Who’s supposed to hand out payroll checks?

As part of my new job, I was told that I would be responsible for handing out payroll checks to the entire staff—hundreds of employees! Some of them are live checks, too. (Why people don’t direct deposit is beyond me.) The result is that I’m spending a good chunk of every other Friday tracking down people, leaving notes on their desks, sending e-mails and so forth, all so they can get their pay envelopes. Is it normal for HR to pass out checks? Shouldn’t someone from accounting be handling this?—R, Cali


See responses below