Want to Connect with Your Team? Use Emojis 🙂

It wasn’t too long ago that many people thought that the use of emojis in work communication was unprofessional. But times have changed. In fact, the shift to hybrid means that informal written communication, including emojis, is more common than ever in the workplace. As a manager, you can use this new workplace language to connect with your employees on an emotional level (after all, emojis are meant to convey feelings). For example, you might kick off a team meeting by asking everyone to send an emoji describing how they feel. This simple exercise can allow you and your team to get a sense of morale with just a single glance at the screen. You can also use emojis as part of your weekly check-ins with direct reports, asking them to select an emoji to indicate how their week went. Then follow up with open-ended questions, such as: What went well this week? What was the worst part of the week? Is there anything I can help with? Finally, you can use emojis to influence your team’s emotional culture. Something as simple as sending a Slack message each morning with emojis that convey a positive emotion, such as happiness, pride, enthusiasm, or optimism, can make a big difference.