Did you know Gen-Z Is Twice As Likely to Send Emojis to Senior Managers, Shaping New Office Communication Norms

 

Emojis are a powerful way to convey emotions without words. However, some believe using them at work is unprofessional. To explore this, Mailsuite surveyed over 2,000 US office workers to understand how emojis are perceived in professional settings and the meanings behind different ones.

According to the results of the survey, thumbs up emoji was the most used (54%) by office workers. 56% said that it conveys the emotions of friendliness while 26% said that it seems unprofessional. Gen-Z uses this emoji the most in work settings. The survey also asked respondents why they use emojis in work emails. 56% said they use emojis to appear friendly, while 41% use them to soften communication. American office workers also use emojis in work emails to show they are approachable (31%) and some use them to show passive-aggressiveness (6%).

Upon asking how Americans perceive those people who use emojis in work emails, 43% said they think of those people as too friendly while 34% said it feels like people who use emojis in work emails have more personality. But on the other hand, some also said that people who use emojis are unprofessional (26%), annoying (13%) and cringey (11%).

83% of the respondents said that they send most emojis to Gen-Z, followed by 81% who send them to millennials. 7 in 10 reported that they have received emojis from their coworkers in the past 12 months. Women (79%) are more likely to use emojis in work emails than men (74%). 56% of the Gen-Z respondents said that it is okay to send emojis to customers, followed by 50% millennials who say that. On average, 43% of American office workers think it is completely okay to send emojis to customers. Men (45%) are more likely to send emojis to customers than men (42%).

3 in 10 respondents also reported that they have received emojis from their managers in the past 12 months. 48% of office workers are more likely to send emojis to middle management than 38% who are likely to send them to senior management. Men (39%) are more likely to send emojis to senior managers than women (32%). 17% of American office workers also reported receiving emails from their senior managers. Gen-Z are twice likely to send emojis to senior managers than any other generation.

Gen-Z are overall the most likely to send emojis to first time customers (53%), colleagues (43%) and customers they have known for a long time (82%). Americans use emojis the most when they want to tell their colleagues that they did something wrong. But a thumbs up emoji can mean multiple things, either genuine or sarcastic. But one thing is for sure, emojis are a great way to convey your emotions in an office setting.

Take a look at these charts for more insights: