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When we interview employees and leaders for stories, it’s always a conversation. Yes, we have a map; we know who we are interviewing and why. We’re prepared with good questions to elicit real experiences and stories. But, our clients love us because we always leave space to go where the best stories take us. It’s the equivalent of off-roading.

That’s why soundbites from interviews are gold. They’re not scripted. And, they either set up the story to prove the point, or summarize a story’s cultural takeaway.

Every year Stories Inc. selects our favorite stories to celebrate. We honor them as a Story of the Year. This year we uncovered an underlying theme tying some of our winners together. Also, in our review, we were delighted by the soundbites. So why not celebrate even more of our favorite stories?

Here are some (more!) of our favorite Stories of the Year, supported by soundbites.

Best Employee Spotlight

“My supervisor saw something in me I didn’t know existed.”

Isn’t that what we all want in a manager?

This whole video is great, although you could say we buried the lede. The insight into the job is at the front, but the cultural context is in the back.

A great employee spotlight = Realistic Job Preview + Important Culture Info + Relevant, Personal Employee Story. Great job, Stellantis!

We created 20+ spotlights like these as part of a Meet the Maker series.

Best Culture Building Moment

“We were all playing as a team. What does that do for morale? The question is, what doesn’t it do?”

This storyteller from Cencora understands that sometimes, soccer games are more than surface-level fun at work.

Best Return to Work Office Option

“How can you not love what you see?”

This soundbite sets us up with visuals immediately. While you’re thinking about return to office initiatives, don’t forget to show people why the commute is worth it (with stories + visuals, of course).

Coolest Best Friend

“They’ve been over-the-top supportive.”

In this Story of the Year, Andy, a former marine, wondered if he could bring his dog and best friend Val to work with him. Val had been an important part of Andy’s support system after transitioning out of the military and struggling with PTSD.

“… I partnered with Takeda to make it happen. They’ve been over the top supportive with everything I’ve asked for.”

Shout out to both Takeda for supporting our veterans at work, and to Canine Companions for their work empowering veterans by training and matching service animals to their needs.

Best Unintentional Truth

“It’s never a bad time to join a good company.”

Look, we all know it’s been a weird year. Market conditions have been strange for job seekers. Some industries are taking off, others are cooling off, and it’s hard to tell what will happen in the future.

That’s one reason why we liked this hiring manager leader video from Smartsheet, filmed virtually. There’s a lot of uncertainty, but he feels confident in Smartsheet’s future.

That’s the year!

Is it excessive to write two posts about the best employee stories of the year? Maybe! But when you’ve got something to celebrate, you should do it. Thanks to all our favorites this year.

Want to see your stories here next year? Come work with us! Contact us to learn more.