While some businesspeople avoid e-mail and mobiles during their time off, others find it tough to remain out of contact, writes Rhymer Rigby

ANYONE WHO has sat on a Mediterranean beach this summer will be familiar with the trill of mobiles producing an instant response among supposedly off-duty executives.

Mobile phones, BlackBerries, WiFi and sub-miniature laptops make it all too possible to pack the office along with your luggage. But how in touch or out of touch should businesspeople be?

Sarah Churchman, a human resources director at accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, says for senior staff, it is down to their relationship with their clients. "Invariably, though, clients are respectful of holiday time - it is often the office that gets in touch."

But some employees have to be told to take a break: "We do try and encourage people to get a broader perspective of their careers and the totality of their lives."

Churchman says though she does not mind being contacted, with careful planning, you can usually ensure it is not necessary.

Others take a stricter line. Before departing on his summer break, Dr Jakob Nielsen, an IT expert, said: "I will be completely out of contact for two full weeks while I am in Africa. There is no internet on the Serengeti. There may be mobile phone access around the lodges, but probably not on the plains themselves."

He says he has sworn off e-mail for a fortnight and thinks his staff can handle things without him. "In fact, any executive who thinks otherwise has really failed one of his or her most important duties."

Dr Elisabeth Marx, a psychologist and partner at headhunters Heidrick Struggles, believes the reality is more nuanced. "It depends on the position and on whether you have a deputy or successor. You need to leave very clear instructions as to when and why . The more senior you are the clearer it becomes."

She too believes a good manager should be able to leave a team to its own devices and adds that executives who are continually in touch with the office are not taking the time they need to recharge their mental batteries. "And with BlackBerries and mobiles this issue becomes far more acute. Where do you set the boundaries? How do you make sure there is a balance between business and private life?"

For those who are struggling to switch off, help may be at hand: resorts in communications blackspots. Louise Newton, marketing manager of Somak Holidays, says the manager of their Kenyan resort encourages holidaymakers to turn off their mobiles.

However, for those who want to be properly phone-free, the company has a camp in Tanzania with no reception at all. "The only contact there is the manager's satellite phones."

The reality of not having reception can initially be quite a shock, however. She says: "We have had a few inquiries but often people say they want peace and tranquillity and then they are a bit freaked out for the first few days."

A couple of hours north of Melbourne is Wahalla, sometimes known as Australia's Valley of the Gods, where there are no television or mobile signals.

"Some people act as though you have just cut off their right arm when they discover their mobile doesn't work," says Michael Leaney, proprietor of the hamlet's Star Hotel. But for others the lack of mobile reception is a selling point, he adds.

"Being forced to ignore the phone by it not working is the only real escape many people have."

Likewise, nothing happening in the office would matter if people were able to restrain themselves from checking e-mail, says Dr Nielsen. "It is very important for a holiday to do its 'job', that one switches off the office mindset. I don't think it hurts to check e-mail once a day for a few minutes, but one has to maintain discipline and not get into responding to every small matter."

For a large number of executives, however, this just doesn't happen. "So for many people it may be necessary to treat e-mail like an alcoholic treats whisky: you can either drink no whisky at all or you have to empty the entire bottle." There is, he says, no such thing as one e-mail for a workaholic: "Better to stay off it altogether and enjoy your holiday."

Some argue that, far from ruining a holiday, constant connectivity is a necessary part of it.

Julie Meyer, chief executive of Ariadne, the investment advisory house, says: "I change location but I never really take a holiday as I get bored after four days."

Churchman takes a similar view: "Checking your e-mail five times a day is down to personality type. It is a very individual thing and some people can't relax if they are not in contact."

- (Financial Times service)