Internal Communications and the Great Emoji Survey

By now you’ve seen the viral Reddit thread on emoji and the coverage it sparked.?

Who would have thought ?? could tip corporate culture???

Yet, conversations like those found in the Reddit thread, in which some Gen Z employees expressed the negative association they feel upon receiving thumbs up emoji, leave us to wonder: Is there really a brick wall between the generations when it comes to workplace communications? Or is it more like a window that just needs to be cracked??

Going deeper:?

To find out, we surveyed our multi-generational team at Jarrard on the matter. It was fun exercise, for sure. But it also matters because clarity, intent and efficient communications are critical to the work we do as an organization and particularly as communications consultants.? Anything we can do to better walk the talk is a good thing.??

The results? No real drama here — thankfully. We actually communicate pretty well, largely without offense. Thumbs up really usually means thumbs up.?

The eye-opener gem was an 85 percent response rate to our survey. People want to talk about communications – and we’re betting the same goes for your organization. Who would have thought emoji would have the power to open people up about communications preferences???

Understanding matters, check-ins with colleagues matter, even an informal survey about emoji use matters. Because most people are willing to invest time in creating or maintaining a harmonious work environment.?

Bottom line, the process pushed us to ask some questions and reminded us of some basic communications concepts that are always worth another look:?

Communications feeds into culture. And, in turn, is fed by culture. As new people join an organization and others leave, they bring their perspectives to the culture. That fresh thinking can be – should be – positive. But it still needs to be watched to ensure that the underlying vibe remains consistent with who you want to be.?

Intent and perception might not always match. There was a negligible discrepancy in how the Jarrard team interprets words they say versus when someone else says them. Fortunately for us it was negligible. Even so, just asking the two questions side by side serves as a reminder of how easy misinterpretation can be. The potential for a mismatch to create unnecessary interpersonal conflict is obvious. Therefore…?

It’s best to assume good intent. Communication styles vary, and not just by age group. The responsibility for clear communications in any conversation goes both ways. Be mindful of the words (and emoji) you use. Check in with a colleague to make sure your tone is received how you intended it to be. And assume good intent when you see something on screen that doesn’t make sense.??

Mind the trends. Communication is a notoriously complex beast, and interpretation of trends often trickles up the generational ladder as those trends shift. By the time older generations adopt a once favorable colloquialism or emoji, it may already be passe to younger generations. Digital communications have only served to compress these timelines. Even so, the shifts and waves shouldn’t be ignored. Those nuances are all the more reason to keep an eye on internal communications trends.?

Want to conduct your own survey to start a conversation about well... conversations??

Here’s what we asked:?

• How often do you use emojis in personal communications (e.g., texts to family/friends)??
• How often do you use emojis in professional communications (e.g., Teams notes)??
• On a scale of 1-5, How much do you like the built-in reactions in Teams??
• What are you typically trying to convey when you use the thumbs-up emoji??
• How are you most likely to interpret the thumbs up emoji when others use it??
• Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements:?The thumbs up emoji is abrupt?/ The thumbs up emoji is a good way to acknowledge someone?/ The thumbs up emoji is rude?/ The thumbs up emoji is a good confirmation of mutual collaboration and agreement?/ The heart emoji is inappropriate?/ The heart emoji is a positive way to convey agreement and appreciation?
• What emoji do you use most often at work??
• In the past six months, have any of your work-related messages been misunderstood or misinterpreted by colleagues??

And here are some of our results:?

We grouped our colleagues’ answers roughly by age decades.?

When asked, “How often do you use emojis in professional communications?”?A strong plurality of younger employees take the middle ground, with just under half using them once every few messages. Older colleagues were more evenly split.?

Over 50 percent of participants across every age group are unsure whether any of their professional messages have been misunderstood by a colleague.??

?Most of our colleagues answered “acknowledgment” or “like,” to the question, "What are you typically trying to convey when you use the thumbs-up emoji?" Only two people under 40 answered, “I don’t have a response” (wouldn’t that be ?? instead?) or “I’m ending the conversation.”?

?The statement "The thumbs up emoji is abrupt" prompted responses slightly contrary to the Reddit thread. While most colleagues under 30 disagreed, about a third did agree and another 15 percent in the same cohort found it rude.

Although fewer young colleagues felt that thumbs up is abrupt or rude compared to the larger Reddit sample, we did see one of the most notable generational differences on that question. Simply put, the older you are, the less rude you think ?? is.

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