The popularity of emojis has spread beyond social media and into the workplace, where they are being used to foster a more relaxed and fun company culture. Facial expressions have always been a way of helping people read moods during one-on-one conversations. But what if your employees are working remotely? How can you read their expressions? Well, if you are someone in a position of authority, using emojis may help you to unlock the puzzle!
Emojis are human gestures in digital communications that help to convey meaning. Let’s have a closer look at how custom emojis can enhance company culture.
What are Emojis?
Emojis are symbols used to express emotions in digital communication. You use them to inject humor and personify yourself or your brand. Even though they are informal, Generation Z is gradually spreading emojis to more formal situations, which is why they are slowly becoming accepted.
Emojis were first used in Japan in the 1990s, and they spread worldwide because everyone loved using them. Here's how using Custom Emoji on Slack to communicate with staff members in a remote or hybrid setting may improve business culture:
Custom Emojis and Company Culture
Your company’s culture includes everyone’s values, beliefs, and ethics. They impact how workers interact with each other and dictate how business is run and practices are implemented.
Workplace communication keeps adapting to modern communication methods. Instant Messaging is overtaking email correspondences, and it’s possible to work in real-time thanks to video conferencing and screen-sharing. In fact, over 100,000 organizations use Slack to collaborate and work with their employees. These systems help employees communicate with each other easily.
Slack understands the importance of emojis and has a number of them for you to use. However, you might have searched through the emojis in vain for one that complements your company's culture. Thanks to Custom Emojis, you can now get the right emoji for your organization. And you don’t have to worry about your message being misconstrued because generally, emojis have the same meaning all over the world.
Customizing emojis for your organization’s communication and interactions adds value to the overall experience as they express emotional cues for specific situations. You can use them as “pick-me-ups” to drive positive moods within your team.
Custom emojis will enable clear and concise communication between team members. Here’s how Custom Emoji can help connect employees to enhance company culture while working in a remote or hybrid environment.
Should You Use Emojis in Business Communication?
Even though emojis are becoming more and more acceptable in communication, there are some instances where it may not be appropriate to use emojis. For example, it may not seem right to use emojis to
- Communicate with people who prefer to be formal
- Discuss serious situations
- Establish new partnerships
- Communicate with an older generation
- Give negative feedback
- Replace words.
Don’t use emojis with those who prefer to be formal
If you have team members who dislike using emojis in their texts, keep that in mind and leave them out of your direct messages. However, they will be viewing general communications on your Slack workplace or any other team collaboration tools, so they will be introduced slowly to emojis.
Not the best when discussing serious matters
Using emojis may not be appropriate when discussing serious matters with a team member or all members. For instance, putting a smiley emoji on a serious issue could convey that you are not taking it seriously. confuses your team members and they won’t foster good working relationships.
Not to use when establishing new partnerships.
Looking into establishing new partnerships? Hold on before you start adding smiley faces to your proposals. Your new clients might not like the familiarity emojis depict, which could negatively affect your new relationship.
No emojis when giving negative feedback.
Suppose you want to give someone constructive criticism. In that case, you shouldn't use emojis because they could be interpreted as passive-aggressive, especially if the criticism is vague. However, if the feedback is clear and helpful, then emojis help convey friendly feedback.
Advantages of Using Custom Emojis for Your Business
There are many benefits of using customized emojis when communicating with team members. Let us look at some of them
Custom emojis contribute to a friendly brand image
Emojis are a great way to add personality and humor to your brand. They can be used to create fun and playful content and more serious messages. You can make your brand stand out from others by using emojis in your Slack and other communications tools.
Emojis are a great way to break the ice with your employees because they’re personal and friendly. They make you seem more approachable, which helps build trust between you and your employees.
When communicating with your team members, Custom Emoji will add a human touch or emotion to your messages, thus making them come across as personal and not robotic.
Emojis help people visualize what you’re saying better than words alone because they convey emotion without using any words! This makes them easier for people to understand, which is crucial if you want people to remember what you said later.
Custom emojis provide deeper insight
How often have you read a professional email or a notice that seemed a little hostile, even though you know it wasn’t the intended message? A simple emoji could fix that! How about when you write a message and your Grammarly extension notifies you that it sounds angry or sad? While you didn’t intend it to be that way, the recipient might read it that way. In these cases, emojis can help solve misunderstandings within your text as they substitute for the missing tone of voice.
They encourage communication
You can use emojis as an easy way to communicate with colleagues and clients. For example, if you want to share the latest news or information about an upcoming event, use an emoji next to it to let everyone know about it.
This will help make communication easier for everyone involved and increase the level of engagement among employees because they will feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves.
