Use your tour as an opportunity to meet people, advertise workplace education, and familiarize people with what you do.

Ask for a tour of the local union office to meet staff and executive members.

Spend a few hours (or days) observing, either as a silent onlooker or as a participant. Some educators ask to accompany workers through their tasks; others try to perform the job themselves to understand the demands of the work.

Look for the unseen demands of the job: time pressure, repetitive physical work, environmental aspects (noise, proximity to other workers, opportunities for communication, etc.), verbal and nonverbal communication, and so on.

Ask to attend meetings (an orientation session for new employees, for instance) that might help you understand how the workplace operates.

Ask to see written materials that are commonly used in the workplace — manuals, newsletters, memos to the workforce, etc. The organization may also have video materials about the operation, job-specific activities, or its community involvement. What issues are currently being discussed, and what print or visual information is available?

Ask the union for similar information. What are the currently important issues?

Gather workplace materials

Use the checklist of workplace materials — print, audio, experiential — to review your own collection.