A SUSTAINABLE CAREER BALANCES OUT OVER THE LONG TERM:
WELL-BEING
PRODUCTIVITY
SATISFACTION
Most problems occur in highly competitive work environments where personal values get overshadowed by organizational values. This means that the organization’s perspective dictates what should make me happy, such as working more and earning more, even if it means making sacrifices in other areas of my life. As a result, personal happiness is measured by external standards rather than individual well-being.
When examining the aspects of sustainability of ones career there are 3 critical dimensions to consider :
These aspects help us understand what makes a career sustainable, meaning it keeps a person healthy, happy, and productive over the long term.
01- PERSON
The person dimension focuses on the individual as the central actor in defining sustainable careers. Key aspects include:
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Agency and Meaning: Individuals impact their career sustainability through proactive actions (e.g., pursuing additional training) and reactive adaptations (e.g., responding to job changes). Both proactive and reactive actions reflect agency.
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Personal Effort and Meaning: People influence their career sustainability by taking proactive steps (like getting more training) and reacting to changes (like adjusting to a new job role). Both types of actions show personal control.
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Proactivity and Adaptability: Sustainable careers require a balance between proactive career crafting and adaptability to external changes. Being Proactive and Adaptable: It's important to be both proactive in shaping your career and adaptable to changes.
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Psychological Well-being: Maintaining happiness, health, and productivity is essential for a sustainable career. Well-being: Staying happy, healthy, and productive is crucial for a sustainable career.
Person Dimension
02 - CONTEXT
Context Dimension
Second, careers are affected by the multiple contexts in which they evolve: the work context, but also other layers of context, such as the private life context, the occupational sector one belongs to, the broader labor market context, and one's society and culture (Jeffrey H. Greenhaus1, 2014 Volume 1).
The context dimension considers the multiple environments in which careers evolve:
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Work Context: The immediate work environment and organizational dynamics.
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Private Life Context: Family and personal life influencing career decisions.
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Broader Labor Market and Society: Economic conditions, cultural norms, and societal expectations play a role in career sustainability.
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Stakeholder Interaction: Navigating opportunities and constraints presented by various stakeholders in different contexts.
03 - TIME
Time Dimension
The time dimension emphasizes the evolving nature of careers over the life-span:
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Life-Span Perspective: Career sustainability involves considering intra-individual changes and external changes over time. Career sustainability involves thinking about changes in oneself and the outside world over time.
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Future Time Perspective (FTP): As individuals age, their career goals may shift from instrumental goals (e.g., status attainment) to emotionally meaningful goals (e.g., generativity and social embeddedness). As people get older, their career goals may shift from seeking status to finding emotionally meaningful roles
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Resource Management: Prioritizing resource preservation or acquisition depending on the stage of the career and personal circumstances. Balancing between keeping and gaining resources depending on career stage and personal circumstances.