People Working
Doing Things That Matter
by James Utley

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People Working is about how managers and human resource practitioners can help people realize the potential they bring to the organizations that employ them – creating workplaces that are safe, welcoming and engaging, and work that is meaningful and rewarding. It’s also about how human resource policies and practices are affected by organizational culture and management, either helping or hindering employees as they carry out their work. People Working examines a number of human resource practices including culture and structure, training and development, diversity and inclusion, performance management, alternate work arrangements, and compensation, and their effect on organizations, work groups, and employee engagement. To illustrate how these practices play out in a workplace, People Working includes a fictional story about an HR manager and her colleagues, and the challenges that confronted them and actions they took to save an industrial plant and the jobs of the people who work there.

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“James Utley combines a relentlessly practical approach to HR Management with a strategic orientation. A must read for those aspiring to be senior HR professionals.” —Mark Selman, PhD, Director of Custom MBA Programs (retired), Beedie School of Business “A very useful discussion of Human Resources practices and obligations by a knowledgeable and experienced practitioner.” —Gavin Hume, KC, Employment and Labour Law “James ‘walks the talk’ in all things HR related, and the combination of technical content with the underlying case study running throughout makes for a very compelling read.” —John Hammond, MBA, Managing Director (retired), Willis Towers Watson

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James Utley spent 35 years working in human resources management, from a personnel trainee at an aluminum smelter in northern British Columbia to a supervisor, a manager, and finally a vice president. His work covered all aspects of human resource management including union-management relations, employee and management development, and performance management and compensation. He worked in metal mining and refining as well as telecommunications industries across Canada and in jobs with responsibilities that extended to the U.S, Peru, and Chile. James also served on several community, education and industry boards and committees during his time as a human resource manager. After stepping down from his vice president role at a global natural resource company, for 10 years he taught at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, teaching students about human resource strategies, policies, and practices. He lives in West Vancouver, B.C. and spends part of each year at a cabin on Kootenay Lake.

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Contributors

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James Utley