What is issued to an employee as payment for their work?

The answer is Paycheck, as it is the most direct form of payment issued to an employee for their work. A paycheck is a physical or electronic document that specifies the amount of money an employee has earned during a pay period and provides crucial information such as deductions for taxes, benefits, and other withholdings. It serves as both a record of earnings and a means to access the funds earned for their labor.

The other options represent related concepts but do not serve as direct forms of payment in the same context. A payroll card is a prepaid card that employers often deposit wages into but is not the payment itself. A dividend refers to a distribution of a portion of a company's earnings to its shareholders, which is unrelated to employee compensation. A wage statement summarizes earnings and deductions for a pay period but is not a payment method; rather, it is a document that accompanies a paycheck or payroll deposit.