Fist bump or punch? Emoji mishaps can cause confusion at work

Emoji have become a vital part of workplace communication, with 71% of American workers saying messages not peppered with the pictorial icons are incomplete in meaning. Globally, more than half of workers include emoji in messages sent to colleagues – though 30% refuse to do so with their boss. — Photo by Denis Cherkashin on Unsplash

As managing director of a transport consultancy, Carol Deveney is used to celebrating completed projects with her clients in the government and at engineering firms. While she’d usually be able to congratulate her clients in person, the lockdown meant switching to text-based chat tools, where emoji added a bit of levity.

“Text messages just seem a bit bland,” said Deveney. “I was trying to put my friendly nature into the message.”