WalMart grabbed headlines recently for moving payroll from checks to cards. It’s an excellent cost-savings maneuver on WalMart’s part and one that should add convenience and safety to the lives of their employees.

As with most changes, people take some time to adapt – especially to something as major as a new way of getting paid. And businesses can be shy when it comes to asking their stakeholders – be they employees or customers – to trust them with such a major change.

One way a business can dip its toes in plastic payroll waters is with employee bonuses. This allows both the business and the employee to get used to the concept, absorbing first-hand the benefits of the plastic alternative and without making a major commitment to continuing the practice should it not be a fit.

With holiday and end-of-year bonuses just around the corner, now is a good time to introduce your business members to the idea. Encourage them to give it a go with a test-run using some of the smaller compensation opportunities that come their way this time of year.