Emails while commuting 'should count as work'

The study of 5,000 commuters travelling by train into London each day raises the question of when the working day really begins. So many people were found to be catching up on emails that the journey had effectively become an unpaid extension of their business day.

Researchers from the University of the West of England say that the spread of internet access requires a rethinking of what employers mean by 'working hours'.

Business leaders were not unsympathetic. The Institute of Directors agreed that it was becoming hard to draw the line between work and home life and that if people were unable to switch off,it would mean more stress and a reduction in productivity.