Know your co-worker without talking to him/her
It is hard to talk to some co-workers. You may be an introvert or have a crush on this new co-worker, or simply hate him/her. Still, most of us want to know everything we can about that one co-worker. One simple strategy would be to face your fears/disgust and talk to them. But, who would want to do that? Can’t you get to know them without talking to them? Here is a list of strategies you could implement to know everything about a co-worker without talking to them
Social media
Nowadays, social media profiles of people speak a lot more about them than their real-life conversations. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Whatsapp, Snapchat, or even Tumblr! You can know their life history, friends, interests, the music they listen to, simply by scrolling through their feeds or stories. This is one of the best ways to learn about a co-worker. Who knows, the person sitting right next to your cubicle could be a youtube star!
Office calendar and habits
When do they come to the office? At what time do they clock out? When do they eat their lunch? Is it salads or Indian meals? If you observe closely, you can determine with precision the details about their lifestyle. Connect the dots, and maybe you could confidently tell whether they go to the gym or not.
Talk to other co-workers
You can talk to the people who know this co-worker. You can be stealthy with your questions. For example, suppose you saw this co-worker leave with a group of people you know for a movie the other day. You could simply ask a person from that group, “Who all went for the movie yesterday?”. He might mention his/her name, and you can be like- “Oh! Who’s that?” and the conversation can grow as much as you want.
Eavesdropping
Not something out parents have told us is a good habit, but so is not any of the above. You can start sitting somewhere near to where this co-worker is sitting and eavesdrop on what and how he/she talks about with other colleagues. This way, you will also know how interested this co-worker is in gossiping. It will also get easier to know his/her interests, as the information now is coming directly from the horse’s mouth.
Employee performance review
Employee performance reports are another good way of judging an individual. You can know how the coworker is performing at work and how is she/he being reviewed. The strengths and weaknesses will be out in the open.
Office Outing
If the coworker shows at an office outing, a lot of things will be very clear to you. Food preferences, fun preferences, and if he/she is outspoken, well, everything.
CV
It may sound strange, but all the things you couldn’t learn from social media and unnecessary stalking can be known to you by running an eye through their CV. Also, it is not very hard to obtain if you know a few tricks.
Although, using the above tactics may come very useful in learning everything you wish to know about your co-worker. The most recommended practice will be to simply go and talk to them.