According to research by the business loyalty programme Nectar Business, millions of workaholic Britons find it impossible to switch off their work devices even when they’re not in the office.

British worker’s refusal to turn off their Blackberrys or mobile phones means they are effectively working an extra 10 days a year

Nectar Business did the study to reveal the impact of technology on British working lives.

The study found that 20 per cent of UK workers keep their phones on over the weekend.

24 per cent of Brits complain they feel stressed because they are always on call, with 33 percent of male and 54 percent of the women respondents saying that they cannot switch their BlackBerry smartphones off when they leave the office.

Of the workers that do switch off, 22 per cent still can’t help having a sneak peek at their work emails over the weekend.

Almost two thirds of the 1,000 office workers that were quizzed, said they believe it helps them work quickly and efficiently while 71 per cent said email was the best way to contact a colleague.

The research also discovered that the ‘virtual colleague’ is on the increase with 79 per cent admitting they’ve only met half the people they regularly do business with.