There's no rest for the wired . . . Delegates attending a conference on stress in Dublin take time out for mobile phone calls during the event. The conference was told that 30 per cent of Irish people claim work has adversely affected their health. The conference also heard details of a European survey which found 48 per cent of those questioned blamed tight deadlines for putting them under stress. Around 65 per cent cited pressure from clients dictating an increased pace of work as the principal cause for their stress levels.

Prof Michiel Kompier, of the Centre for Work and Organisational Psychology at the university of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, called for a combination of work and person-directed interventions to combat workplace stress.

He added that such an approach could benefit firms. Research had shown that where such approaches were implemented, there was a reduction in absenteeism and an improvement in employees' general health and well-being.