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Workers often use emojis in emails to provide a friendlier form of communication; however, a number of the recipients of these emoji-filled emails find them incredibly unprofessional.
Emojis are regularly used for communication on social media sites, text messages, and other more informal forums. Nevertheless, the emoji phenomenon quietly crept into professional communication, often by way of emails.
According to a recent Mailsuite survey, 56 per cent of those who use emojis at work say it’s “to be friendly”, which was the most common reason, while two-fifths (41 per cent) use emojis “to soften communication”. However, 26 per cent of recipients agree that emojis make an email “unprofessional”.
In regards to the “soften communication” aspect, the survey highlighted that some emojis have been classed as very passive aggressive, with some respondents even owning up to using these communication tools as a means of coming across as passive aggressive (6 per cent).
In terms of what emojis are being used to communicate through emails, in the American workplace, a thumbs up was the most used (54 per cent).
Another aspect explored throughout the survey was the appropriateness of sending such emojis to colleagues or clients. As the findings went, the younger the workers were, the more appropriate they found it was to send emojis.
According to the survey, 82 per cent of Zoomers feel it’s appropriate to use emojis, while that figure falls to 60 per cent for Gen X and 58 per cent for Baby Boomers. The appropriateness also differed depending on whether the relationship with the client was a long-term or short-term one, as familiarity could affect how it is perceived.
When sending emojis to colleagues, workers must be wary, as we’ve seen in the past that excessive emoji use can be a detriment to workplace comradery. As previously reported on HR Leader, excessive emoji use was cited as a reason for an employee’s dismissal.
The employee allegedly would use an excessive amount of emojis when sending emails, which both the director and CFO addressed with him. The employee’s rebuttal was that “he uses the prayer hands emoji because he is Indian and includes it in his written communication as a show of respect”.
There are a number of scenarios in the workplace where perhaps sending an emoji isn’t the most appropriate form of communication. However, as the workplace becomes younger, the frequency of usage may continue to rise – but the acceptance of it by older workers may remain dubious.
Kace O'Neill
Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.
