If it seems like 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 citing it as the method used most often. Just five years ago – that memorable year of 2001 – the phone was used the most by 48 percent of executives. E-mail was the prime means for only 27 percent back then.

But e-mail now has taken over the world, or at least office communications. Nearly three-fourths of the executives, 71 percent, said it was currently the most-favored form of communication. In-person talks were cited by 14 percent, followed by the phone.

The results are from a poll released last month by OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based temporary staffing firm for administrative professionals.