Are Emojis UNprofessional?

A survey dated 4 years ago indicated that using emojis at work made people seem “less competent,” but most young professionals gave emojis a 👍 . Then came 2020 and WFH, and now using emojis is a norm in our daily communication at work.

One of the many things that changed due to COVID is how we work, and it’s more than just the setting. The line between our personal and professional lives has never been so blurry.

According to Microsoft Design VP Jon Friedman, remote work has helped us move past the old-school “professionalism” that used to make people think emojis were unacceptable in a work setting. In this new setup, people are more comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work. And yes, they’re more comfortable using emojis.

Emojis are still emojis. Work is still work. What changed is our definition of professionalism. As Jon said, being able to show more of our lives and personalities at work has served as a catalyst to a new definition of professionalism, one that is refreshingly human.

Whether you think emojis are “unprofessional” depends on your definition of what being “professional” is. For instance, some people think that emotions have no place at work… that showing emotions at the workplace is unprofessional. If you believe this myth, even though it’s already been debunked, chances are you would find…