[MZ Talk-Meaning] Female Employee's '♡' Reaction... Manager, Don't Be Embarrassed

'Heart' Has Become a Symbol of Empathy
We Need to Understand Each Other Better Through Communication

Editor's NoteWere you confused by the difficult language and behavior of the MZ generation? We help you understand without any misunderstandings. Real MZs reveal the true meanings.

Photo by Pixabay

"♡"

Manager A was taken aback by the reply he received after giving work instructions via messenger to new employee B.

'What does that mean?', 'Is he ignoring me?', 'Does he think I'm a joke?', 'Or... could it be that he's fallen for my charm?'

It is well known that nonverbal elements such as facial expressions and gestures play a decisive role in understanding during communication. Since the pandemic, with remote work becoming widespread, in-house messengers and KakaoTalk have become key communication tools for work.

Filling the communication gap left by the absence of facial expressions, body language, hand gestures, and eye contact falls to Manager A's imagination. Unfortunately, one-sided imagination tends to cause misunderstandings rather than understanding.

What do the MZ (Millennial + Z) generation think about employee B's behavior and Manager A's imagination? They unanimously say, "B is definitely not ignoring the manager, and he is even more definitely not smitten by the manager's charm."

Misunderstanding - The 'heart' symbol is not a sign of affection towards you

In August 2021, KakaoTalk introduced a new 'Reaction' feature. The reactions include six types: 'Heart', 'Like', 'Check', 'Laugh', 'Surprise', and 'Sad'. / Photo by KakaoTalk

Recently, a post by a workplace superior on an anonymous office community platform went viral. The post was titled "New employee who sends hearts to the boss on KakaoTalk." It criticized the use of only the 'reaction' feature without replying separately to the boss's KakaoTalk messages.

The KakaoTalk reaction feature was newly introduced in August 2021. It is available on both mobile and PC. The reaction feature allows users to express six emotions: 'heart,' 'best,' 'check,' 'laugh,' 'surprise,' and 'sadness.'

The post's author and many who sympathized expressed confusion about the 'heart' reaction. "Isn't it strange to send hearts in a work relationship regardless of rank? If I received a heart, I might misunderstand," they said.

Thinking like Manager B, "Could it be that they like me?" might not be such an unusual reaction after all.

Researchers from the University of Connecticut and Elon University once conducted an experiment with 43 male and 43 female college students aged 18 to 22.

The men and women paired up and talked for five minutes. Immediately after the conversation, they rated each other's attractiveness. The results showed that men mistakenly interpreted women's kindness as seduction and sexual attraction. Conversely, women tended to rate themselves more harshly.

Understanding - "Can't we just talk openly?"

Photo by Pixabay

The MZ generation says the heart symbol is simply a basic feedback meaning 'yes' or 'got it.'

Mr. C said, "The heart symbol is used when it's awkward to reply again but you want to show you've seen the message," adding, "There is no personal emotion attached."

Mr. D said, "Using other emoticons is even more awkward. Laughing feels like bursting out laughing, and thumbs up or check marks feel like something used by subordinates." He added, "So when it's awkward to reply or to leave a message unread, people use the heart symbol."

There was also an opinion that the heart symbol is a commonly accepted sign of empathy. Mr. E mentioned Instagram's 'like' is also a heart symbol and said, "The heart just means you empathize with the other person. When acquaintances like your Instagram posts, does that mean they all like you?"

Some people reply with text during work hours but only use emoticons after work. Sending texts after work in group chats can notify other members and cause inconvenience.

The MZ generation believes that hesitation to ask directly and relying on one's imagination in communication are the causes of such misunderstandings.

Identifying himself as part of Generation Z (born mid-1990s to early 2010s), Mr. K said, "If you don't easily understand someone's behavior, instead of guessing the meaning on your own and gossiping anonymously online, just ask why." He added, "I feel frustrated with people who lump all MZ generations together as hard to understand, misunderstand them arbitrarily, and keep their distance without communicating."