Microsoft Japan tests four-day work week, sees 40 per cent jump in productivity

Microsoft Japan found that its employees were happier and significantly more productive after testing out a four-day work week in its offices, boosting productivity by as much as 40 per cent.

According to The Guardian, in the month of August, Microsoft Japan had experimented with a new project called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019, granting its entire workforce of 2300 people five Fridays off in a row without decreasing pay.

“Work a short time, rest well and learn a lot,” said Takuya Hirano, Microsoft Japan president and CEO Takuya Hirano, in a statement on Microsoft Japan’s website. “I want employees to think about and experience how they can achieve the same results with 20 per cent less working time,” he said.