Her Story
About Lauren
Lauren McAllister is an HR manager based in Baltimore, Maryland, with 13 years of experience in human resources. She fell into the field through recruiting after initially considering marketing due to her interest in events and networking, and she now focuses on generalist work with a passion for employee relations and fostering workplace culture. McAllister earned her Bachelor's of Administration from Towson University after one year at James Madison University, and she holds a SHRM-CP certification along with a WorkLife Certified Professional Certification from World at Work. She is a member of SHRM and volunteers with the YMCA, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and her daughter's school and aftercare programs. McAllister attributes her success to being an independent thinker and problem solver, shaped by growing up in a family that owned a restaurant, which instilled a strong work ethic and commitment to showing up for others. She advises young women entering HR to believe in themselves, trust their instincts, and remain genuine in the workplace, noting that the profession can be emotionally charged but rewards authenticity. In her view, key challenges in the field include building organizational trust in HR as a strategic partner rather than solely an operational function, and she brings values of relatability, understanding, balance, and compassion to her work, informed by her family life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lauren
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think because I am an independent thinker, and I can do my own problem solving. I've grown up also in family, like, my family owned their own restaurant, so I think just kind of growing up in that, I've always kind of been hardworking, and having to show up for people.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would just say believe in yourself. I think people kind of starting out in this profession... it can beat you down sometimes because it is a very emotionally charged profession. So just believe in yourself, trust yourself, and allow yourself to, I guess, just be yourself in the workplace. I feel like people do come to you when you are genuine.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think in terms of challenges, I think they're one, I think it's just trust in an organization, and who they can rely on. So I think it's that, but also, I think some companies more so look at HR as maybe, like, an operations standpoint... but we're also very strategic. So we can help the business... We can be innovative in thinking.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think it is just that related so having people being able to relate to you, I am no in no such way a perfect person, so I can understand how people might think a certain way or act a certain way. So I can come with understanding. I am a Libra, so I also I think I do come with that balance. So I tried in all different areas. But I know I have a whole family life and a family side, so I try to understand people where they came from, what they're going through. So I think it's just also being compassionate to others as well.
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