An exclusive poll on behalf of Newsweek has revealed that men and women feel differently about the use of emojis in the workplace.
In a poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on March 20, 2023, 1,500 U.S. adults were asked about what was and was not appropriate in the workplace.
When asked if it was OK to include a heart emoji in a message to a colleague, 21 percent of adults said this was OK, while 43 percent replied that it would be inappropriate in a workplace setting.
A further 26 percent replied that it would depend on the circumstances, while 10 percent said they were unsure.
While the majority of U.S. adults agreed that the heart emoji should not be used in a work message, there was a difference in opinion between men and women.
Of the men who answered the survey, 50 percent said that the heart emoji was not OK in a work message, but only 41 percent of women agreed.
A viral post earlier this March sparked conversation about the use of the emoji in the workplace. A woman shared her upset when she saw her husband using the red heart emoji with a female coworker.
"I am a bit aghast and annoyed at the red hearts," wrote the Mumsnet user in the viral post. Many users backed her, commenting that the use of that emoji was inappropriate.
The red heart was added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. Hearts in some form are used across various online platforms, including social media and messaging software.
Keith Broni is the editor in chief of Emojipedia, a global encyclopedia of emojis and their history. He told Newsweek that emoji use is all about context and mutual understanding. While the heart emoji may have connotations of romance, he said it also has other uses.
"It has connotations of romance, but it has also been converted in a sense to a catch-all positive response," Broni said. "In a classic design sense, it means love. In an emoji sense, it is much more broad than someone responding with a flirtatious or romantic intention."
There was also very little generational difference in how adults feel about using the heart emoji in the workplace. While generational differences can reflect differing opinions about relationships and even what constitutes cheating, using the heart emoji at work had a fairly universal reaction.
Among 25- to 34-year-olds, 43 percent said that it was not OK to use the emoji in a work message, while 45 percent of 45- to 54-year-olds felt the same way.
However, Broni said that the heart was, in most cases, simply a part of our technological lives.
"What was once simply a symbol of love has today become a much more accepted form of approval. If you look at Instagram, the heart is the default," he explained.
The heart emoji is also often a default reaction on messaging services often used for work like Slack or Microsoft Teams. It appears just after the thumbs-up, meaning that it is often used to respond to messages.
Have you had a workplace dilemma? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
