Research from Smarsh, the global company in communications data and intelligence, reveals that the majority (94%) of UK employees in financial services and insurance believe emojis have a place in conversations with colleagues – with the majority (57%) also using emojis in client communications – potentially identifying a compliance blind spot and the emergence of intent-based oversight as a new industry standard.
The study, based on responses from over 2000 employees in financial services and insurance, shows that there has been a seismic shift in workplace communications, as emojis have become a prominent feature of work-related conversations. Equally, the regularity of emoji usage is clear, with almost a third (28%) of professionals saying they use emojis every day with colleagues.
Emoji usage comes amidst a broader shift in workplace communications in the industry. Over half (55%) are using voicenotes as a way of engaging with colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners. This is also driven by a younger workforce, with a third (33%) of those aged 18 -25 communicating in this way for work purposes often, if not every day.
This raises concerns about organisations’ ability to track and monitor intent in workplace communications, and it comes as UK regulators signal an increased and tougher stance on “off-channel” communications, referring to work-related conversations that take place outside of approved channels. Without proper monitoring and an understanding of language, firms are unable to properly evidence the full context of decision-making or intent in audits, investigations or legal matters, which therefore increases the likelihood they will face scrutiny.
Tom Padgett, President of Enterprise at Smarsh, said: “No one wants to be told how to communicate, and in high-stakes finance, restricting communication channels or style is a competitive disadvantage. But emojis carry intent, and that intent matters in the eyes of regulators, HR and courts. This leaves compliance and legal teams to manually reconstruct conversations, a painstaking and error-prone process. Smarsh captures the full content and context and applies advanced AI to help financial institutions understand not just what was said, but what was meant. That’s the foundation for meaningful compliance, cultural integrity and smarter business decisions.”
As global regulators increasingly recognise the complexities emojis and other modern formats introduce to business communications, firms are under mounting pressure to evolve their supervisory procedures. Addressing this shift, Smarsh technology supports a more nuanced approach to oversight by threading entire conversations – including metadata, attachments and context – in native format. This preserves the truth from all angles, giving organizations a full view of every conversation and helping them understand meaning, tone and intent across all channels.
The research points to a broader opportunity for UK financial services and insurance firms to elevate compliance from a regulatory function to a strategic enabler. By investing in modern capture, surveillance and analytics tools that reflect real communication habits, firms can empower front-office teams, protect internal culture and provide senior leaders with a clear view of risk across the organisation.
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