Psychologists propose abandoning the eight-hour work day for the four-hour module

Employers should divide the work day into four-hour segments instead of an eight-hour stint, argue a psychologist and physician in their new book, 'Successful Aging' (Pantheon Books, 1998). That way, people could choose to work different four-hour blocks?perhaps one today and two tomorrow?depending on other demands in their lives.

To keep pace with trends toward hands-on education, two-career families and productive old age, society needs a more flexible approach to work scheduling, says University of Michigan psychologist Robert L. Kahn, PhD, who co-authored the book with John Rowe, MD, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

The researchers base their proposal on 10 years of interdisciplinary research into healthy aging. Our current 'age-graded, rigidly compartmentalized' work structure assigns people to 20 or more years of education, followed by 40 years of intensive work, followed by almost 20 years of relatively unproductive retirement, says Kahn. As a result, 'we?ve got bored and turned-off kids in high school, overworked two-job families with kids, and bored and self-indulgent old folks who are resented by young working people,' says Kahn. 'I think we can do better than that.'

A more flexible, four-hour module would aid high school and college students clamoring for work experience, parents straining under the pressure of family and job duties, and senior citizens who want less work but aren?t ready to retire, he says.

Using the modular approach, a person can 'mix and match' modules with other projects, says Kahn. For example, someone could work eight hours in one job on Monday, four hours in another job on Tuesday and spend Wednesday attending classes or caring for the children. Adults would find more time for training in the latest technologies. High school and college students could build work experience that leads to better jobs. And elderly people could phase into retirement instead of abruptly ending work, then asking, 'What?s next?' says Kahn.

Allaying fears that such a model would sap the labor force, Kahn points out that more people would be working than ever before.

'It adds people at both ends of the age spectrum,' he says.

How practical is the modular format? Kahn says some restaurants, retail stores and hospitals already use it. And given the advent of computerized scheduling and portable benefits, he predicts most employers could easily adopt it.

?B. Murray