How social media is changing workplace communication

Time was when office colleagues would exchange information, ideas and gossip around the water cooler or coffee machine.

That's changing because of technology though, new research reveals that platforms like TikTok and Instagram are directly influencing how 83 percent of people communicate professionally, fueling conflict and misunderstanding among an increasingly intergenerational workforce.

The study from The Adaptavist Group, based on a survey of 1,000 UK knowledge workers, shows younger generations -- Gen Z and Millennials -- are far more likely to be influenced by social media trends than the older generation (50+ year olds). More than half (54 percent) of over-50s in the workplace say that social media trends have no, or very little, impact at all on their use of language, compared to just over a third of Gen Z (36 percent) and 39 percent of Millennials.

It's not surprising that social media influence closely mirrors social media presence. For example, 22 percent of over-50s say they’re not on social media at all, compared to just three percent of Gen Z and seven percent of Millennials. Even amongst users, platform preferences vary by generation: older users gravitate towards Facebook (39 percent), Millennials favour Instagram (32 percent), and Gen Z overwhelmingly prefer TikTok (42 percent).

Younger generations are also far more likely to use social media platforms and messaging apps for workplace communication. Messaging apps like WhatsApp are used regularly by 44 percent of Gen Z and 42 percent of Millennials, versus only 28 percent of Boomers. Nearly a third of Gen Z (29 percent) and Millennials (23 percent) consider social media, such as LinkedIn messaging, a go-to method for communicating, compared to just 11 percent of over-50s.

Simon Haighton-Williams, CEO of The Adaptavist Group, says:

Workplace communication will continue to evolve, influenced by emerging trends and the ways people engage with social media. Thus, businesses need to lean into these changes by embracing flexible, tech-forward communication strategies that cater to all preferences simultaneously, and embrace new technologies like asynchronous video recordings, such as Atlassian’s Loom.

What's more, with four generations in the workforce, enabling different communication preferences is essential to bridging generational gaps and ultimately building high performing teams. When supported by the right technology and environment, teams can apply soft skills, like emotional intelligence and adaptability, to help combat today’s digital communication productivity challenges.

Social media is also influencing how workers use emojis, interpret punctuation to convey tone, and set their expectations around response times. When it comes to emoji use, for example, over-50s are more likely to interpret emoji use as 'inappropriate', or even 'lazy' or 'rude'. On the other hand, 25 percent of Gen Z and 19 percent of Millennials fully embrace emoji culture and are more likely to interpret its use as 'friendly'.

These communication trends are also creating misunderstandings at work. 29 percent of workers across all generations say they have encountered a misunderstanding at work related to emoji usage, and nearly half (46 percent) of all respondents cite 'misinterpreting tone or phrasing' as their biggest communication challenge in general, in the workplace.

You can find out more on The Adaptavist Group site.

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