41 Instant Messaging and Texting at Work (6.3)
Venecia Williams; Nia Sonja; and Verna Johnson
Written communication in the form of brief text messages and instant messages has become a common way to connect. It is helpful for short exchanges and is a convenient way to stay connected with others when talking on the phone would be cumbersome. However, texting and instant messaging are not helpful for long or complicated messages, and careful consideration should be given to the audience.
Many companies have adopted texting and messaging apps for in-house communication, as there are several benefits. According to (Kashyap, 2020), these benefits include:
- Improved communication is especially important when employees are not in the same physical space.
- Streamlined workflow, which helps teams work more effectively
- Better employee engagement which increases productivity
- Enhanced project management which reduces the chance of confusion
- Stronger team relationships help create a positive work environment
Activity 6.3 illustrates a standard text message between colleagues with work-appropriate emojis.
Activity 6.3 | Sample Text Message
Tips for Effective Business Texting and Instant Messaging
Follow the tips below for effective business texting and instant messaging.
- Adhere to company policy. Learn what the rules are for texting and messaging in your company, and follow them. For example, contacting someone too frequently can be considered harassment. Texting is a tool. Use it when appropriate but don’t abuse it.
- Know your recipient. “Omw. there in 5 min” may be an acceptable way to let a close coworker know that you will arrive in five minutes, but if you are texting your boss, it might be wiser to write, “I’m on my way. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
- Know what information to send. Not all information should be conveyed through texts or instant messages. For example, if you need to give bad news or send sensitive information or private data, it is best to use another form of communication.
- Anticipate unintentional misinterpretation. Texting and messaging often use symbols, emojis, and codes to represent thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Given the complexity of communication and the useful but limited tools of texting and messaging, be aware of their limitations and prevent misinterpretation with brief messages.
- Don’t text and drive. Research shows that the likelihood of an accident increases dramatically if the driver is texting behind the wheel (Houston Chronicle, 2009). Being in an accident while conducting company business would reflect poorly on your judgment as well as on your employer.
Using Emojis at work
According to Parson (2021), it is important to consider your organization’s culture before deciding whether to include emojis in your work emails or messages. The main function of an emoji is simply conversational: it adds a level of familiarity and friendliness that might otherwise not exist. Emojis that are safe to use at work: 😊 😕 💼 👏 👍 ✋ 🎉 🙌 💡
A HubSpot’s Social Media Community Manager advises that some emojis might express emotions that are too intense for the business audience and could be interpreted as unprofessional and/or inappropriate. Here are emojis that you should avoid at work: 👙😘 💋 😜💩 💑 🖕🍆 🍑 😠
Attribution
This section contains material taken from Chapter 6.3 “Texting and Instant Messaging” in Fundamentals of Business Communication Revised (2022) and is used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
References are at the end of this chapter.
