Rules to Follow When Distributing Pay

If your employees don't get paid through a direct deposit program, to be on the safe side, there are a number of rules that you should follow when you are distributing pay:

• Deliver pay to each employee personally and discreetly.
• Encourage employees not to leave checks or money in an unsecured area.
• Do not leave one employee's pay with another employee (unless it's a supervisor) to be delivered.
• Do not allow relatives of the employee to pick up an employee's pay if the employee is out on sick leave or vacation unless you have express permission from the employee (preferably in writing).
• If you have a regularly scheduled pay period, such as every two weeks, try to distribute the pay at the same time of day on payday, so employees know when to expect their pay.
• If you pay employees with checks, in the interest of confidentiality, you might want to put the checks in individual envelopes.
• If you have to mail an employee's check because the employee is out on sick leave or vacation, use certified, insured mail.
• Never demean employees or require them to perform tasks or make statements to get their checks, even if you're just joking with them.