The union must follow certain rules when it starts contacting employees. The law allows organizers to solicit employees for membership as long as the effort doesn’t endanger the performance or safety of the employees. Therefore much of the contact takes place off the job, for example at home or at eating places near work. Organizers can also safely contact employees on company grounds during of hours (such as lunch or break time). Yet in practice there will be much informal organizing going on at the workplace as employees’ debate the merits of organizing. In any case, this initial contact stage may be deceptively quiet. Sometimes the first inkling management has of the campaign is the distribution or posting of handbills soliciting union membership.