The bosses of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK spend nearly two hours a day dealing with pointless emails, a new report suggests.

Research commissioned by Plantronics found that business executives think that around one it three of the emails they have to deal with every day are irrelevant to the effective running of the business.

Nearly half (43 per cent) of the bosses questioned thought that just ten per cent of the emails they sent and received conveyed the intended message.

In contrast, the research found that using a phone with a wireless headset increased work-related productivity by 23 per cent as it allowed the boss to multi-task effectively.

"Our results show that the phone is used as a secondary communication tool and email the first, despite the negative impact it has on employee productivity, wellbeing and the company's bottom line," explained Philip Vanhoutte, the European managing director at Plantronics.

Peter Thomson, the director of the future work forum at Henley Management College, added: "Our research proves that email use is out of control, often causing confusion and inertia.

"It also paints a bleak picture of silent offices where colleagues email rather than talk face to face."

Mr Thomson said that bosses should look to use the phone more and only use email to confirm things which have already been agreed.