[Verse 1]
Meet Sarah from HR, she's got her goals in sight
Compliance is her scorecard, keeping lawsuits out of sight
Time to fill positions, training boxes checked with care
But nobody's asking if the talent's really there
[Chorus]
Misaligned incentives, that's the game they play
Optimize for safety, innovation fades away
Control and compliance, that's how they get paid
While trust and agility slowly slip away
Misaligned incentives every single day
[Verse 2]
Audit season's coming, policies are her friend
Documentation standards that never seem to end
Risk reduction metrics climbing up the chart
But employee satisfaction? That's not her part
[Chorus]
Misaligned incentives, that's the game they play
Optimize for safety, innovation fades away
Control and compliance, that's how they get paid
While trust and agility slowly slip away
Misaligned incentives every single day
[Bridge]
They don't measure trust in HR's name
Quality of hires? Not part of the game
How fast can we adapt when the market shifts?
These questions fall through all the measurement rifts
Speed of change and innovation die
When the system rewards playing it safe and dry
Process over people, that's the trap we're in
When misaligned rewards determine who will win
[Verse 3]
So the cycle continues, year after year
More controls and processes, the path seems clear
But talent walks away and the business grows slow
'Cause HR's incentives don't help the company grow
[Chorus]
Misaligned incentives, that's the game they play
Optimize for safety, innovation fades away
Control and compliance, that's how they get paid
While trust and agility slowly slip away
Misaligned incentives every single day
[Outro]
When you measure compliance, compliance is what you get
But the real cost of talent? That's the hidden debt