Juggling isn’t a skill that they teach before you join Deloitte, so thank heavens for electronic gadgets and IT that help workers to work smarter – and probably harder.

A lot has changed since Katie Houldsworth , a partner in the technology, media and communications audit group, joined the firm 12 years ago. Back then, computers sat on your desk and a mobile phone wouldn’t fit into your pocket.

In contrast, she now has a PDA and a laptop that almost fits into her handbag, to save her hauling a heavier model on and off aircraft. She can also access e-mail and documents at home or abroad remotely – and if needed, she can call the 24-hour IT help-desk.

The technology could make her feel as if she’s permanently on call but it actually helps Houldsworth to work flexibly.

“If I decide to work from home, my clients don’t need to know I am not in the office. I can look at my PDA in my own time frame. It can take over your life but I find it more useful than not [having it].”

Katie McAndrew, an HR director at Deloitte, needs both high-tech and low-tech assistance to help her to work part-time. She lives in Scotland and travels to London at least once a week. She relies on a PDA to keep her in the loop. She is also glad of live meetings; a system that allows users to dial in to a conference while sitting at their computer and watch or present material to other people on the call.

“I’ve genuinely seen an improvement in connectivity in ways that help me to do my job better,” McAndrew says. “But technology can only take you so far.” The attitude and support of the partners with whom she works is critical.

The firm isn’t afraid to experiment with new technology, according to Tom Crawford, its head of diversity. Unlike others, Deloitte has not banned access to Facebook, the social networking site, although it does counsel employees not to spill work or personal secrets across its pages.

“The great thing about Facebook internally is that it’s a great social leveller,” Crawford says. “Members of the board are on there as well as people who have just joined the firm.” It’s also a good way to connect to your colleagues as people, he says. The firm is starting to use social networking software internally to create dedicated spaces where teams can keep in touch.

Then there’s blogging. “Internally we use blogs to create dialogue and minimise hierachies,” Crawford says. He writes one of many, as does John Connelly, the global chairman. But such e-connections have not replaced old-fashioned face-to-face conversations, Crawford says. The technology is there to enhance, not take over.

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