Are you given to liberally sprinkling your messages to colleagues with emojis? In the remote workplace, emojis seem to be replacing the physical and verbal cues we rely on to gauge a colleague’s mood. But it turns out emojis are liable to be misconstrued. A new paper on Business Communication in Harvard Business Review, says emojis can be an intergenerational and cultural minefield. For example, it says, the use of the smiley face emoji can offend Gen Zs, who see it as patronising.
However, emojis at work have a useful purpose of letting you know how team members are feeling, says the paper, giving the example of employees at Danske Bank A/S, a Danish banking and financial services company. When they log in to their remote meetings, they share an emoji which represents how they are feeling. This enables everyone to get a sense of each other’s moods through just a single glance at the screen. The paper suggests leaders could use some positive reinforcing emojis such as the thumbs up or clapping emoji to spread cheer. Well, the next message you send off, do put some thought into that emoji!