Before the champagne pops and the Slack notifications finally stop, it’s worth pausing to reflect on what actually defined the workplace this year.
Not the initiatives.
Not the slogans.
The refrains.
Some of these are healthy habits. Others are the phrases that tend to show up right before problems do.
Here’s what kept ending up on repeat in 2025.
🎧 Most Replayed Track
“Let Me Check with HR”
Played constantly.
A necessary checkpoint.
Better before the decision than after.
Best practice: HR is most effective when it’s involved early – while options still exist – not after a decision has already been communicated and needs to be unwound.
⏭️ Most Skipped Track
“We Don’t Need to Overthink This”
Said with confidence.
Followed by emails.
Ends badly.
Best practice: When something feels like “overthinking,” that’s often the signal to slow down, loop in HR, and document before momentum replaces analysis.
🔥 Breakout Hit
“The Interactive Process (Acoustic Version)”
Unexpectedly everywhere.
Stripped down. Repetitive. Requires patience.
Still widely misunderstood.
Best practice: Treat the interactive process as ongoing, not transactional. One conversation rarely resolves anything that matters.
💔 Most Defended Track
“We Didn’t Think This Was FMLA”
Played sincerely.
Usually too late.
Seldom persuasive after the fact.
Best practice: FMLA risk is assessed based on the information available at the time, not hindsight explanations. When an absence raises the possibility of a qualifying reason, the obligation to pause, inquire, and provide required notices is triggered – even if the employee never uses the words “FMLA leave.”
🎶 Comfort Song
“We’ve Always Done It This Way”
Familiar. Reassuring.
Also the track most likely to get the playlist flagged by legal.
Best practice: Longevity is not validation. Periodically pressure-test long-standing practices against current law, not institutional memory.
📈 Most Improved Track
“Document It”
Not everyone’s favorite.
But the improvement is noticeable.
Best practice: Contemporaneous documentation – not reconstructed explanations – is what actually helps when decisions are challenged later.
🧨 Track That Caused the Most Problems
“It’s Probably Fine”
It was not fine.
Best practice: If a decision triggers that phrase, pause. That’s usually the moment to ask one more question or make one more call.
The Wrap-Up
Spotify Wrapped doesn’t judge. It just reflects what played the most.
Workplaces are no different.
The phrases that repeat themselves shape decisions long before anyone notices the pattern. Year-end is a good moment to recognize what keeps resurfacing – and which habits are worth carrying forward.