An office can benefit highly from training in online communications such as emailing, it has been said.

Ben Camm-Jones, the news editor of Web-User magazine, said that such an investment by managers would improve efficiency in the office, particularly if their schemes address time management which may usually hinder progress in day-to-day tasks surrounding emails in the office.

He continued: "There should be a proactive discussion between bosses and employees about the effects that email can have on productivity, though it needs to be understood that email can be an incredibly useful tool as well."

A recent study carried out by Expert Messaging found that emailing can waste an hour a day in the office.

The communications consultancy said that 77 per cent of people were privy to checking their email within five minutes of switching their computer on, with 39 per cent even spending two hours on the facility during work.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent).