Table 2 Fictional case 2: Ethan

Ethan (48) experienced MJH positively. He worked as a manager for a large IT company, and part-time as a secondary school teacher. Both jobs were based on fixed hours permanent contracts. He did not start his second job because he enjoyed teaching and felt it was important to teach and enthuse teenagers about IT, rather than out of financial necessity.

Ethan had been able to negotiate a high level of flexibility with both his employers, which meant that there were hardly any instances of conflicting work schedules, or conflicts between work and private life. And because most of his work weeks were identical (Tuesday through Friday he worked for the IT company, and on Mondays as a teacher) he did not feel that his situation was more burdensome than having one job. Ethan also felt his jobs reinforced each other: because he worked in IT, he was able to teach his students the newest insights. Also, encountering students who were enthusiastic about IT fueled his own enthusiasm.

Because of his financial situation and impressive CV, Ethan felt that he would be able to change his work situation (e.g. quit one of his jobs to look for another) if the current situation would not meet his preferences anymore, like he had done in the past.