Table 1 Fictional case 1: Victoria

Victoria’s (57) experience with MJH was negative. She had two jobs, as a cleaner and as a waitress, neither of which she enjoyed. Her job as a cleaner was based on a fixed hours contract, for 20 h per week. For her job as a waitress she had a temporary zero hour contract.

Victoria was often tired because she experienced her jobs as physically demanding, especially for a woman her age. In addition, her tiredness was caused by long working hours; particularly on days when she worked in both jobs. On such days, she often did not have the opportunity to eat properly. However, she felt that she could not turn down those shifts, as she needed the money and did not want to risk losing her contract. The work schedules of her jobs sometimes interfered with each other and with her private life: she could not accept shifts as a waitress because of her job as a cleaner, which caused her to worry about her financial situation and prospects in the waitress job. In addition, she often did not have time, energy, or money, for her favorite hobby: swimming. In addition to her two jobs, she gave informal care to her brother. As she lived alone, she was also responsible for keeping the household running. These roles added to her tiredness and stress.

Victoria felt locked into her situation, as she felt she did not have the skills and knowledge to find a full-time job that she would enjoy. Furthermore, the combination of her jobs, informal care and household work meant that she had little time or energy to search for jobs that she would like. However, she did not have the financial possibilities to reduce the working hours in her current jobs.