With smartphones becoming increasingly common, emojis are becoming more and more widespread in personal chats and text messages. But are they appropriate at work?
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that when people use emojis at work, it makes them appear less intelligent, less competent and only slightly, if at all, more friendly.
We wanted to explore these findings by asking 560 individuals on SurveyMonkey Audience what they think about emojis in the workplace.
Hoping to use a smiley-face emoji in your email signature? Read on to see if it’s work-friendly.
What you think about emojis at work depends on your age
We directly asked respondents: “Do you feel that emojis are appropriate or inappropriate to use at work?”
Our results? An even split.
The percentage of employees who think emoji use is appropriate is the same as the percentage of employees who think it's inappropriate.
The mixed views can be explained largely by age. Young professionals tend to see value from using emojis, whereas older professionals see them as unprofessional and counterproductive.
Here’s a more detailed breakdown that explains each groups’ point of view:
Young professionals give it a 👍
Nearly half (46%) of young adults (18–29 years old) think emojis are work-appropriate, whereas only 28% think they’re inappropriate to use.
Not only do more young adults approve of their use, but many think they can be used to their benefit. For example, more than half (53%) use emojis to be funny, whereas the same percentage see emojis as a way to express their feelings better.
A few of our young-professional respondents effectively summed up the sentiment:
- "Using emojis in the workplace makes work more fun."
- "It makes everything easier."
- "Using emojis at work is OK."
Young professionals also see others in a more positive light when they use emojis. Here are some ways in which emojis can influence their perception of a colleague:
To put it into words, 50% find a colleague to be more fun, 43% see him or her as more approachable and 35% deem the colleague to be kinder if they use emojis.
With only 17% of young adults considering emoji use unprofessional, using emojis with young colleagues may be worth a go.
However, older professionals give it the 👎
Before you get overly excited and send out your favourite emojis, consider what older professionals have to say.
Professionals aged 45 years and older are more likely to say that emoji use at work is inappropriate (rather than appropriate) by 14 percentage points.
A few older professionals wrote with particular conviction when discussing the place of emojis at work:
- "Emojis are the height of unprofessionalism."
- "They do not present an image I would like to present."
- "There are more effective ways of communicating without lowering the bar of professionalism."
Older professionals often agree with the quotes above:
- Only 15% think emojis improve workplace communication.
- 29% say it makes colleagues look unprofessional; the number jumps to 36% when upper management use them.
- A combined 22% say it makes colleagues come across as either annoying, less genuine or less competent.
Given the conflicting views of each generation, is there anything they can agree on?
Emojis with customers and prospects are a definite no-no
Have you ever received an email from one of your favourite brands that included an emoji? Employees of all ages think it’s best to steer clear of using emojis both with prospects and customers.
Employees are more than four times as likely to disapprove (rather than approve) of emoji use with this audience (45% vs. 11%).
Roughly a third find emoji use with this audience unprofessional, whereas fewer than 20% say it either helps the organisation be more approachable (19%) or appear more fun (18%).
Given everything we've learned, what are the key takeaways about using emojis at work?
✓ Consider avoiding the use of emojis with customers or prospects
✓ At work, it's safest to use emojis with young colleagues (who also use them) in a private chat or email
✓ Older colleagues may be less receptive to emojis
Of course, we’re generalising here. Since employees of all ages may have different views on the use of emojis, it’s best to use them at your discretion. But if you’re not one to take risks, it’s probably best to avoid them completely.
Were you thinking about using a smiley face in your email signature? Well, you probably aren’t now!
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