STUDY: Use of Emojis in Workplace Messages Can Harm Professional Image

Published April 13, 2026

Researchers at the University of Ottawa discovered that using angry face emojis in workplace communications consistently reduced perceptions of the sender's competence and professionalism, regardless of the message's actual wording.

The research, which included 243 participants, explored how emojis influenced coworkers' impressions on messaging platforms such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. The presence of angry emojis negatively impacted competence evaluations even when attached to positive statements like, "We have great new office chairs." Conversely, positive emojis enhanced perceptions when combined with positive or neutral messages but did not provide any benefit compared to messages without emojis. Overall, messages that contained no emojis were deemed the most professionally appropriate.

Additionally, the study found that female participants were more critical of negative messages from female colleagues than male participants were, indicating a potential gender double standard in workplace communication evaluations.