Will a Four-Day Workweek Work? Microsoft Japan Tried it & Productivity Soared by 40%

Microsoft has tested a four-day workweek in its Japan offices and found as a result employees were not only happier – but significantly more productive.

For the month of August, Microsoft Japan experimented with a new project called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019, giving its entire 2,300 person workforce five Fridays off in a row without decreasing pay.

The shortened weeks led to more efficient meetings, happier workers, and boosted productivity by 40%, the company concluded at the end of the trial.

As part of the program, the company had also planned to subsidize family vacations for employees up to $920.

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

In addition to the increased productivity, employees took 25% less time off during the trial and electricity use was down 23% in the office with the additional day off per week.

Employees printed 59% fewer pages of paper during the trial. The vast majority of employees – 92% – said they liked the shorter week.

The experiment is not the first time long weekends have experimented within the corporate world.

In 2018, New Zealand trust management company Perpetual Guardian trialled a four-day workweek over two months for its 240 staff members. Employees reported experiencing better work-life balance and improved focus in the office. Staff stress levels decreased by 7%.