Do you censor your use of emojis to look more professional at work?

Observe the people around you

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“I think for a start, when we do not know what is accepted, starting with being formal and professional helps. This does not mean we hide who we are or become overly stiff. It is important to have an appropriate professional boundary, especially when communicating about work,” says Lai Han Sam, who’s the founder and woman’s life coach at LifeWork Global. “This will help others to see your knowledge, skills and your behaviour as a professional. At the workplace, this is paramount to your growth and professional brand.”

“I prefer not using emojis in emails and messages because I think it downplays professionalism and at work, it’s important to build trust,” says 31-year-old Alexis who works in the finance industry and regularly engages with external stakeholders.

“The use of emojis and stickers are perceived to be more informal and fun. Thus, unless the coworker is also your friend, or you know your boss very well, it is best to avoid using them. In a work team group chat, you likely have varying types of relationships – it is good to observe how the members communicate before jumping in with a more casual form of communication,” points out Sam.

Draw boundaries to be the person who you want to be

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“Whenever I draft an email in reply to my colleagues, I re-read it and self-edit before clicking send. I’m mindful of how I come across and this extends to how I don’t use emojis or “haha” in all work communication platforms – even WhatsApp. Most of the time I’m giving advice and leading the team, and I communicate in a way that I would expect my boss to,” says 31-year-old Lucy*, who is a designer. “I don’t think it’s necessarily about “typing like a man” because some men can be unclear or indecisive. But it is important to me to be straight to the point so that I’m clear in communicating my directions and expectations.”

For Lucy, she’s also conscious of how sharing screengrabs are common these days and if someone does that to her email or text, she wants the message to come across as professional.

“If you asked me a few years ago, I did use a lot of emojis and gifs when chatting casually with colleagues, and I do enjoy the conversation more when using them outside of work,” admits Lucy. But now that she’s in a position of seniority – fine as she is with her team using emojis and gifs, it doesn’t compel her to do the same. “I only share a funny gif when I want to compliment the team or a colleague.”

Even members of the Gen-Z cohort starting out in their career, see their age and position as all the more reason to present themselves in a way that conveys wisdom and competence.

“I tend to restrict the semantics and tone when I am intending to look more confident or professional at work. I think the subtle nuances in punctuation fuels a more professional narrative. So that’s something I play with when I want to be taken more seriously, like when presenting ideas or suggestions,” says 21-year-old university student Mavis, who has interned in communications and healthcare fields. “For instance, when drafting emails at work, I am a copious dash user! That way, my content is more concise and coherent, and it steers me away from rambling or overcomplicating my request. Utilising dashes in my sentence structure allows me to join two independent ideas into just one line, reducing any potential confusion and it also helps to visually separate the sentence.”

“On the flipside, I casually use the exclamation mark among clients or co-workers I interact with often to give off an almost humanising tone in a business setting, injecting a sense of genuineness into my well-wishing,” she adds. Think: “Hope you are doing well!” instead of “Hope you are doing well.”

Mavis is conscious of how her young age means she’s always on the bottom rungs of the office hierarchy, so she edits her language to help present herself better.

Know your audience

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For Ling Ling, 23, who is in her final year at university and has interned in PR and marketing, it also depends on who she’s communicating with. “If I’m working in an environment that is more casual and everyone is friendly to one another, I’m less conscious of using emojis and exclamation marks with my teammates. As for when speaking with external parties such as clients or influencers, I’d be more conscious of how I come across as I’d likely be less familiar or comfortable with them.”

“I feel that it’s not a bad thing to be using emojis when communicating as it sets a more laid back and friendly tone – one that is less stressful. I wouldn’t perceive someone as less professional for being friendly to me. However, something I find important is the ability to get your point across firmly. If you’re too friendly, others might think you’re easy to take advantage of,” says Ling Ling.

According to SurveyMonkey, the use of emojis has resulted in 50 per cent of young professionals between age 18 and 29 surveyed finding colleagues to be more fun, while 43 per cent of them find colleagues more approachable, and 35 per cent deemed colleagues kinder. So they can work in your favour.

Where it gets tricky is that some emojis can be harder than others to interpret. Case in point: the ​skull emoji 💀might be a hot favourite among Gen Zs for symbolising laughter, while the kissing face 😗means “sounds good”. The emojis you use with friends as inside jokes might not be as clearly interpreted by colleagues.

Fun as it may seem to showcase creativity and your kick ass personality, in a fast-paced environment such as work, it’s sometimes better to be clear to get the results you want and not risk ruffling feathers along the way.

Dare we say this is why the thumbs up emoji is paving the way is the most popular in the world of work? Providing positive affirmation and straight to the point.

As much as we value a supportive environment, one thing seems to ring clear: the priority in concise and direct communication to show that you are in command – without being rude.

*Name has been changed.