Name: Dave Stroz
Age: 64
Home town: Chicago area
Dave Stroz worked full-time as a laboratory manager at Abbott Labs for 30 years before cutting back to four days a week three years ago -- part of Abbott's Freedom to Work program.
While carving 20% of his regular duties out of his job was difficult, he's enjoyed having the extra time to pursue his favorite hobbies -- photography, sailing, model railroading -- and spending more time with his family, especially his grandchildren and his elderly mother.
"As you get older, you want more time to do the things you enjoy," he says."This arrangement is a natural progression to retirement that still allows me to be viable at work."
NEXT: A peaceful, slow transition
