British workers have become a “nation of cowards”, using modern technology to deal with difficult situations rather than confronting colleagues face-to-face.

The majority of workers (73%) delegate tough tasks remotely and more than half of UK staff (52%) use digital tecnology to pursue new business.

A quarter of 18 to 34-year-olds also believe it is acceptable to call in sick using text or e-mail, according to the Etiquette in the Digital Age report, commissioned by the Post Office.

A proportion of UK workers also admit to resigning from a job using modern technology (13%) and 2% of employers have sacked staff by text or email.

Liz Brewer, author of the study, said: “There are many more modes of communication open to us than there were five, 10 or 20 years ago.

“While this makes organising a birthday party or meeting up for a drink much easier than in days gone by, it also means that it is easy to use the shield of technology to put off what should be addressed face to face.”