A few years ago, I was just settling down to watch the sun set over the shimmering loch, enjoying some rare and well-earned peace. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my boss. “Hope you’re having a nice holiday. Can you remember the alarm code for my gates?”

To some of you (I hope) this might seem outrageous, but for office workers across the land it’s a familiar story. A recent survey by Office Angels found that a staggering 76 per cent of office workers refuse to switch off their mobile or BlackBerry when on holiday, leaving themselves open to work interference.

However, not everyone thinks it’s a problem. Kim Hawkins is PA to a senior executive at Tullett Prebon in London. She positively welcomes being called while on holiday. “I hate coming back to a complete jumble,” she says. “I would much rather someone called me to sort it out.”

Kim says she couldn’t relax if she knew she couldn’t be contacted. “I think it does come down to respect. If you make yourself available like that it breeds respect from your employer. Most of the people on my team have BlackBerries and we all stay in contact all the time.”

Sarah is PA to a well-known author. She says that she has even curtailed a holiday to help her boss out of a tight spot. “My boss knows that it’s unreasonable to call very late at night, but beyond that she thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to call me when she knows I am halfway up Snowdon to ask how to format a paragraph!”

Sarah thinks that it’s par for the course for a PA and, though she doesn’t always like it, she reckons that the role demands that sort of flexibility. “I wouldn’t be an assistant if I didn’t expect it,” she says. “My boyfriend thinks it’s totally unreasonable, but I get other really good perks, so I can’t complain too much at the odd phone call.”

Rebecca Parnell, regional manager for the recruitment firm Robert Half International, agrees. “I think there is a fine balance in terms of the whole work-life thing,” she says. “An employer-PA relationship takes many years to build mutual respect, but if you have that, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Many PAs are key members of the senior management team, committed to the company goal.”

But, she adds: “Holidays should be exactly that, and it’s important to take the time out you need.”