Contributing to the good life? A Bourdieusian perspective on how participation in employee-led climate change initiatives shapes professionals’ careers

Research on the dynamic interplay between the Anthropocene and careers is still underdeveloped. Critical scholars hint at the problematic of dominant career narratives and how these restrict 'the good life' for all. This paper explores how professionals’ involvement in employee-led climate change initiatives (CCIs), i.e., initiatives separate from organisationally-led CSR activities, impacts their careers. Specifically, we adopt a Bourdieusian perspective to understand how the professionals develop career capitals in this context. To explore this, we draw on 58 qualitative semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in CCIs in one professional service firm. The preliminary findings show that while participants expand their cultural and social capital, the influence on their symbolic career capital is ambiguous. We identify two different profiles to show these ambiguities: Sustainability Integrators and Hidden Activists.