How to use emoji at work without looking stupid
You could say emoji is the new Esperanto — a global language spoken by anyone, anywhere.
But while dropping some 👌💖💪 might be acceptable in an iMessage one-to-one, trying to integrate them into our professional lives can be pretty awkward.
Your average Slack-using tech startup might speak fluent emoji, but most bigger companies stick to boring text-only emails. It’s about time this changes.
Talking should be ✨fun✨
If there is one group of people you see more often than anyone else, it’s your colleagues. Using emoji makes talking to them fun, and it’s an easy way to include some personality into messages you send to people you see every day.
Of course, you should watch out — it might not be the best idea to sign off a cold sales email with a 😘. You don’t want to end up like this guy:
The four golden rules
Please keep these things in mind when using emoji at work — you’ll avoid looking like a total fool.
🦄 Don’t use any emoji you don’t understand
Nothing screams “I’m a terribly out of touch HR manager” than typing 💯👌 just because you saw someone on the internet do it. Emojipedia is a great resource to brush up on your knowledge.
♨️ Be chill
There’s a fine line between an effective emoji user and being terribly obnoxious. Don’t blast out 👍👍👍👍👍 if a single 👍 does the trick — it’s the emoji equivalent of SCREAMING IN ALL CAPS.
🤓 Stay relevant
Keep the situation in mind. When you’re talking to a potential client, you might want to hold off on the 💯🙏😍. But when you’re shooting a message to your work crush, feel free to go all out.
🙅 Beware the ‘Tears of joy’
Never, ever use 😂 in a work context. It’s the most hysterical emoji of them all, and there are lots of better ways to express your joy. Why not start with😀, or if you’re adventurous, 😊? In any case, 😂 isn’t fit for your professional life, and you should seriously reconsider using it at all.
That’s it, you’re now your your company’s coolest employee. Keep in mind these simple rules, break out that emoji keyboard and go make us proud.
