Analysis in Overworked Japan, Microsoft Tested a Four-Day Workweek. Productivity Soared 40 Percent.⁠↗

The test run, which took place in August and gave employees five consecutive Fridays off, boosted sales per employee by 40 percent, compared with the same month a year earlier, according to the post. The number of pages printed in the office fell by 59 percent, electricity consumption dropped 23 percent, and 94 percent of employees were satisfied with the program.

The program urged employees to limit meetings to 30 minutes and make “full use of Microsoft’s collaboration tool, ‘Microsoft Teams,’ ” holding more informal chats or online meetings rather than face-to-face sit downs. Ninety-four percent of employees said they were satisfied with the program.