Emojis in the Workplace: For or Against?

Emojis Reduce Ambiguity

Today, most professional communication happens through a screen, in large part because of how widespread remote work has become. And in understanding a message, tone of voice and facial expressions sometimes matter as much as the words themselves. A terse line like "We need to talk" suddenly feels more inviting with an emoji: "We need to talk 🙂". In fact, 58% of survey respondents believe using emojis at work lets them communicate more nuance with fewer words.

Nicolas, who describes himself as a geek, tends to send very short emails. There was a time when his clipped style was regularly misread. "A few emojis would probably have helped convey my actual mood," says this IT specialist. In his view, emojis serve a purpose. "You don't invent codes like these for nothing. They show up because they answer a real need in the way we've started communicating," he argues.

When Clarity Becomes an HR Issue

This ambiguity isn't limited to conversations between colleagues. When an employee needs to request time off, check their vacation balance, or follow up on an HR request, every murky back-and-forth costs both sides time. An HR self-service portal removes a good share of those exchanges by giving everyone direct access to their own records.

Emojis Speed Up Communication

According to the survey, 54% of employees feel emojis make communication more efficient. Marie-Josée agrees. While she doesn't think emojis read as professional, she appreciates being able to answer a colleague with a 👍. "I find it lightens up email threads," says this events professional.

Messaging platforms have helped codify emoji use. At the tech company where Ismael works, everyone knows what 👀 (message read) and ✅ (task complete) mean. "It's a language we use even with the CEOs," says this UX designer. That said, he never includes emojis in emails to clients.

Emojis Build Cohesion

Amélie avoids emojis when writing to someone she doesn't know. "I wait to see what energy the person gives off, and I adapt," explains this account director. But once there's a rapport, she doesn't hold back. "My face is very expressive when I talk. Emojis let me get the emotion across better and reproduce the facial expressions I'd have had if we'd been talking in person. 😄 🥴 🙃"

In a remote work context, emojis can stand in for those famous water-cooler conversations and help build connection across distance. They also support recognition and encouragement. Marking a colleague's win with a 👏 or a 🌟 takes only seconds, but it contributes to team spirit.

Emojis Undermine Professional Image

Should it surprise anyone that 30% of employees never send emojis to their manager? Plenty of people feel emoticons and other playful images have no place in a professional setting. Steve is in that camp. "I'm largely against it, but I feel like an old crank if I don't include at least one. The social pressure to use emojis — now there's a topic nobody talks about enough! 🫣" says this journalist.

Researchers at the University of Ottawa set out to determine whether emojis damage how employees are perceived. They asked 243 participants to evaluate positive, negative, and neutral instant messages — some accompanied by a 🙂 or a 😡 — and to judge the competence and professionalism of the sender. Messages without emojis were, by a wide margin, perceived as more professional. Conversely, those paired with a negative emoji were considered inappropriate in a work context.

The study offers an important nuance, though, one often missing from the headlines: a positive emoji paired with a positive or neutral message actually improved perceptions of the sender's competence. What participants penalized wasn't the emoji itself, but the mismatch between the emoji and the tone of the message. A 🙂 attached to bad news can even come across as insincere.

The Verdict

Does this mean we should avoid emojis at work? Erin L. Courtice, the study's lead author, argues instead that they should be used thoughtfully. "Emojis are not simply neutral add-ons to text messages; they can influence how others perceive us, particularly in terms of competence and appropriateness," explains the researcher from the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Grasping their nuances is what allows them to enhance a message and strengthen ties with colleagues.

Sarah, a talent acquisition specialist at SIGMA-HR, also believes it comes down to judgment and not overdoing it. "It really depends on the context and the message you want to send. I don't use them in formal emails, but I might include one if I have a rapport with a colleague or, for example, when a candidate accepts an offer."

That balance matters especially in recruitment, where every message shapes a candidate's impression of the organization. A recruitment module that centralizes communications is what makes it possible to keep a consistent tone from one recruiter to the next, while leaving room for personalization where it's warranted.

After all, if emojis can make workplace communication easier and strengthen team cohesion, why go without them? That said, it's up to each person to use them — or not — depending on the context and their own personality.

For or Against Emojis at Work?