A new book from former social psychology alumni at the LSE aims to open up discussion about the challenges facing young professionals in the world of work today. Ann-Victoire Pincé discusses the motivations behind the book and what it can contribute to our understanding of organisational psychology.

Millennials, also known as Generation-Y, represent the demographic cohort born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s, which started to enter the world of work from 2000 onwards. They follow the Generation X and, before them, the Baby-boomers of the post-war period. Millennials are unique because they have grown up in a fast changing environment, where technology has evolved rapidly, and where economies have experienced a number of international crises.

For this reason Millennials have been a much discussed topic over the years by both professionals and academics, with the virtues of the generation often contrasted with their flaws. For example, Millennials are seen as flexible but lacking loyalty to their organisations, creative but unstructured in their ways of working, empowered but not respective of hierarchies, skilled at multi-tasking but unfocused. These characterisations however are imposed from the outside. In discussing Millennials, it is therefore important to understand how they see themselves in the workplace. Moreover, from their perspective, what do Millennials expect of their work, manager and their organisation?

This question connects with one of the central challneges of organisational psychology, where the success of organisational development depends on the ability to listen to the views of team members. It is important to represent the diverse perspectives which may exist within an organisation, particularly for those who are starting out their professional careers, such as the Millennial generation. Therefore to address this question we have collaborated with ten former alumni of organisational psychology at the LSE to bring together their experiences of journeying through working life. From Millennials With Love is an e-book which contains their personal stories about how young professionals around the globe see and experience work. The stories explore topics such as the challenges and opportunities of starting to work at a time of economic turmoil; the aspirations of underpinning the drive of young professionals; the expectations they have about their manager and organisation; and their vision for how they see the world of work evolving tomorrow.

Importantly this initiative is intended to be exploratory – the contributors do not pretend to provide any general truths, but rather offer personal perspectives. The hope is that, in sharing their stories, a conversation may open-up and help the advancement of the collective thinking about the world of work today.

In addition to opening up discussion, From Millennials With Love also has an important humanitarian emphasis. The proceeds of the book will be donated to Armonia, a Mexican NGO working with some of the country’s poorest urban and rural communities. Armonia’s purpose is to transform poverty into an abundant, complete and dignified life – a goal which the e-book contributors wanted to support.

You can find out more, download the e-book and interact with contributors on:
www.frommillennialswithlove.com