Are smiley-faces unprofessional in work emails?

[OpenBook]

I'm not talking about personal emails back & forth... or even camaraderie-like emails between colleagues. I'm talking about work emails - sent to a broader audience up & down the food chain, with the intent to give orders, dole out recognition, convey information, resolve issues, or solicit feedback. About WORK.

 

You're reading through it trying to find out what's going on and what you need to do in response to it... and there it is, a little smiley-face at the end of a sentence!

 

You double-check who sent the email (did a third-grader send me this?), then try to re-read it (did I misunderstand the serious intent of this email?). Then you sit back, baffled, wondering if you should just ignore it.

 

And when you see MULTIPLE smiley-faces sprinkled throughout an email, it is just plain irritating. I'm tempted to send it straight to the Recycle Bin without finishing reading. Why are you wasting my valuable time? I wonder.

 

To me, inserting smiley-faces in a serious work email subtracts from the sender's authority and authenticity. There is also a tinge of suspected manipulation in it. I tend to think the sender is somewhat of a whack job who needs to adjust their medication. I have a hard time taking the email seriously.

 

What say you - am I out of line for having this negative reaction to smiley-faces in work emails?

[MidwestUSA]

Not out of line at all. I'd form an immediate impression of the sender, and not a good one.

[mammasita]

Absolutely agree!!!!!

 

If I'm sending an email to a large audience I will never include a smiley. If I feel the need to include one, I reply only to those that I have that sort of rapport with....typically a handful of people.

[CaliGypsy]

IMO emoticons do not belong in professional emails. Emoticons are used to show intent. A work related email shouldn't need that sort of clarification.

 

Before you know it instead of an actual email, you're just going to receive a meme with a pity caption.

[Eternal Sunshine]

I use them with my bosses and they do too. Don't see any problem with that.

[herself]

Personally I feel we all work really long hard days and are all exhausted and spread too thin.

If the biggest problem is someone used an emoticon....you know the rest.

I think it's friendly and harmless and less emphasis should be placed on small things that don't matter.

There's way more ways to use improper etiquette at work than a smiley face.

[Eternal Sunshine]

I also occassionaly use LOL, WTF, WTH, :S and :/

 

But it depends on the dynamic I guess, things are pretty informal here.

[Conners]

I think it depends on the type of business. Is it very corporate?

I did temp work for a recruitment agency once and was sent to a huge fancy corporate office in the city (can't remember the type of business it was a few years ago) on reception and I remember I got in trouble for putting a smiley face in an email regarding a phone message.

 

I then worked in a small office for 3 years for a trade company and I always used smileys, inappropriate and unprofessional language because it was a lot more relaxed and the boss was young and laid back. Obviously I did not use that sort of language when I was emailing outsiders or clients but within the office and some suppliers I was very familiar with, it was ok.

[Toodaloo]

If it is people you know well there would be no problem.

 

If you do not know them or they are a new audience then absolutely not.

 

We are very relaxed here, we blow kisses, have water fights etc BUT if someone that didn't know us and we were new to put anything less than professional in an email, letter etc... we would just throw it away.

 

We would never dream of getting up to some of the antics we do around new customers/ suppliers etc. The reason why we get away with it with the ones we do is because we have a VERY long standing business and personal relationship with them and its a bit like family. Its a very unusual situation in the business world.

 

My advise is do not risk it. If you are not 100% sure how they will receive or view it don't do it.

[OpenBook]

I think it depends on the type of business. Is it very corporate?

 

Yes, it is a very large US corporation. The group I'm in doesn't interface with outside customers or vendors, it's all internal. We are trained to regard other internal groups within the organization as our "customers."

[OpenBook]

Before you know it instead of an actual email, you're just going to receive a meme with a pity caption.

 

Haha - you said that right!

[OpenBook]

Personally I feel we all work really long hard days and are all exhausted and spread too thin.

If the biggest problem is someone used an emoticon....you know the rest.

I think it's friendly and harmless and less emphasis should be placed on small things that don't matter.

There's way more ways to use improper etiquette at work than a smiley face.

 

Absolutely! I realize this is very insignificant when you look at the big picture. And at least it's a smiley-face. It could be a finger-flip! (On some of the emails, it might as well be.)

 

I've been treating & processing these emails the same as others. I'm just wondering if I'm way off in my irritated reaction. There appears to be a broad mix of opinions on the matter.

Edited October 3, 2014 by OpenBook

[Banjo Han]

A smiley face here and there can't hurt if used sparingly and the atmosphere is casual. Corporate headquarters - skip the smiley except very infrequently.....

