A whopping 72% of workers age 60 or older are putting off retirement because they feel they can’t afford to retire, according to a new Harris Interactive/CareerBuilder study.

And it appears women are more likely to stay on the job than men — 76% of women said they plan to work longer because they can’t afford to retire, compared to 68% of men who said they’ll stay in the workforce.

Luckily for most (71%) of those who want to keep working, they enjoy their job and don’t want to leave.

Some other reasons older works say they want to stay on the job:

• To collect health insurance or other additional benefits they need (50%)
• They think retirement will be too boring (24%), and
• They enjoy feeling needed (15%).

Adjusting your office’s thermostat.

One-third of employees say temperature can affect their productivity, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. Most problems come from turning the dial too high — 22% of employees said it’s harder to work when the office is too hot, while 11% said the same about a workplace that’s too cold.

Not sure about the best temperature for employees at your company? CareerBuilder recommends the person in charge send an e-mail to each department to take a survey about preferred thermostat settings. Not everyone will agree — but the answers could be close enough to make a compromise.

Give up? They’re all perks employees have requested from HR and benefits pros. Want to hear some more crazy ones?

HR and benefits managers recently shared the most memorable requests made by some of their company’s employees in a recent CareerBuilder survey.

Here are the craziest requests that made the cut:

• Allow people to change their clothes in their cubicles.
• Add a tanning bed to the break room.
• Put beer in the vending machine.
• Hold the team meeting in Hawaii.
• Cover jail time under family medical leave.
• Put a tanning bed in the break room.
• Create a smoking area for medical marijuana users.
• People should be allowed to use the chair in the lactation room for naps.
• Install a swimming pool.
• Start bikini Fridays.

What the weirdest request someone’s made at your company? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Another 3% of laid-off workers found part-time work, which is down from 8%, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey of employees who were laid off from full-time jobs in the past year.

More than half able to negotiate higher pay

The survey also looked at a variety of characteristics of the individuals returning to work and found:

• 56% were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for their new positions
• 44% took a pay cut with their new position
• 38% found work in a different field, and
• 20% found work in a new city or state.

The figures show that you may want to act now if possible. Consider: Almost half (48%) of the workers who were laid off from their full-time job in the past three months have found new, full-time work — up from 41% in March.

That’s according to recent CareerBuilder survey of 921 employees who were laid off from full-time jobs within the last 12 months.

Another 3% of laid-off workers found part-time work, which is down from 8%.

The CareerBuilder survey also looked at a variety of characteristics of the individuals returning to work and found:

• 56% were able to negotiate comparable or higher pay for new positions
• 44% took a pay cut with their new position
• 38% found work in a different field than they were previously employed, and
• 20% found work in a new city or state.

With such a large pool of highly skilled employees out of work, experts suggest any companies that are in a position to add staff should do so now — before the economy rebounds and they have to compete with many other firms.

According to a recent survey by Robert Half International and CareerBuilder, more than one-quarter (28%) of employees are planning to ask for a raise as soon as the economy improves.

Additionally, just about half (49%) of those surveyed said pay raises will be the most effective retention tool after the recovery.

Some other key findings from the survey included:

• 40% of hiring managers said pay increases would be their company’s primary means of retaining top performers, and
• 20% of employees said the most effective retention tool would be better benefits and perks once the economy improves.

The top benefits and perks participants cited: technology upgrades, followed by tuition reimbursement or subsidized training.

In another one of those surveys designed to amuse and bemuse, CareerBuilder.com asked: “What’s the strangest complaint you’ve ever heard from an employee about a co-worker. Here are, arguably, the strangest responses.

“One of my co-workers …”

1. is a pimp
2. eats all the good cookies
3. is too sun-tanned
4. has big hair
5. has ticks
6. has bells on her shoes, and it’s not even holiday time
7. reminds me of Bambi
8. is trying to poison me
9. is responsible for a federal  increase in taxes
10. breathes too loudly

Almost half (45%) of hiring managers said they use Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites to research applicants, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey — more than twice the amount who said so a year ago.

Companies often reject candidates based on their profiles. About 35% of the respondents said they’ve turned down a candidate because of the online screen. Reasons for rejection mentioned by those managers:

• Provocative or inappropriate photographs (53%)
• Evidence of drinking or drug use (45%)
• Insults directed at previous employers or bosses (35%)
• Poor communication skills (29%)
• Discriminatory or hateful comments (26%)
• Information that conflicts with a resume (24%), and
• Sharing of confidential information from current or previous employers (20%).

It’s not quite as common, but managers are also going online and finding reasons why they should hire someone — 18% said they’ve made a positive decision based on an online profile. Those hiring managers found:

• Evidence the person would be a good personality fit (50%)
• Info that backs up a resume (39%)
• Creativity (38%)
• Solid communication skills (35%), and
• Compliments and positive references posted by other people (19%).

CareerBuilder recently announced a partnership with Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine, to release a service called Applicant Explorer.

Free to employers that subscribe to CareerBuilder’s resume database, Applicant Explorer is basically a search engine specifically designed to search for people.

The engine collects all references to candidates’ names on the Web, giving you a picture of their “online footprint.” Results will include comments posted on message boards, social networking profiles, contributions to blogs and articles that mention the candidate.

CareerBuilder stresses the service isn’t just about digging dirt. By pulling all types of sources, Applicant Explorer should be just as likely to offer positive information on candidates.

To learn more about how to use the tool, click here.

According to a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, 43% of U.S. workers have gained weight in their current jobs.

A combination of stress over the current economy and poor eating habits seems to be spurring the increased weight gain in the U.S. workforce.
Just how much weight are employees packing on? According to the study:

* 25% have put on more than 10 lbs., and
* 12% have put on more than 20 lbs.

The study also dissected people’s eating habits and found:
• 39% of employees eat out for lunch two or more times per week
• 12% of employees buy lunch from a vending machine at least once a week
• 67% of employees snack at least once a day, and
• 24% of employees admit to snacking twice a day.

There’s a good deal of research that proves unhealthy staffers carry significantly higher healthcare costs. Taking a proactive approach to helping these employees can benefit their overall well-being, as well as your bottom line.

Fortunately, reversing bad habits doesn’t take a complete lifestyle overhaul. Experts stress that little things can have a tremendous impact in halting the weight gain, including:

• bringing a lunch to work
• making it a point to get up from your desk several times throughout the day
• taking walks during lunch breaks, and
• biking to/from work.