E-mails, PDAs and BlackBerries put staff under pressure to be permanently available

Excessive e-mails and an inability to leave PDAs and BlackBerries alone are leaving employees jaded and overworked, according to a new survey.

The study of 3,018 workers, commissioned by the organisers of the Leaders in London conference, found three-quarters believed the endless onslaught of new technology made them feel under pressure to be constantly available, even outside of working hours.

Four in 10 (43%) revealed that they check their PDAs and BlackBerries as much as every 10 minutes.

Three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed admitted that they had checked their e-mails during numerous social occasions, including weddings (15%), birthday parties (14%) and even on dates (5%).

A quarter admitted that they couldn't even resist checking their inbox while on holiday.

Almost two-thirds (61%) felt that the pressure to be regularly on call meant that they spent barely 15 minutes working without interruptions during a typical day.