Staff “need to be trained in communication”

Employers need to improve office communications by training their staff about when it is appropriate to use the telephone or email, according to a magazine.

Workers would benefit from not checking their inboxes all day and understanding the importance of phone calls and face-to-face communication, Web User says.

According to Expert Messaging, over three-quarters of employees check their email within the first five minutes of turning their computer on.

Ben Camm-Jones, news editor at Web-User magazine, said staff should be encouraged to check their inbox just once an hour or even less frequently.

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"This would rely on all workers understanding the importance of phone calls and face-to-face communication and using these methods in place of email where appropriate," he added.

According to research from Dimension Data, the increase in the use of email is widening the personal communication gap in the workplace, as people would rather email than speak on the phone.