{"id":832827,"date":"2025-07-26T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=832827"},"modified":"2025-07-25T14:20:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T12:20:36","slug":"these-emojis-can-get-you-into-serious-trouble-at-work-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/832827\/these-emojis-can-get-you-into-serious-trouble-at-work-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"These emojis can get you into serious trouble at work in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Emojis are becoming a common part of workplace communication, but experts warn they can easily be misinterpreted and lead to serious trouble. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In South Africa, emojis are becoming the centre of legal disputes, disciplinary hearings, and misconduct investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One high-profile example is the ongoing case involving Eastern Cape High Court Judge President Selby Mbenenge, who the Judicial Conduct Tribunal is investigating following a sexual harassment complaint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case, brought by the judge\u2019s secretary, Andiswa Mengo, centres in part on WhatsApp messages and emojis sent by Mbenenge. The investigation could lead to his impeachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forensic linguist Dr Zakeera Docrat said<\/a><\/strong> emojis are often misunderstood and can blur the meaning of a message, especially in diverse work environments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA peach, a banana, or even a syringe emoji can get you into trouble,\u201d she said during a recent webinar on emojis and workplace communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that emojis are not always as innocent as they seem. While a peach emoji might refer to fruit, it can also be interpreted as suggestive, depending on the context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for the eggplant, banana, and syringe emojis. Although widely used, all have taken on alternative meanings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat may seem like a joke or innocent reaction to one person could be interpreted very differently by another,\u201d said Docrat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about the emoji itself. It\u2019s about the words around it, the relationship between the sender and recipient, and how the message is understood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Docrat said these risks are even greater in South Africa\u2019s multicultural and multilingual workplaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmployees communicate across languages, cultures, and religions. That makes it essential to be careful about how emojis are used.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The red heart emoji is one example. While it often expresses support or affection, it could be seen as too personal in a workplace setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were questions during the webinar about whether the red heart is too romantic. Some suggested using a black or white heart instead. These are the decisions employers and employees need to consider,\u201d said Docrat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emojis should be including in workplace policies <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Forensic linguist Dr Zakeera Docrat<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

She also warned about emojis like the thumbs-up, which are usually meant as simple acknowledgements but can come across as rude or dismissive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou might be saying \u2018noted\u2019 or \u2018got it,\u2019 but someone else could see it as cold or even passive-aggressive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The winking face emoji is another common one that can be easily misunderstood. In a casual chat, it might seem harmless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in a work group chat, it could be read as flirtatious, sarcastic, or inappropriate. \u201cIt depends on who\u2019s sending it, receiving it, and the setting,\u201d Docrat said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because emojis can be interpreted in many ways, Docrat recommended that workplaces include emojis in their communication policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re unsure about whether an emoji is appropriate, don\u2019t use it. It\u2019s better to write \u2018thank you\u2019 or \u2018noted\u2019 than risk being misunderstood,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also noted that what\u2019s acceptable varies between industries. For example, emojis might be used more freely in a creative agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, they may not be considered professional in a legal or corporate setting. \u201cEach workplace needs to decide what is acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Docrat also warned that interpreting emojis, especially in legal or disciplinary matters, should be left to trained professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something that should be guessed or assumed. Just like you wouldn\u2019t let an unqualified person make a legal decision, the same goes for analysing emojis in serious cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labour lawyer Aslam Moolla said messages sent on platforms like WhatsApp, emojis included, are now often used as evidence at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), in labour courts, or during disciplinary hearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave an example of a manager telling a worker to attend a meeting at 07h00. If the worker replies with a thumbs-up emoji, it could be taken as confirmation that they will attend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome people think it just means \u2018I saw your message,\u2019 but others treat it as an agreement,\u201d Moolla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that giving a thumbs-up in response to a contract or job offer can also cause legal issues. \u201cThe other party might argue that you accepted the terms. Then it\u2019s up to a judge to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moolla also pointed to WhatsApp\u2019s blue tick feature as another concern. \u201cIf you read a message, it shows you saw it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s, for example, a disciplinary notice and you\u2019ve blue-ticked it, you can\u2019t later claim you never received it. That screenshot can be used as evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Docrat and Moolla have warned employees and employers to be cautious. Emojis in the wrong context can lead to misunderstandings, disciplinary action, or even legal trouble.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emojis are becoming a common part of workplace communication, but experts warn they can easily be misinterpreted and lead to serious trouble.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":832841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[23219,10235,853,23220],"class_list":["post-832827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-eastern-cape-high-court","tag-emoji","tag-south-africa","tag-the-judicial-conduct-tribunal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832827"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":832844,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832827\/revisions\/832844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/832841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}