We partnered with Mailsuite to survey 2,013 office workers based in the U.S. about how they use and perceive emojis in work emails: when emojis are appropriate, which ones to use and what they really convey.
Some key findings included:
- Thumbs up (👍) is the most used emoji in the American workplace, and 54% of workers have used it.
- 56% of those who use emojis at work say it’s “to be friendly” — the most common reason for using emojis in work emails. However, 26% of recipients agree that emojis make an email “unprofessional.”
- A small percentage of those surveyed (6%) admitted to using emojis in work emails “to be passive-aggressive.”
- 65% of workers find it acceptable to send emojis to a client they’ve known a long time, but just 26% think it’s appropriate with new clients.
- Gen Z and Millennial Americans are generally more likely to find it acceptable to use emojis in work emails to colleagues, customers and managers compared to their Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts.
You can explore the different visualizations from this report here.
