Emoji At Work

How much thought do we really give to the little emoji?

They may be tiny but they can have a big impact.

92% of those online use emoji so perhaps it’s no surprise World Emoji Day has been an unofficial holiday since July 17th, 2014.

The vast majority of mobile device owners use emoji for personal use daily but how does the emoji pertain specifically to business communication?

LESS FACE TO FACE = MORE SMILEY FACES

With the recent increase of working from home we have less opportunity to express ourselves in person even with video meetings, upon meetings (insert eye roll emoji here). We are communicating more with the written word than we were when we shared work spaces. The majority of our verbal communication is body language, voice, tone, and facial cues. Without those important nuances of communication the words that we choose to use are even more important to get our meaning across. Adding a layer of visual language to express ourselves can create more clarity and intimacy. Yet both words and emoji can be misinterpreted by the receiver.

WHEN EMOJI GO WRONG

Why did you think I meant that?  Have you ever used an emoji and regretted it, or wondered if it was perceived differently than you intended? “I didn’t know that was what a peach meant?!?” How might language of origin, culture, age, gender, profession, or even geographic location impact our perception of what an emoji means? 

From an HR perspective has the possibility of emoji being potentially harmful in communication with different interpretations and legal ramifications been considered at your workplace? If so, does your workplace have a written policy on the use of emoji? 

What does it say about me? Some might suggest that using Emoji on LinkedIn might appear unprofessional, immature, inappropriate, or could even diminish one’s reputation. I have read multiple LinkedIn ‘advisors’ suggest that using “emoji on LinkedIn means that you do not know the boundary between your job and having fun.” 

As I have spent my career studying the serious bottom-line benefits of playfulness at work this viewpoint that fun and your job require strict separation boundaries is reminiscent of industrial age thinking. In a time when resilience, innovation, wellness and interpersonal skills are essential the movement for more play at work is growing.

It’s true that the appearance of overuse of emoji and what type of emoji one uses may create a negative perception and potential visual clutter. At the same time judging others as ‘not mature’, or ‘trying too hard’ based on the imperfect art of emoji expression is tantamount to judging one’s ability to do a job based on the clothes that they wear – superficial. 

Who Looks Like Me? Like LEGO? mini-figures, in the early days, the color yellow became a default for what was supposed to be “racially neutral” emoji. With time and globalization public demand has created changes for increased diversity of skin tones, gender, and hair styles. With greater choices comes more inclusive representation and personalization, and we need even more.

RISE IN EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION AT WORK

When to Emoji?

Emoji are primarily used within social media and direct messaging as either a shortcut to expression or as an amplification of a feeling. It is rare to see emoji in an email which tends to be a more formal form of communication. 

There was a time when expressing feelings at work were frowned upon as unprofessional. Now research shows that suppressing emotions can be harmful affecting blood pressure, memory and self-esteem. Emotional regulation combined with healthy expression increases our engagement and team cohesion.  

I’ve not spent much time thinking about emojis before today, except for that night when I watched The Emoji Movie with my son. It has been especially enlightening to think about how they relate to our everyday work, 1:1, within social media, and even within larger brand communications.

If you too would like to dive into the delights of the history and evolution of the emoji do check out the various Ted talks on the subject by Tracey Pickett , Jenna Schistra or Jeremy Burge founder of @emojipedia and July 17th annual @worldemojiday 

WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ON YOUR EMOJI EXPERIENCES – AT WORK

Have you ever had an emoji go terribly wrong?

Have you found them helpful and primarily positive?

Please comment or DM … with or without emojis. 

Kirsten Anderson

After 25 years as an entrepreneur in the toy industry, and over a decade as the play expert on Global TV, Kirsten sold the award winning “Best Toy Store in Canada” to bridge her expertise in business leadership and the bottom-line benefits of playfulness at work. 

Though some call her a Playologist, she’s actually a renowned international keynote speaker and facilitator on the power of playfulness to improve innovation, wellness, culture, and team dynamics.

Kirsten is the founder of Integrate Play Solutions; a boutique training corporation working with organizational teams in diverse industries, to help solve their messiest challenges using playful methods - the favourite being LEGO? Serious Play?.