Emojis help encourage communication because remote working means fewer face-to-face interactions between colleagues. This makes it harder to establish strong working relations. But when you encourage the use of emojis, members will be more likely to share their personalities.
Emojis enable emotional connection
When you use emojis in your communications, it helps create an emotional connection with your audience. This helps strengthen relationships and build trust among all parties involved. It also encourages user interactions using your communication channel.
Is your organization big on hugs? If your corporate culture is fun and friendly, where there are a lot of hugs, you can continue practicing that culture by sending virtual hugs when working remotely, thanks to emojis. How about closing off a meeting with GIFs and emojis?
You can also foster an emotional connection with your workmates by using emojis to convey appreciation or recognition. An applause emoji will show the individual you are cheering on that you recognize their accomplishments.
They create a welcoming environment for everyone
Emojis help create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees. The more people feel welcomed and included, the more likely they will work hard and contribute positively to the organization.
Emojis are not only meant for Slack communications. You can use our customized emojis on your company brochures or website pages to attract potential employees who feel your emojis align with their values. Emojis make it easier for potential hires to understand what it's like working at your brand, which helps them decide whether or not it's right for them. What a way to enhance company culture from earlier on!
Using emojis in the workplace can also help boost employee morale and productivity. The more positive your company's culture is, the more likely your employees will be engaged in their work.
Emojis break language barriers
Emojis can be used to save the day when languages may fail. That is why a happy emoji will carry the same meaning all over the world.
How to use Custom Emojis to Enhance Company Culture
If a goal has been met, put an emoji next to it so everyone knows about the achievement! This will make them proud and encourage them to continue striving for success!
If you want to use emojis but aren’t quite sure how, here are some tips on how to use emojis effectively:
Use emojis sparingly
If you overuse emojis, they may lose their impact because they become unrealistic and don't seem part of the conversation anymore. So only use them when they add something extra to the conversation that wouldn't have been there otherwise.
Focus on what matters most
The more complex or confusing an emoji is, the less likely it will be understood by someone who needs to know what it means or needs context for its meaning. You can have custom emojis that are simple but express your company’s culture. Fewer custom emojis will help prevent polluting the channel with many reaction messages.
Use emojis to get feedback
Emojis can help employees give feedback in surveys. Employees can choose an emoji that shows exactly how they feel about a particular subject, work assignments, and their overall feeling. You can ask a simple question, and team members can respond with a simple click of an emoji. This makes emojis “happiness pulse checks” in remote environments
Why Custom Emoji?
The built-in Slack emojis may not have your vision or show your values. Therefore, you may be looking for custom emojis for your channel that will resonate with your values and motto.
Fortunately, you can get free custom emojis for your slack channel to enhance your company culture. To upload custom emoji:
- Hover over your slack channel and click the arrow beside your workspace name
- Select customize Slack
- Click “Add custom emoji’’
- Select the emoji you like
- Choose a name for the emoji
- Click save.
Your custom emoji will be available for everyone in your Slack workspace. Try using the emoji often so your teammates can get the hang of it and start using it. You can also help bring awareness to the members about why you are using that emoji and how you feel will help with building team spirit in your workspace.
Continue adding custom emojis and compile a selection you can use in your workspace.
Types of Custom Emoji
Emojis to show:
- Appreciation
- Success
- Party mood
- Speed
- Tiredness
- LGBTQ+
- Confusion
- Thoughtfulness, and many more
Final Thoughts
Although emojis are slowly finding their way into workspaces, it is essential to use them sparingly. This will help prevent polluting workspaces, making it difficult for employees to decode some meanings. It is vital to use emojis that are easy to understand and that will help build company culture.
Why not add your own if you are trying to find a fitting emoji for your slack community? These custom emojis will help you and your team use them to reduce ambiguity and enhance communication within your organization. When employees feel they are in a safe environment and are appreciated, you will have a low employee turnover 😊.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Emojis
- How do I use custom emojis in my company?
Custom emojis will help you add personality and expression to your messages in your Slack community. To use custom emojis, you’ll need to add them to your slack channel so others can start using them.
- Why should I use emojis in my workplace?
Emojis add personality to company culture, making it more fun and personal. They also show your employees that you care about them, which builds morale and employee engagement. Also, emojis help you express yourself more clearly than words alone!
- How can I use emojis in my workspace?
You can use emojis for urgent tasks and name different channels for chat notifications. Also, use emojis that have a clear meaning so they are understood.
- Will my employees have an issue using custom emojis in the workplace?
No, since emojis are not new, they will not be seen as an oddity or a foreign language by your workmates. They will instead see it as another way to express themselves or their ideas.
