85. Clerks' Pay Roll

The paying teller should have charge of the clerks' pay roll in a large bank. In a small one this should be attended to by an officer. Unless the bank decides that each position shall carry a definite salary, the pay roll should be kept strictly private. The policy of attaching a specified salary to a position is not the wisest one to pursue. There are many things which govern the value of the services of a clerk, and seniority is not the most vital. A young man who is diligent, faithful and studious is worth infinitely more than the man who does the work assigned to him and no more. The former sometimes fills his own position and a large share of the other man's, while the latter is attending to private affairs or simply doing nothing. An officer who has been through the lower positions knows what work each requires; he should know who actually does the work and adjust the pay roll accordingly. The best record for a secret method of paying is a common columnarized book with a space at the side for the name of the clerk and at the top for the period covered by the salary paid. See Figure 58 on page 132. Each clerk should have an envelope a little larger than a bill, with a brass fastener, so that it may be used again and again. Nothing but his name should appear on the envelope and that in the upper right hand corner, for convenience in handling. A few days before the salaries are due, the officer in charge should prepare a receipt for every man's salary and enter the amount due in the proper column in the record book. See Figure 59 on page 133 for form of receipt.

Stop Payment Register

Figure 57. Stop Payment Register.

The filling in of these receipts will be a very simple matter. On the day before pay day the officer in charge should procure enough new money properly assorted, from the paying teller, put the receipt and the money in the proper envelope and fasten the clasp. The first duty of the day following should be to hand the envelope to the proper clerk. He will appreciate and boast of the prompt and careful manner in which his bank pays its men. The clerk should sign the receipt at any convenient moment and return it to the envelope, affixing the clasp. A box with a slot should be provided in which the envelopes may be deposited. By following this method no clerk will be liable to ascertain what another's salary is, if the record book is kept under lock and key. He will know that he gets his salary, neatly prepared in new money, that it is handed to him personally by a responsible clerk or officer, and he will not fail to mention these features when talking about his bank.

Pay Roll Book

Figure 58. Pay Roll Book.

Receipt For Salary.

New York............................................................19........

Received from the Jersey National Bank, of New York City

Dollars in full for salary to date.

Figure 59. Salary Receipt.