Communication | Do emojis have a place at work?

Emojis. The popular ideograms and smileys that are used to express feelings and illustrate words over social media.

Emojis exist in various genres such as facial expressions, common objects, animals and world flags and are often used to visually represent a written message. A 2015 study from AYTM Market Research found that 48.9% of US adults have used emojis in social media or text messages and this figure is likely to be far higher four years on. Yet, while emojis may be a helpful medium for expressing a person’s feelings, some may question whether they have a place in a professional working environment.

Many professionals toy between the idea of emojis being childish and unprofessional or an easy way to signal tone. And this was parroted by Inc columnist Alison Green. She explained that in most office environments, emojis are fine in moderation as long as they aren’t exhausted and used in conjunction with outlandish, offensive fonts and colours.

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But ultimately, she said that the use of emojis should be determined by the office culture. “You want to be aware of your office culture; if you’re in a workplace where emoticons are just Not Done [sic], you risk coming across as fluffy or unprofessional if you use them.