[GemmaUK]

I work in the friendliest company that I've ever worked in since the onset of emails.

 

I remember when I started working here that it was equally nice and odd that anyone and everyone said hello and smiled when they walked past you.

At that time my team were stuck away working in a dark corner while the rest of the company was open plan.

We don't even have offices for the top bods, they just have a desk, same as the rest of us.

 

About a year after I joined the company we had a desk move and we were brought out of our hidey hole. It's been great as we are now open plan along with everyone else and we now have much better working relationships with people due to that.

 

I never used to use smileys but now and then I saw people start using them when they thanked me for doing something for them and it was actually nice to see.

This is the point I admit I thought it would be very unprofessional to use them myself. Actually seeing a smiley in a mail made me......smile! So my thoughts on smileys started to change.

 

I have emails I have to send out to our whole sales team and all of the management plus other mails which will go out to 10-20 people at a time chasing up queries - I never send a smiley in any of those.

However, if someone has responded to a query and sorted it out then I will reply with 'Thanks Dave! ' and copy anyone in who got the query response so they can all see I have acknowledged it.

If someone really isn't understanding something I will add something like 'hey, don't worry, noone gets how this works the first time they see it. '

 

If I see that person on my way out of the office and they have really helped solve a problem that day I will also shout out 'I appreciate your help today, thanks!'

 

This is what all or the vast majority of our staff do.

I think it's one of the reasons we more often than not work as a really good team.

Raising a smile in the workplace is a good thing in my book and gives you that 'feel good factor' whether you give the thanks or receive it.

 

Now that I have altered my own opinion of smileys in work related mails.....I like 'em!

[OpenBook]

Point taken. Thanks Gemma.

[GemmaUK]

Yeah, I had to put a different slant on it myself to take it as acceptable in the work arena. I struggled at first same as you!

I had to see it many many times before I ever used one myself.

 

It does often make me smile though if it is well intended and used sparingly. Also, I do have to admit that the office move we had and also using smileys has changed my work life for the better, as has the shout out thank you's.

People know I trust them, value them and that I like them too!

 

I work in Finance and we are the hated ones who have rules and regulations and are seen as mean but most of my sales team know me well enough now to know I am on their side but also if they help me out and do things as they need to be done then they won't get the Finance Director on their back - he is next in line after me to give 'em grief and he is not as patient as me!

 

Big important mass mails...hmmm..I cringe if I see over use of them but it's rare that that happens thankfully.

[OpenBook]

Big important mass mails...hmmm..I cringe if I see over use of them but it's rare that that happens thankfully.

 

Ironically, those types of emails are usually where I see them (when they bother me, anyway)... and from the same handful of people. They sprinkle multiple smiley-faces throughout their orders/instructions in Every. Single. Email-Blast they send out. It's irritating.

[GemmaUK]

Ironically, those types of emails are usually where I see them (when they bother me, anyway)... and from the same handful of people. They sprinkle multiple smiley-faces throughout their orders/instructions in Every. Single. Email-Blast they send out. It's irritating.

 

So it really is clearly an ingrained thing where you work.

 

I don't think that it's professional however, I wouldn't let it irritate me.

I would rather change my attitude about it so that it had no effect on me.

Maybe the smileys detract from the wording for you?

In that case I would hit reply (not send!) and delete the smileys before reading it.

[coralsmith]

Absolutely! I realize this is very insignificant when you look at the big picture. And at least it's a smiley-face. It could be a finger-flip! (On some of the emails, it might as well be.)

 

I've been treating & processing these emails the same as others. I'm just wondering if I'm way off in my irritated reaction. There appears to be a broad mix of opinions on the matter.

 

I wouldn't consider it professional and I never use them.

 

However, is it really worth forming judgement/getting irritated over?

 

It could be a typo, it is most likely well meaning. Don't be so petty.

 

There are so many bigger issues going on - save your anger and irritation for those.

Edited October 5, 2014 by coralsmith

[FitChick]

I know of a high level exec, now retired, in a global corporation who signed emails to her staff with " xxoo"

 

I've seen smiley faces on some internal emails where I work but generally between coworkers who are good friends.

[Burp]

It SHOULDN'T be, but it's all about context.

 

If I worked for a company that builds bridges, or safety harnesses, and we are having a problem with one of the joints breaking that caused a death, and I say, "Cool! I'll make that adjustment to the bolt "

 

Wheras, if I work at a greeting card company, and tell the graphic designer her bunny is cute ....