# “I can’t keep working like this” — VOC codebook

**Дата:** 2026-10-26  
**Статус:** рабочая схема кодирования; обновить после финального корпуса.  
**Единица анализа:** отдельная женщина / отдельная lived work-change story.  

## 1. Evidence layers

Каждое утверждение в синтезе маркировать:

1. **Direct voice** — дословная цитата женщины.
2. **Observable action** — leave, negotiation, quit, move, reduced hours, purchase, return.
3. **Reported outcome** — женщина сама описывает результат.
4. **Analytical code** — наше группирование; не customer language.
5. **Product hypothesis** — возможный ответ CL; не доказанный gap.

## 2. Problem codes

| Code | Что означает | Recognition language |
|---|---|---|
| P1 Always-on | невозможно выключиться, odd hours/weekends | “I could never truly turn off” |
| P2 Work consumes life | неделя — ожидание выходных, выходные — recovery | “My entire life revolved around work” |
| P3 Body shutdown | insomnia, migraines, pain, sickness, crying, inability to function | “my body shutting down”; “can’t function properly” |
| P4 Unsustainable management | excessive reports/scope, politics, role mismatch | “21 direct reports”; manager-role burnout |
| P5 Work + care collision | childcare, pregnancy, disabled/ageing family, no local support | leadership/career plus caregiving load |
| P6 Identity/income attachment | high earner, title, ambition, productivity | fear of losing career/self-worth/security |
| P7 Meaning/impact loss | work no longer creative/useful/aligned | “no longer creative, impactful, or aligned” |
| P8 Growth vs life | lower-stress job restores life but lacks growth | more money vs still no life |
| P9 Unsafe/toxic container | manager/culture/credit/politics/employer | fear of another “dumpster fire” |
| P10 Role-fit conflict | likes profession/company, cannot sustain role/container | happy at company, burned out as manager |
| P11 Entrepreneurial recreation | exit employment, then work 24/7 in business | “quit a 9-to-5… working 24/7” |
| P12 Indeterminate season | cannot tell hard season from durable mismatch | “hard season… or stepping away?” |

## 3. Trigger codes

- T1 body/health event;
- T2 maternity/pregnancy/childcare;
- T3 restructure/new manager/layoff/AI;
- T4 promotion/management scope;
- T5 savings/runway threshold;
- T6 repeated annual cycle;
- T7 partner/family/geography event;
- T8 loss of creativity/meaning;
- T9 explicit breaking point;
- T10 opportunity/offer reopening trade-off.

## 4. Desired-outcome codes

| Code | Desired outcome |
|---|---|
| O1 Immediate relief/rest |
| O2 Permission/process for leave |
| O3 Redesign current role/hours/boundaries |
| O4 Protect career/reputation while caring |
| O5 Lower pressure with acceptable income |
| O6 Growth without total-life consumption |
| O7 Decide stay / redesign / leave |
| O8 Identify a safer next employer/container |
| O9 Redefine success without self-erasure |
| O10 Restore self, joy, creativity, health |
| O11 Sustainable next-work economics |
| O12 Next-step clarity after the break |
| O13 Preserve contribution/purpose/social structure |
| O14 Explore without declaring permanent identity |

## 5. What they fear losing / preserve codes

- F1 salary/financial independence;
- F2 benefits/insurance/leave;
- F3 title/status/reputation;
- F4 promotion/recruitability;
- F5 professional mastery/career capital;
- F6 team/colleagues/social structure;
- F7 purpose/contribution;
- F8 partner/family stability;
- F9 home/geography/lifestyle;
- F10 ambition/growth;
- F11 time/fertility/active years;
- F12 self-trust and identity.

## 6. Alternatives / actions tried

| Code | Action |
|---|---|
| A1 Push through / do nothing |
| A2 PTO/sick day |
| A3 Medical/mental-health leave |
| A4 Career break/sabbatical |
| A5 Travel/retreat/relocation |
| A6 Meditation/gym/health routines |
| A7 Therapy/doctor/medication/EAP |
| A8 Coach/certification/course/mentor |
| A9 Negotiate remote/flex/boundaries/scope |
| A10 Reduce hours/part-time/lower-paid role |
| A11 Change company/job/container |
| A12 Career change/retraining |
| A13 Entrepreneurship/freelance/portfolio |
| A14 Return to employment/previous field |
| A15 Savings/financial runway |
| A16 Community/family/partner support |
| A17 Self-guided questions/journaling/reading |

## 7. Reported gains

- G1 physical decompression;
- G2 changed relationship to work;
- G3 decision clarity;
- G4 restored confidence/self;
- G5 joy/creativity;
- G6 time/family/quality of life;
- G7 revised definition of success;
- G8 autonomy/flexibility;
- G9 better earnings or acceptable income;
- G10 resilience on return;
- G11 clear evidence that old container, not all work, was the problem;
- G12 permission to explore/fail/return.

## 8. Residual-gap codes

| Code | Residual gap |
|---|---|
| R1 Rest did not remove burnout |
| R2 Travel/relocation did not create direction |
| R3 Retreat relief was temporary |
| R4 Leave helped planning, not necessarily recovery |
| R5 Income/economics still unresolved |
| R6 Identity/title/productivity attachment remains |
| R7 Next role/container remains unknown |
| R8 Fear of repeating same workplace |
| R9 Entrepreneurship recreated overwork |
| R10 Family/relationship/geography conflict remains |
| R11 Clinical symptoms require licensed care |
| R12 Structural workload cannot be fixed with resilience |
| R13 Outcome too early to know |
| R14 Exploration multiplied options without commitment |
| R15 Professional growth disappeared after stress reduction |

## 9. Readiness stages

1. **Acute capacity failure** — stabilize/clinical/occupational support first.
2. **Recognition only** — knows current pattern hurts, no bounded decision yet.
3. **Immediate workplace action** — sick day, boundary, manager/HR conversation.
4. **Scenario decision** — stay/redesign/leave; resources and constraints visible.
5. **Window created** — leave/resignation/break begun.
6. **Experimenting** — lower pay, part-time, move, retraining, side path.
7. **Post-change review** — can compare expected vs lived outcome.
8. **Commitment/reassembly** — choosing sustainable work/life architecture.

## 10. Clinical/scope flags

- severe insomnia/migraines/functional impairment;
- heavy drinking/substance use;
- nightmares;
- suicidality/self-harm;
- homelessness/active financial instability;
- acute abuse/danger;
- disabling depression/anxiety;
- mania/psychosis;
- active medical condition requiring diagnosis/treatment.

These are referral/stabilization signals, not acquisition copy.

## 11. Synthesis rule

A theme reaches:

- **High confidence:** 5+ independent women across 3+ source contexts, with actions/outcomes;
- **Medium:** 2–4 women or repeated one-context evidence;
- **Low:** one case, publisher headline only, demographic uncertainty, or inferred gap.

Never turn `R residual gap` into “CL solves this” without paid/behavioral validation.