IT’S HARD to imagine life without a mobile phone – that once upon a time you couldn’t call your boss to tell them you were running late or to make that Friday afternoon call to a client from the scene of your late lunch.

The advent of new technology means you can now even receive and reply to emails when you’re on the move – so you really can work from anywhere.

Muffle the background noise and no one need know that you’ve slept in or sloped off to do a little lunchtime shopping rather than staying chained to your desk.

But new research suggests we’ve all become a little too used to the convenience of being in touch 24/7.

According to a survey by 3 UK, hard-working Britons feel they have to be easily reached by phone or email wherever they are – and whatever they’re doing – to staying on top in the workplace.

A sense of responsibility to clients, willingness to deal with emergencies and an overall desire to feel in control of their work duties apparently mean that people are prepared to pick up calls and take care of business in some decidedly un-businesslike locations.

A quarter of people deal with work-related matters while they’re on public transport (presumably they’re the ones saying “I'm on the train”), while more than a fifth are happy to down pints and hoist phones to get that last bit of admin out of the way from the confines of the pub.

We’ve all done that from time to time – but are you one of the 13 per cent of people who do their business down the line from the doctor’s surgery?

Perhaps you’re among the four million Britons who’ll actually break off in the middle of a date to sort out that nagging little problem at the office, or – even worse – one of the four per cent of survey respondents who have chattered away on a work call during a body wax.

Can being in constant contact be too much of a good thing?

Russsell Beale, senior lecturer in computer science at the University of Birmingham, says it depends.

“From a health point of view, if you’re the sort of person who gets up at 3am to check your BlackBerry, then no, that’s not so good.

“But for lots of small businesses and organisations, the ability to reply instantly to a query is hugely useful.”

Beale says we have become so used to the instant communication offered by new technology that our working styles – and our leisure time – have evolved around it.

“People used to have very segmented lives but now we’re much more used to combining lots of things at once,” he says.

“It can be a nice distraction to be able to check your email or make a call while you’re working on something that requires deep concentration.”

However, Beale says it’s important to find a balance – and employers should make sure they are not putting undue pressure on their staff to be available at all hours.

He adds people can always opt out – phones can be turned off and emails won’t disappear if you fail to check your inbox hundred times a day.

“Whether people choose to exercise that choice is up to them.”