In the new, younger world of work, emojis are more than just a nice-to-have.
In today’s fast-paced world, efficiency is everything. Yet two in three workers are regularly wasting time just trying to decode what their coworkers actually mean in their day-to-day messages.
That stat comes from Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab, which recently partnered with YouGov to survey 10,000 knowledge workers across the US, France, Germany, India, and Australia about how bonds are formed and maintained at work.
When it comes to strong communication and long-term job satisfaction, no Slack ping or email sign-off is too minor to consider. All our interactions display digital body language, a term describing self-expressive behaviors, such as how quickly someone responds to a message, whether they use emojis, and their preferred punctuation and tone.
Today’s work is largely virtual – and often global – but miscommunication is a how we work problem, not a where we work problem. Half of all survey respondents said writing, not in-person meetings, is their primary mode of communication. That makes digital body language – the way we digitally communicate – central to the job.
As Gen Z – the oldest of whom turn 28 this year, while the youngest turn 13 – joins the job market in greater numbers, their reliance on emotional cues like emojis are especially relevant. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that Gen Z will make up about 25% of the U.S. workforce by 2025, and up to 30% by 2030.
You say tomato, I say tomato, the new intern says
Today’s work-age Gen Zers attended and graduated college during the pandemic, likely with far fewer in-person jobs under their belt. Growing up with smartphones, these digital natives are most comfortable expressing themselves and receiving feedback virtually.
Yet wires are easily crossed when the younger digital natives team up on projects with in-person natives, older workers who came up in more traditional environments. (Think: cubicles, water cooler chats, and boardroom meetings). In fact, half of Gen Z respondents (48%) say they waste time each week attempting to interpret written messages from older colleagues.
The finer details – like a preference for a “good job” via Slack over a 👍 – are becoming just as important as verbal cues. Almost 9 in 10 (88%) of Gen Zers said emojis are useful at work; fewer than half of Boomers and Gen Xers agreed. Gen Zers are 2.5 times as likely to say they’re motivated by emoji message reactions than are Boomers, and are likelier to read messages that include emojis.
The bottom line
Even the most minute, playful interactions can quickly snowball into norms. A
That’s why emojis aren’t just comms fluff. Mastering small cues can be a step towards fostering the culture you want to embody. No one wants to be misunderstood, and they certainly don’t want to make their teammates feel dismissed or spoken down to.
Grasping digital body language is a low-lift way for leaders to better navigate generational differences and foster productive teamwork. No matter your generation, empathy and collaboration never go out of style