Do you keep your chat reactions meaningful?

Clear, written text is by far the best way to communicate, so always try to write down your thoughts instead of relying on emojis reactions, which can easily be misinterpreted.

For example, in Teams chats, a 👍 (thumbs up) is often used to either acknowledge a message or to indicate that a task is done. This can lead to ambiguity for the sender, especially when the task isn’t completed immediately.

Emoji reactions can be used effectively—when they’re applied consistently and with clear meaning, they become a useful way to give quick responses and visually communicate the status or progress of a message at a glance.

To improve clarity and keep everyone aligned:

• React with 👀 when you've seen the message and plan to action it later
• Once the task is complete, update your reaction to ✅ to signal it’s done

This simple habit reduces confusion, keeps chats clean, and ensures the whole team can track progress at a glance.

Figure: Good example - Reply with ✅ when the task is done