The term 'on the payroll' refers to a person who is employed by a company and is receiving regular payments for their work. This could include someone who is salaried, hired, or earning wages. A salaried employee is someone who is paid a fixed amount of money regardless of the number of hours they work. A hired employee is someone who has been employed by a company for a certain period of time. An earning employee is someone who is paid based on the number of hours they work.