[Verse 1]
Sarah worked so hard all year, stayed late every night
But her boss just doesn't like her style, marks everything as "slight"
Meanwhile Tom gets perfect scores from a manager who's his friend
Same work, different eyes, but the ratings never blend
[Chorus]
Performance reviews are broken down
Sixty percent is just the rater's crown
Annual feedback comes too late
While collaboration turns to hate
Time is wasted, truth is lost
Count the hours, count the cost
[Verse 2]
At the big tech company they ranked everyone in line
Forced the bell curve on the teams, said "someone must decline"
Best performers stopped teaming up, they hoarded what they knew
'Cause helping out a colleague meant their ranking would be through
[Chorus]
Performance reviews are broken down
Sixty percent is just the rater's crown
Annual feedback comes too late
While collaboration turns to hate
Time is wasted, truth is lost
Count the hours, count the cost
[Bridge]
Thirty-five thousand hours spent
On a ten thousand person tent
Adobe counted eighty more
Deloitte hit two million for sure
When the feedback finally lands
The moment's gone like shifting sands
[Verse 3]
Behavioral science tells us clear, feedback works when it's today
Not some archaeological dig through what happened months away
The context fades, the habits stick, the review becomes a chore
A standardized ritual that helps nobody anymore
[Chorus]
Performance reviews are broken down
Sixty percent is just the rater's crown
Annual feedback comes too late
While collaboration turns to hate
Time is wasted, truth is lost
Count the hours, count the cost
[Outro]
Microsoft learned the hard way, killed the rankings in twenty-thirteen
Sometimes the paradigm that seems so right
Just breaks the whole machine