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July 17th was World Emoji Day. Didn’t realize that was a thing? You’re not alone. But whether or not you’re an emoji fan, World Emoji Day underscores a simple truth about communication today: emojis aren’t going away.

And this has ramifications for businesses and their ability to attract and retain the workforce they need to remain competitive. Companies that are not thinking about how best to communicate and engage with younger generations do so at their own peril.

Here are just a few statistics to consider:

• In the U.S., 97% of adults own a cell phone. A side effect of near-universal cell phone use is that abbreviated texts and emojis have become a widespread method of communication.
Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, emojis are used to convey a range of sentiments and ideas quickly.

• According to Adobe’s Global Emoji Trend Report 2021, two out of three people appreciate using emojis at work and more than half of Gen Z’ers would be more satisfied at their job if
their team (or even their boss) used more emojis.

So what’s the point? Simple: whether you’re an adopter or not, emojis likely have already become part of your work environment. People have different expectations of what work should look like across a whole host of fronts. That applies to communication — and the use of emojis.

None of this means that companies should start sprinkling emojis into official documents or formal correspondence. But when it comes to recruitment and more informal, daily communication with team members, the research shows that younger employees, especially, tend to be happier to work at places that communicate like they do. Clearly, communication channels and styles are constantly evolving, emojis are just the current proof of the change. The youngest team members of today’s workforce are your newest target audience, so make sure communication speaks to them.