Wow, it never occurred to me that HR staffers might get a bonus for hiring people at a low salary. I would have hoped (naively, it would seem) that they would get a bonus for hiring really great people that help the company to do better things.
This sort of reward structure strikes me as focused on short-term benefits, without regard to the long-term strength of the company. It's very sad to hear (and shows just how out of things I am, having been my own boss for 16 years).
I think you're not looking far enough into this. HR wants to hire the best employee they can (long-term strength) while also not paying a premium, or potentially getting a discount. Since most people are terrible negotiators and/or won't switch jobs for a 5%-10% pay bump, paying less doesn't necessarily equate with focusing on the short term.
Conversely, overpaying for hires is a way of focusing on the short term (to get the person in immediately) at the expense of the long-term profitability of the company (inflated cost structure).
I'm not defending this incentive structure for HR, just saying that there are a lot of factors at play whenever a hiring decision is made.
This sort of reward structure strikes me as focused on short-term benefits, without regard to the long-term strength of the company. It's very sad to hear (and shows just how out of things I am, having been my own boss for 16 years).