A new report from the Orange Future Enterprise Coalition (OFEC), a group of industrialists, academics and futurologists, has urged mobile workers to switch off their connections every now and then.

The report suggests that companies must encourage staff to turn off their mobile devices if they are to enjoy a healthy work/life balance.

Employees need to learn to switch off during the weekends and evenings if they are to avoid stress related problems later in life.

"Mobile data technologies are a force for good, but they can mean a trade-off between the freedom to work outside the office and the extension of work outside office hours," said Alastair MacLeod, vice president of Orange Business Solutions.

"Mobile technology gives employees more control over their lives, but employers must encourage staff to 'switch off' and to learn the skills of virtual networking."

OFEC's Organisational Lives report, written by the Henley Management Centre, also predicts a battle between employers and staff over 'digital rights'.

Problems may occur when bosses claim ownership of all information exchanged via company-owned mobile devices, while staff demand privacy when using mobile devices in personal time.

The report indicated that new technologies will help individuals protect and control their digital identities when using corporate devices for private purposes.

Other findings included a survey showing that 41 per cent of companies do not offer their staff mobile hardware at all.

"There is a difference between helping staff get more out of the workplace and helping staff get more out of their work," said Karen Gill, OFEC member and managing director of women's networking company Everywoman.

"OFEC encourages employers to do both by investing in new technology and in the new skills required in tomorrow's virtual office."