Imagine a day where no one in your office is allowed to use email and must communicate by phone or in person. If that thought scares you, perhaps you should give it a shot.

That was the suggestion of Mark Wilson, CEO of pre-employment screening services firm e-Verifile, who practices what he preaches. Wilson was the winner of Small Business Computing‘s “Share Your Success” contest, which looked for unique tips for small business and startup success.

Every Friday at Atlanta-based e-Verifile, employees can use email for external communications, but to contact their co-workers, they must use the phone or a little face time. The result, says Wilson, is a happier workforce that communicates better.

Email may be a great time-saver, but “it is also an easy way for important messages to get lost in translation, especially in the work environment,” says Wilson.

Reducing the volume of internal email reduces the number of “misinterpretations and misunderstandings and emails that don’t have clarity,” says Wilson. It also helps avoid endless, time-draining email chains.

No-email Fridays restore the human element of the business and can even be fun, says Wilson. Policing the policy has become a friendly competition among employees and helps build camaraderie, he notes.

Adapted from Announcing the ‘Share Your Success’ Facebook Contest Winners by Pedro Hernandez at Small Business Computing.