A recent Lexmark commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos of American knowledge workers says that "always on" technology such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones and e-mail that make them reachable 24/7 are more of a benefit than a drawback.

That's according to a national telephone survey of knowledge workers -- defined as individuals who use a computer at work for word processing, database, spreadsheet, Internet or e-mail applications. Commissioned by Lexmark International, Inc. and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, a global polling and market research firm, the research was designed to gauge workplace and technology trends.

According to the survey, the biggest personal impact of technology in the workplace is connectivity: almost all knowledge workers (85 percent) say that having constant access to technology means that they are always reachable.

- 92 percent of knowledge workers read, send, make or take work-related communications in non-work situations.

- 73 percent have kept their communications device(s) on during the weekend.

- Just under half (45 percent) still tune in to the office while on vacation.

- Knowledge workers are even thinking about work in social situations: more than half (55 percent) have communicated about work while spending time with their friends and family and a fifth (20 percent) have interrupted a date for work purposes. One in 20 (6 percent) have been known to ignore pleas to switch off their mobile devices before the beginning of a concert or play.

Far from feeling shackled to their PDAs, cell phones and e-mail, they regard "always on" devices as a lifeline that gives them a measure of professional and personal freedom. Even though mobile communication technologies are eroding the boundary between their professional and personal lives, knowledge workers' views on technology are more likely to focus on the benefits rather than the drawbacks.

They say technology allows them to:

- Be more productive (83 percent).

- Work more flexibly (80 percent).

- Be more successful in their careers (70 percent).

"Knowledge workers view technology as less of an electronic ball and chain than a lifeline that gives them the ability to work more productively," said Tim Fitzpatrick, a Lexmark vice president who managed the research project. "In turn, this has driven even more solutions to enable printing from PDAs and USB flash memory devices while knowledge workers are visiting customers or to print wirelessly from their laptops at home, to cite just a few examples."

Ipsos interviewed 711 knowledge workers by telephone between October 10 and 24, 2006. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3.7 percent with a 95 percent confidence level.