Many workers dream about a four-day work week, but how would the idea turn out in reality? Very, very good, according to a recent test conducted over the summer by Microsoft’s Japan offices. The Nippon branch found that giving its workers five Fridays off in a row (without decreasing pay) resulted in a 40% boost in productivity.
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.