Emojis are images that represent emotions and objects. 😊 They’re common in informal situations like texting and social media – but are they ok for the workplace?
More people are saying YES; they believe using emojis in the right context demonstrates an ability to adapt to changing trends and conveys emotions in ways words sometimes can’t.
Here are tips for using emojis at work:
Don’t use emojis
- With someone you have an uncomfortable relationship with
- With clients
- With people above you in the management hierarchy
- When you’re wearing a suit
- To replace entire words
- In messages with bad news or unpleasant requests
- If you don’t know what they mean
- If they could be misinterpreted
(Possibly) use emojis
- If you can wear jeans to work
- With someone who also uses emojis
- In quick emails to your close-knit team
- In team messaging apps like Slack
- If they’re unambiguous (🙂, 🙁, 👍, or 👎, for example)
And no matter what the situation is, we advise against the pile of poo – even if it is smiling. 💩
(For a more in-depth consideration of using emojis at work, read our blog here.)
(And, just for fun, you can research emoji meanings here.)