By Robyn Vinter, content strategist for the Looking4Parking – the UK’s best value supermarket.

In the past decade we’ve all read hundreds of news reports about how lazy and antisocial we all are, sending emails within the office, rather than speaking to people in person. In the Looking4Parking office we disagree. Here’s ten reasons why it’s OK.

1. It saves time. Banging out an email can take seconds, whereas getting up and looking around for the person you need could take much longer.

2. Everything is in writing. Certain things, such as deadlines, are best given in writing so if there is any confusion, the emails can be referred back to.

3. It saves paper. If you’re passing on facts and figures, it’s much better for the environment to email them instead of printing. If the recipient wants a printed copy they can print it themselves.

4. You don’t distract people. Having someone coming up to you to talk when it is not convenient can be annoying, and can distract others around you. By receiving things by email, you can respond when it suits you.

5. You can address a number of people in one go. Rather than having to hold a meeting about sales reports, you can send them to your entire workforce with the click of a mouse. This saves everyone time and means that everyone gets the exact same message.

6. People don’t have to be in the office at the time. It’s always irritating when you need to tell someone something but they’re away from their desk at the time. By emailing, you can pass the message on whilst you’re dealing with it, without having to break your train of thought later.

7. You can carefully phrase what you want to say. Being tactful is not always easy face-to-face and sometimes we agree to things we can’t do when we’re put under pressure. Email gives us the chance to think about what we want to say before we say it and consider our responses carefully.

8. It’s private. In our working lives, there are always things we want to discuss with others without the entire office hearing and gossiping. If you need a morning off for the doctors, for example, you can email your manager without anyone knowing.

9. The message can be passed from one to another in its entirety. You know how it is, you’re working on a client’s account but all the relevant people aren’t always available at the same time. By emailing everyone and forwarding messages, everyone understands exactly what others are doing and nobody gets the wrong idea.

10. You don’t have to know who they are. In a big office, names and faces can easily be confused. Whilst you know someone’s name, you’re not sure if they’re an accountant or in HR, whether they’re that guy with the motorbike or the bushy beard. It might be impersonal, but at least the message gets to the right person.