As a nation, we are working the longest hours in Europe. Most of us are now notching up well over the standard 37.5-hour week.

We are also increasingly taking work home, whether that's burning the midnight oil to finish a report or losing sleep over an important contract. Gadgets, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones and Skype, are easing that transition from work to home, but sometimes blurring the once sharp dividing line between the two.

The advent of digital technology is giving us more control than ever over how, where and when we work. Portable devices and new technologies allow fast and easy communication without the constraints of real time, and video conferencing enables face-to-face meetings with people 1,000 miles away or more. We can communicate with ever-increasing effectiveness on the move. Or can we?

Working on the move has often been accused of encouraging a stressful working culture where employees can't switch off. Mobile working is a solution for employees who need to stay in contact with their offices between meetings. It also allows more flexible working practices, where people can work from home for at least part of the week, while staying in touch with the main office. Yet it isn't a total replacement for the traditional office, and remote meetings aren't a complete substitute for talking in real time with other people.

I read about a group of Japanese people recently who have taken remote working and living to the limit. They do everything online and via gadgets and new technologies, never venturing outside their technologically enhanced living spaces. Could this be a Brave-New-World glimpse into all our futures? Could the future of mobile working be progressively self-limiting? Not if we can achieve that balance between our work and home lives.

* Kelvyn Gracie is joint managing director of Russell Telecom, the North's first private telecommunications company established in 1984.

The Newcastle company specialises in telecommunications sales, installation and maintenance for companies including Arriva and Bishop Auckland College.

For more information, contact Mr Gracie on 0870 112 5402.

Published: 09/05/2006