Emoji’s in work emails – are they ACCEPTABLE?
Emails, unquestionably, lacks cues for conveying emotion, such as tone of voice and facial expressions.
Workplaces also tend have a blend of so many generations nowadays – we have the boomers and obviously the tech savvy Millennials.
Work emails can be a fiddly business, especially as everyone has a different opinion on using emojis.
You could be working in any sort of workplace: Is your office a very formal space? Do you maintain a personality-free character in the office or do you have a sweet casual place of work and have a friendly banter with colleagues? Who are your clients? What is your profession?
As much as these “smiley faces” are smiley and nice and may give the impression to unstiffen a message, they can seldom make a positive impact – and can in fact undermine and chip away what we’re trying to say.
There is a huge difference also between sending a simple “smiley” face compared to “a face blowing a kiss” emoji.
I spoke to a team of engineers, specialists and managers at a well known, established company in Perth and their thoughts were “a smiley is not a real smile in work related / professional emails and communication” and may not be perceived as a serious email if they see a certain emoji in an email content.
So, when is it OK to send or REASONABLE enough to use emojis at work?
……. Once again everyone may have different perceptions on this topic, but if communication is short – such as if you are sending back and forth and brief “chat-like” emails to a colleague such as “thank you” or “how was your long weekend?” it is OK and there could be nothing wrong with that.
If you are sending a close colleague, a long term client/ a familiar face an email with an emoji, it’s a hindrance for them to see you as more approachable rather than see you as a fanatic nitpicker for the rules.
We have all seen emoji’s sent to us or we send them via work emails, so don’t fret!
It is notable to recognize where it can be fitting or inappropriate to use emojis, and there are always allowances!
In conclusion: “Caution is Crucial”
While Emojis are extensively used in text messages, marketing campaigns and social media, their effective use and relevance in business communications remains questionable.
Professional emails are more detailed and include more content-related/ productive work information when they do not include smiley faces or confusing emojis such as the famous “thumbs up” response.
It is wise to shy away from using emojis in business emails and be very mindful of not overusing them or not using them at all.
Sometimes it is better to keep the smiley face for a “face to face interaction” instead.
