Businesses urged to have emoji policy

A SINGLE peach can ruin a career. The roll of the eyes, a friendship.

- WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

Emojis are now globally accepted as part of everyday language, a go-to tool when words fail us. But what happens when they say far more than what was intended.

This week a group of lawyers debated a loaded question; whether or not emojis are acceptable in the workplace.

During a webinar, they examined how emojis can blur the lines between friendliness and misconduct, and why context, culture, and relationship dynamics matter when using emojis at work.

Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr employment lawyers Anli Bezuidenhout and Yvonne Mkefa agree that a workplace policy on emojis is definitely needed.

They were joined by forensic and legal linguist, Dr Zakeera Docrat who explored the impact of emojis on workplace communication, legal boundaries, and cultural sensitivities.

“Four thousand years on and we are back to the same language,” said Docrat, referring to the symbols our ancestors used centuries before language as we know it.