KEEPING UP APPEARANCES: It's a skill they don't teach in college or at those company training seminars, but one most employees learn anyway: How to look busy.

Whether you're bored, stressed or just need a break, sometimes you need to put down the spreadsheet and pick up the Sudoku. To make sure you at least create the appearance of being diligently engaged in company business, check out the following suggestions from bloggers on the job web-site Monster.

Always carry a file folder with at least one sheet of paper inside. Scribble a note on it and mumble: "Must not forget that."

Leave a cup of coffee and bakery bag on your desk at night and leave your computer running. When you're late the next morning, everyone will think you've been there all along.

Always have a work-related question or statement ready that you can fire off at a moment's notice while gabbing with a co-worker. When a manager walks by, seamlessly transition to your prepared statement. "So Susan, that's how we calculate profit-margins."

SUMMER "SICK" DAYS: It's funny how the office ranks start to thin just as the summer kicks off, with reports of stomach viruses rising coincidentally with the number of bright, sunny days.

Nearly 40 percent of full-time workers admit to calling in sick to work to enjoy a summer day off, according to a recently released online survey. Here's a shocker: the most popular days to play hooky were Friday and Monday.

"It really leads to a bit of a productivity and morale problem if it's left unchecked," said Jim Kizielewicz of workplace management firm Kronos Inc., which sponsored the survey, conducted in mid-April among 2,021 adults.

Workers are turning the concept of sick time on its head, calling in sick when they're not and showing up to work when they are. In a related Kronos study, 98 percent of full-time employees reported going to work when they were ill.

The trend should prompt employers to manage time off more proactively, with creative alternatives like allowing telecommuting or half days off on summer Fridays, Kizielewicz said.

"It's not bad to take the time off, but plan for it accordingly," he said>

JOB INSECURITY: <$>Companies are merging and splitting left and right these days, but could the pursuit of profit leave you in the dust?

You may think your job's safe, if you're like most workers. The majority of American employees, or 89 percent, aren't worried about the prospect of their company merging or being acquired in the next year, a new survey found.

A full 90 percent of workers between the ages of 18 and 24 said their job would be very or somewhat secure if their company was taken over, compared to only 72 percent of employees over age 64.

Much of that confidence, however, results from the higher-ups' version of the story. Employees usually hear about a deal's potential for growth, but not necessarily the accompanying plans for job cuts, said Jeff Perry of Ernst & Young, a professional service firm that conducted the survey.

If employers are clear about their strategy, workers can position themselves for new opportunities within the company, Perry said, rather than ducking for cover under their desks.

"It's important for employees to understand why those decisions are being made," he said.

The telephone survey was conducted among 855 adults employed full-time in a company with more than 100 employees.