Personally Deliver Paychecks

If you don't personally deliver paychecks to the employees, you and your managers are missing out on a great chance to motivate your staff.
     Yes, I know that loads of employees don't literally get paychecks. They've arranged for direct deposit of their pay into a bank or credit union. But the employee still gets a statement as evidence of the deposit, and that's what should be personally delivered to those folks.
     Personal delivery provides the opportunity to recognize each employee as an individual contributor to the profitability of your business. Fully use that opportunity. You should be continually making mental and written notes of what your managers are doing well and how they can do even better. Your managers and supervisors should be doing the same with the employees they oversee. Then as the employee is handed the envelope with the paycheck inside, hook it to the performance with a comment or two individualized to that employee. I'm not suggesting this as a replacement for the daily coaching and the annual performance reviews you'll be doing. But getting paid is a time for celebration and rededication to boosting business profitability.
     It's also a time to recognize where that profit comes from. It comes from customers shopping with you. Without the customers, there is absolutely no reason to open up the doors in the morning or keep the website going. So now that I've made a case to you for personally delivering the paychecks, may I suggest how to gift wrap each one? Print up envelopes that say, in large letters, "Here's a thank you from our customers." Present each check in one of those envelopes. To keep top-of-mind awareness for the message from one time to the next, vary the color of the envelopes or the color of the printing.