Many people are unable to differentiate between situations that require a phone call and others that need an email, according to a communications specialist.

Ben Camm-Jones of Web-User magazine said that many people were prone to sending emails when they were sat only yards away from the person they were aiming to contact, adding that the need for more direct methods of interacting were paramount to a good working environment.

He continued: "Many workers would benefit from not having their inbox open all day and just checking it once an hour or perhaps even less frequently."

Mr Camm-Jones added that this would necessitate all workers understanding the significance of phone calls and face-to-face communication and using these to replace email when it was most appropriate.

Dimension Data revealed that even a year ago, 100 per cent of IT support executives and managers used emailing, with 80 per cent also using fixed-line telephones and a further 52 per cent having mobile technology.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).