[Verse 1]
When something goes wrong in the office today
HR writes a new rule to keep problems at bay
One incident leads to a policy born
But old ones stay put from yesterday's dawn
The stack keeps on growing, never goes down
More forms and procedures all over town
[Chorus]
It's the bureaucratic ratchet, only turns one way
Every crisis adds a layer that's here to stay
Policies pile up like snow upon snow
The ratchet keeps clicking but never lets go
One direction only, that's the HR way
The bureaucratic ratchet is here to stay
[Verse 2]
New laws bring new rules from the government's hand
Compliance requirements expand through the land
Each regulation justifies hiring more
More staff means more budgets than ever before
HR professionals climb up the chain
When processes multiply, their careers gain
[Chorus]
It's the bureaucratic ratchet, only turns one way
Every crisis adds a layer that's here to stay
Policies pile up like snow upon snow
The ratchet keeps clicking but never lets go
One direction only, that's the HR way
The bureaucratic ratchet is here to stay
[Bridge]
Business leaders don't know what to say
When HR claims we need this to manage risk today
The cost of a lawsuit seems worse than the cost
Of another procedure, so pushback gets lost
[Verse 3]
Organizational arteries start to clog
Decision-making slows down in the fog
Initiative choked by the process maze
Adaptation strangled in procedural haze
The ratchet keeps turning, tighter each year
Until the whole system can barely steer
[Chorus]
It's the bureaucratic ratchet, only turns one way
Every crisis adds a layer that's here to stay
Policies pile up like snow upon snow
The ratchet keeps clicking but never lets go
One direction only, that's the HR way
The bureaucratic ratchet is here to stay
[Outro]
Click by click by click it goes
Where it stops, nobody knows
But it never turns around
That ratcheting sound