The research conducted by Slack, a workplace chat program, in collaboration with language app Duolingo, has found 53 per cent of respondents include emojis in messages to their colleagues.

But that number falls significantly when it comes to messaging their boss, with only 30 per cent feeling comfortable using emojis.

Around 9.400 respondents in North America, Europe and Asia, who use workplace massages programs, were surveyed.

While the global average is 58 per cent, Indian, Chinese and American workers were found to be the most reliant on emojis, with 85 per cent, 74 per cent and 71 per cent respectively, in comparison.

The generation gap is also a factor, with 31 per cent of Gen Z and 24 per cent of millennials reporting the recipient of the emojis sent were misinterpreted.

Cultural factors may also come into play on how emojis are interpreted. For instance, the peach emoji, 🍑, which has flirty connotations in Western countries, is understood more literally in South Korea, with 71 per cent interpreting it as the fruit.

"With virtual communication – especially work-related conversations over Slack – people from various countries and cultures, with different emoji styles and expectations, need emoji to help convey subtle meanings in real-time, often high-stakes, situations," Hope Wilson, learning and curriculum manager at Duolingo.

"Emoji communication breakdowns happen for the same reasons as all language breakdowns."