Our daily work lives have intricately been entwined with digital platforms. Here in Austin, Texas, we thrived on using custom emojis on team chats, not just for fun, but also to express a wide range of professional and personal feelings precisely and quickly. This small feature greatly contributed to making our work environment casual and collaborative, and it allowed us to keep up morale in WFH circumstances.

Customizing emojis gave us a sense of camaraderie and a little bit of levity throughout the day. However, this administrative decision to cease custom emojis in teams is subtracting the fun element and personal touch from our chats. While some may argue that it prevents inappropriate use, we stand by the fact that we, the professional team, can use this feature responsibly.

Studies show that 81% of HR managers in US businesses agree that digital communication tools, including emojis, can help to maintain a colleague-friendly environment (source: Apex Global HR Report). By prohibiting our access to custom emojis, our ability to express ourselves freely and authentically within our digital work environment is being stifled.

We demand to bring back our custom emojis. They foster better communication, resonate with the modern ways of expression and importantly, make work fun. Our team chats in Austin have always used this digital freedom responsibly.

Let’s reinstigate that personal touch in our professional communication landscape because we believe that a little fun makes a lot of work less daunting. We appeal to the concerned authorities to revise this decision and bring back custom emojis in our team chatrooms.

Please sign this petition to support our cause to reinstate custom emojis.