School of Business Student Helps Develop Mental Health Policy for Consulting Firm

Allison Gallacher, a fourth-year B.B.A. student specializing in Human Resource (HR) Management, completed a placement with Inclusive Advisory, a Peterborough-based accounting, law, investment, and HR consulting firm. 

She made the most of her four-month placement, taking on the roles and responsibilities of a Human Resources employee, including developing a mental health policy for Inclusive Advisory and its employees. At Trent, she had taken classes on policy development, but the office environment offered a different challenge. 

“We were thinking of implementing yoga classes because this office does a lot of accounting and tax season can be intense,” said Allison. “I did some research and we ended up conducting a survey for employees to see what kinds of wellness programs would best benefit the office.” 

During her placement, Allison was also able to get first-hand experience in the firm’s hiring process.  

“I have been able to sit in on interviews and sit in on meetings and see how an office actually runs,” she said. “I got to see everything HR professionals do from the perspective of an actual company and the office.” 

The work placement, Allison says, gave her the opportunity to bridge the gap between classroom knowledge and the experience needed to work in HR. 

“It’s interesting how much stuff you're learning from getting the hands-on experience, which is one of the reasons why I chose to do a placement,” Gallacher said, “I wanted to get the hands-on experience because you might have the formal education, but you also want the training to be better prepared to jump right into a job.” 

Not only has Allison been able to apply her knowledge and develop relevant skills, but she’s also been welcomed as a member of the organization, which has given her new perspectives on workplace culture, professionalism and relationships.  

“We’re all pretty close which is fun,” she said. “The office does a lot of fun activities, but we ask each other questions and help each other out whenever we can.” 

Learn more about Trent’s B.B.A. Human Resource Management specialization. 

Posted on September 7, 2022