Email has revolutionised people’s lives – but can you have too much of a good thing? Two million emails are sent every second and now companies are hiring consultants to teach their staff how to cope with the daily avalanche in their inboxes. It’s become so bad that some companies have introduced email free days. The Money Programme asks if email helps or hinders workplace performance, and shows how to control email rather than letting it control us.

Presenter Libby Potter meets small-business owner Donna Thornton, who estimates she spends three hours a day checking, reading and dealing with her emails. When she is not in the office, she is on her BlackBerry. However, she says it is essential for the running of her business.

Critics say that things are getting out of hand. The programme meets “Dr E-mail”, the university academic who works as a consultant, advising businesses on improving email efficiency. She joins him as he teaches police officers from the Leicestershire Constabulary how to control their email workload.

Some companies, including international accounting firm Deloitte, prefer to try and deal with the problem themselves. It instituted an email-free day to try to reduce the number of emails staff had to deal with.

The programme also meets the inventor of email, Ray Tomlinson. In a rare interview, Ray tells The Money Programme how the first email came about, shares his opinion on spam and predicts the future for his ubiquitous invention.

Friday 7 March
7.00-7.30pm BBC TWO