E-mail has taken the lead in work communications

If it seems as if we never talk anymore at work, it's because we probably don't.

At least for work purposes, according to a query of business executives who say their communications is almost strictly confined to e-mail these days.

The telephone is a distant third when it comes to how we communicate at work, with only 13 percent listing it as the method used most often. Five years ago, the phone was used the most by 48 percent of executives. E-mail was the prime means for only 27 percent then.

Nearly three-fourths of the executives, 71 percent, said it now is the most-favored form of communication. In-person talks was mentioned by 14 percent, followed by the phone.

The results are from a poll released last month by Off- iceTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based temporary staffing firm for administrative professionals. It polled 150 senior executives at Fortune 1000 companies. The poll's margin of error is 5 percentage points.

The company has a caveat for Internet-ruled communications: the message should match the medium. With the phone, people can "share ideas and feedback with the benefit of vocal inflections, which reduces the potential for confusion or miscommunication," said Diane Domeyer, OfficeTeam's executive director.