As the Presidential election campaigns heat up, we are likely to see increased political conversations by employees. Unfortunately, while corporations and other organizations have free speech rights, employees do not. In fact, in at least two recent cases, employees have been fired for the simple expressive act of liking someone on Facebook, such as the employees fired by a local sheriff after they "liked" the Facebook page of his political rival. And while speech-related conflicts are perhaps as old as employment itself, the explosion of social media has created new opportunities for expression, such as liking, following, tweeting, or blogging, and therefore has increased the need for protecting employee speech.

As an author of a comprehensive labor relations textbook (Labor Relations: Striking a Balance, McGraw-Hill), I was recently asked to provide some general advice for future human resources and labor relations managers. Issues within the labor relations arena can often be laden with highly-charged and volatile emotions. For complex reasons, the mere mention of labor unions can raise passions, if not outright hostility, among business leaders and others to a much greater extent than many other business and economic issues. Managers should avoid these traps, and instead approach issues in labor relations in a level-headed and respectful manner.

As the Supreme Court wrestles with the future of U.S. social programs, it seems appropriate to recognize Frances Perkins on her birthday. Perkins was a tireless advocate for workers and their families. She was the first woman to ever hold a U.S. cabinet position, and as Secretary of Labor during the Great Depression she was the driving force behind federal legislation creating social security, unemployment insurance programs, a federal national minimum wage, overtime premiums, and protections for child workers.

While in London for the Voice and Value conference (see The Value of Voice entry), we saw the musical Billy Elliot. I might be biased because my family tree includes miners from County Durham, and because of my interest in labor unions, but anyone who does not believe that work has deep connections with family and community should see this musical. I defy them to not be moved by the raw power with which Billy Elliot exposes the impact of the 1984-85 miners' strike on the home life of Billy, his Dad, and his brother, and illustrates the interconnectedness of each family with the entire community. Sometimes this involves solidarity, other times sharp conflict. But in all cases, the relationships are very powerful, and are rooted in class and the nature of work.

I write this from 30,994 feet over the North Atlantic on the way back from London where I had the pleasure of participating in the Voice and Value 2012 conference at the London School of Economics. This engaging conference brought together academics, human resources professionals, and trade unionists who believe in the importance of employee voice and share an interest in the role of employee voice in promoting not only workers' goals, but also organizational goals. This year's focus was therefore on voice and employee engagement. My presentation outlined the implications for engagement and voice that flow from the conceptualizations of work that I developed in my book, The Thought of Work. In return, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing HR professionals from several companies describe how formal voice arrangements in their organizations foster employee engagement.