In the US, the IRS has already begun to address this.

First, there are tax consequences of Bitcoin. While the IRS does not count it as FIAT (Currency) it is "Property of Value" and it is taxed accordingly.

As a "wage" in the United States you could not give someone Bitcoin or another Cryptocurrency, however you can pay an independent contractor in terms of an "exchange of like value" meaning the work performed is paid for using the agreed upon property exchange.

On the side of the payor there is no direct consequence as you are trading 1 for 1 (Cryptocurrency for labor), however the payee would be responsible for reporting a receipt of property at it's then current value (on the day received) and paying tax on the USD equivalent (barring any losses).

It actually gets much more complicated than that and requires the advice of a tax professional for any amount over $600 US.