The employees reported not only being happier, but proved more productive during the pilot, entitled Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019. All 2,300 workers in the country were allowed to take every Friday off in August while still being paid the same as the typical five-day work week.
Productivity shot up by 40% and meetings became more efficient. Microsoft Japan also planned to provide employees up to US$920 toward family vacations during the pilot. “Work a short time, rest well and learn a lot,” Microsoft Japan president and CEO Takuya Hirano said in a statement on the firm’s website. “I want employees to think about and experience how they can achieve the same results with 20% less working time.”