I’m sensing a huge disconnect between how OP sees himself/herself and how the staff see them. Something isn’t adding up and based on your tone and how you speak about things, you don’t sound friendly, like a pushover, or easy going at all.
Either way, as the leader, the problem is always you. What can you do better to create a supportive and welcoming environment for employees where their interests are aligned with yours?
They are talking about push vs pull. Send me an invoice and I will use my method and timing of choice to pay you.
They probably want to avoid you pulling an ACH or credit card payment by keeping that data on file.