The Future of Communication in the Workplace — Introducing Custom Emoji and Reactions to Microsoft Teams
Working online has countless benefits, from offering your employees more flexibility, which boosts productivity, to expanding the talent pool nationwide. However, while having remote workers tune in from different locations is convenient and efficient, limited in-person contact can create emotional distance. To bridge this gap, Microsoft Teams is introducing a new emoji feature that can add a bit of warmth and personality to your messages.
Introducing the Emoji Feature
In April 2024, Microsoft tested adding Pepe the Frog to employee messages as part of a run for its new emoji feature. Later, at the Build developer conference in July, Microsoft announced a public preview of customizable emoji reactions. With this feature, teams can send emojis and showcase their creativity with custom-made ones, uploaded GIFs, and image files.
Microsoft Teams is one of the last collaboration platforms to offer customizable emojis, given that leading providers like Google Chat, Discord, and Slack have provided similar features for years. Initially, the Team Chat app will only support Unicode emoji upon public release, and the feature will not be available to EDU tenants.
How Can You Get Started With It?
Once the updated version rolls out, anyone using Microsoft Teams will notice it toggles on by default, enabling all users in your tenant to access this feature automatically. You and your employees can add or delete emojis by clicking on the custom category and entering the reactions and emojis menus.
While new emojis should appear immediately, it may take up to 24 hours for deleted emojis to disappear from all devices and chats. You can also control who has access to add or delete emojis. If you prefer only certain employees, like managers, to have this privilege, enter the Messaging Policy groups within the platform. By default, all users will have access.
If you decide not to use the emoji feature—whether you find emojis unprofessional or believe they are being misused—simply go to the Messaging Settings page in your Microsoft Teams business communication platform and turn off the feature for the entire tenant.
The Expected Timeline for New Emojis
The new Microsoft Teams emoji feature is expected to be released in mid-July 2024, with Microsoft already rolling out the update worldwide. Depending on your location outside the US and whether you are a GCC user, the feature may become available in early August. Similarly, GCC High and DoD users can expect rollout dates between early and late August.
So, if you’re a business owner interested in improving remote work culture, consider the benefits of enhancing employee interaction through this engaging feature. For more information on how you can leverage Microsoft Teams and other Office 365 tools to maximize productivity and foster a positive work environment, schedule a discovery call with our experts today.
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