One in five companies are preparing to equip their staff with the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device, demonstrating a willingness for non-stop work that baffles many Continental counterparts.

According to research by ACNielsen and VNU, in the next year 21 per cent of companies that do not already use BlackBerries intend to adopt the technology, known as "CrackBerry" for the way it produces a craving for an e-mail fix among hardened users.