According to a survey carried out among 2,000 people, email gaffes have resulted in one in 20 being sacked or having to face a severe reprimand.
Daily Express Monday reported that one in five respondents said they had foolishly sent an inappropriate email in anger.
The top embarrassing mistakes included sending an offensive message to a colleague who was being insulted.
The survey was commissioned to mark the DVD release of the TV film "Going Postal". More than one in 10 had posted a spiteful message to a rival colleague by accident while one in three said they had hit “reply all” instead of “reply” by mistake.
Also, men were more likely to make a mistake, with 28 percent having made an email faux pas, compared with 17 percent of women.
Outside work, one in five respondents admitted to dumping a partner by sending a text message and one in 10 ended a relationship by sending an email, the survey found.
Published 23 August 2010, 10:45 IST