Sustentabilidade de carreiras paralelas: estudo das transformações do cenário contemporâneo do trabalho

Abstract

The central question of this thesis is: "How does the sustainable development and maintenance of parallel careers occur?". For this purpose, the thesis aims to understand how the development and sustainable maintenance of parallel careers occur. From a more specific perspective, the thesis aims to build three scientific papers, which are guided by the following questions: How does self regulation influence career sustainability? How do individuals manage their parallel careers thought the lens of the Conservation of Resources Theory (COR)? How does the development of (in)sustainable parallel careers occur in Brazil and the Netherlands? To define the goals for each paper, the specific objectives are organized into three main perspectives: (I) To explore how self regulation operates in the context of career sustainability; (II) To investigate how individuals manage their parallel careers through the lens of CRT; and (III) To examine the development of (in)sustainable parallel careers in Brazil and the Netherlands. Epistemologically, this research is characterized as a qualitative study. Given the objectives outlined, this study is exploratory in nature. Ontologically, this study embraces the idea of multiple realities, following a phenomenological paradigm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using content analysis. The results show that, regarding self-regulation, constant adaptation to career challenges and the pursuit of new resources are essential for ensuring the sustainability of professional trajectories. Adaptive and proactive self-regulation strategies emerge as key factors in adjusting to career shocks, such as changes in context or personal life conditions, which may negatively affect career continuity. The dynamic interaction between the person, context, and time suggests that self-regulatory choices directly impact the long-term sustainability of careers. COR reveals that, while parallel careers may lead to burnout due to the resource loss cycle, they can also provide enrichment through the expansion of skills and personal development. However, managing multiple income sources and concurrent work requires a careful analysis of available resources and strategies to preserve well-being and health, preventing excessive burnout. In the comparative study between Brazil and the Netherlands, cultural and structural differences in parallel career trajectories were observed. In the Netherlands, the pursuit of autonomy and specialization is strong, but government barriers to multiple employment pose challenges to the sustainability of these careers. In Brazil, flexibility, particularly in entrepreneurship, and family support provide greater viability for parallel careers, although long working hours and health burnout risks remain concerns. The general conclusion suggests that, to ensure the sustainability of parallel careers in both Brazil and the Netherlands, it is crucial for individuals to develop self-regulation skills, maintain a healthy balance across different life domains, and, especially, have support structures, whether governmental or familial. Suggestions for future research include investigating the influence of public policies on supporting parallel careers, analyzing their relationship with mental health and well-being, and conducting longitudinal studies to track changes and the impact of self-regulation on career trajectories. These approaches may provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics involved in the sustainability of parallel careers and contribute to the development of more effective strategies for workers.