But these days, it's not unusual to have an e-mail arrive from the boss at 2 a.m., or have co-workers call you at night, during weekends and even on vacation. You no longer sit and simply enjoy time off - you are tethered to your job through all sorts of electronic gadgets. And, even if the boss or your colleagues aren't trying to contact you, in all honesty, you're probably trying to contact them.

Is it that our work has become so critical that we can't take even one night off? That our vacations are nothing but telecommuting in disguise? That we're so critical to the success of our employer that we must stay connected 24/7?

''Workaholism is not new,'' says Manny Avramidis, the senior vice president of global human resources for the American Management Association. ''What's new is what is being added to the arsenal.''

Avramidis says that by arming employees with laptop computers, cell phones, pagers and BlackBerries, workers are constantly connected to their jobs. The problem, he says, is that no one can be focused on the job all the time.

''It used to be that you focused on your job only when you were at work,'' he says. ''But now we expect employees to be engaged 24/7.''

And that, he says, is what really causes problems. ''In our organization, I've found that technology has led to a lack of quality work,'' he says. ''Technology should streamline work and offer you more flexibility - not contribute to problems.''

Specifically, Avramidis says it's too easy for multitasking workers, who might be messaging on a BlackBerry while rushing to catch a plane and answer a cell phone at the same time, to make a mistake.

''Sometimes mistakes can be costly,'' he says. ''Overuse of technology can lead to some real problems.''

One of those problems is an ''addiction'' to technology, when the worker can't seem to put down the BlackBerry or shut off the cell phone. The result can be a worker who fails to engage with others effectively, often shutting down the creative juices that flow from personal interaction, he says.

Another downside to the constant connection that technology gives workers is the lack of true down time. Time away from work is critical, Avramidis says.

''In our business, innovation and education is our goal. You have to have a fresh mind to think of fresh ideas. Most of the smarter organizations don't really look favorably at not taking time off because if you don't, you're going to burn out and then only be there for the short term. In our business, it's actually looked at in a negative way if you don't take your vacation. You can get called on the carpet for it.''

Avramidis has some advice for those workers who toil until 11 p.m. every night or refuse to step away from the e-mail:

* Watch the attachments. Firing off a quick e-mail with an attachment that will take three hours for the other person to read is not appreciated. ''It's done with no shame,'' he says. ''It's because it's much easier to violate someone else's time by sending a huge attachment rather than taking the time to approach the person directly.''

* Set guidelines. Agree with others in your workplace that you're going to be more aware of when to use technology - and when not to. Avramidis says a focus group from all levels of his organization help set up rules that everyone had to follow - including the bosses. Ruling on no more Blackberries, pagers or cell phones in meetings and stopping mass e-mails can alleviate a lot of frustration with technology.

* Take a deep breath. Before sending an electronic or voice message, consider where, when and how the person will receive it. Do you really need to send a message during the weekend? Is it really fair to send urgent work to someone coming off a weeklong business trip? Can your message wait until the person finishes a big project? Be aware of the stresses everyone faces on the job, and how your actions with technology contribute to that.

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* ANITA BRUZZESE can be reached c/o Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. 22107.