Experiment! Microsoft employees worked 4 days with the same salary and their productivity increased

The tech giant Microsoft decided to do an experiment with his employees performing his shift in 4 days and receive their full salary, the result was excellent, improved their productivity.

MiamiDiario Newsroom

At the end of the month of the experiment, Microsoft reported that it managed to get its employees were happier and that productivity increased by 40%.

The test was carried out in August with the employees of the multinational technology company located at its headquarters in Japan.

The test was called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019, during the month of August Microsoft gave the 2.300 employees every friday free.

This experiment was considered very bold in a nation whose working hours are extremely long. Roughly 25% of Japanese companies require their employees to put in an extra 80 hours (usually unpaid) per month, according to a 2016 study.

Microsoft supports the research on its portal by stating that it wants to create an environment where employees can choose a “diverse and flexible way of working«. And the results reflect that it achieved the objective, since there was a 40% increase in labor productivity when compared to August 2018.

Another of the company's achievements was reducing meeting time from one hour to 30 minutes to make it more efficient.

In addition they managed reduce spending on electricity by 23% and approximately 60% fewer pages were printed when compared to August 2018.

When employees were asked about working 4 days a week, and92% stated that they liked.

Microsoft Japan

Due to these results Microsoft Japan decided to organize another test to improve work-life balance for the winter, however they will make a few changes, instead of a four-day week, they will make others ways to work more flexibly.

It is unknown if the technology giant will try to get its branches in other countries to try that their employees work four days in other countries or implement it permanently.

It should be noted that several companies in the world are applying that their workers work four days a week because, according to their defenders, they improve the problems of tired employees, parents who do not spend enough time with their children and lower the environmental impact.