employees, so the person is unproductive and feels disgruntled.
5. The same is expected from every hire – Some people will get going more quickly than others and require different things from the boss. For example, some people learn best independently, while others need frequent check-ins. If a manager’s newest employee isn’t progressing as quickly as the last hire, that doesn’t mean it’s time to give up.

The study, conducted by professors from the University of Southern California and the University of Florida, was published in the May edition of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

Students were put into two groups and given problem solving activities. In the first group, a student arrived late and was hit with a barrage of criticism from the team leader before being kicked out.

The student arrived late to the second group’s meeting, too, but was simply dismissed without being insulted.

The results: The second group was much more productive, creative and better at solving the problems.

“Here we see that just one incident affects productivity,” said the study’s researchers.

Sounds like another reason for HR to take a stand against workplace jerks.

More than half (53%) of businesses say they plan to add full-time staff within the next year, according to a recent survey by Robert Half International. Additionally, 40% plan to hire temporary or contract workers, while another 40% say they’ll add part-time employees.

That’s good news for the economy, but HR should be on the lookout for retention problems. Employees who have stuck around through increased workloads and pay decreases or wage freezes could try to move elsewhere when new jobs become available.

The best way to keep them? Not surprisingly, it’s money. About half (49%) of employees surveyed said it would take a raise to keep them in their current position, while 28% said they plan to ask for more pay when the economy improves. Also, 40% of companies said that once budgets are more flexible, they’ll use raises as their primary means of retaining top performers.