In a recent survey of global employees, 58% of respondents said that using emoji at work allows them to convey more nuanced feelings with fewer words, and 55% said that using emoji can accelerate communication in the workplace. Two-thirds of global respondents said they feel closer and more connected in conversation when they send messages to someone who understands the emojis they use. The July Duolingo and Slack survey surveyed 9,400 hybrid workers in North America, Asia and Europe-1,000 of whom were based in the United States.

“Emoji is an incredible tool in the workplace when it comes to communicating common responses and sentiments,” Slack senior director of product management Olivia Grace tells Inc. “Emoji can be that extra magic that replaces the hand gestures, vocal intonation and eye contact you get in person. When you thank someone for doing something and add colorful thank-you emoticons, it feels [more] sincere.”

But they can definitely be abused. Even now, as many companies return to some form of personal work, communication tools like Slack-which became even more prominent at the beginning of the pandemic-are likely to remain the same. So it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your emojis.

Here are three ways to make the best use of emoji:

Use them for efficiency.
When the pandemic first hit, the survey saw a huge jump in :heart: emojis at work. Employees use it to show support, love and solidarity – feelings that are hard to express in appropriate words during difficult times at work. Also, many emoji reactions replace the role of repetitive follow-up messages in daily workflows

Use them wisely.

When the pandemic first hit, the survey saw a huge jump in :heart: emojis at work. Employees use it to show support, love and solidarity – feelings that are hard to put into appropriate words during difficult times at work. In addition, many emoji reactions replace the role of repetitive follow-up messages in daily workflows

Just use them.
Ultimately, even if you’re not sure you’re using them correctly, you should use them. According to a Duolingo survey, American workers in particular say emoji are especially important in the workplace. The survey found that Americans were more likely to find no texts or messages without emoji than global respondents (71% vs. 57%).