Microsoft just proved what many of us have felt already, instinctively: a shorter week can do wonders. Their 2019 experiment is something your boss needs to see, ASAP.
This August, Microsoft Japan conducted in experiment. For a month, they have shortened the workweek to 4 days, instead of the usual 5. Simultaneously, this gave their employees a three-day weekend.
Now, one day off for a month may not seem much but it made quite a difference. Microsoft recently published their discoveries and there is good news all around.
Turns out, after this chance, productivity increased by almost 40% – in Japan, nonetheless. Besides giving Fridays off, Microsoft reduced meetings to 30 minutes tops and urged everyone to communicate online rather than meet face to face, whenever possible.
I don’t particularly think that last one is healthy in the long term, but it appears that it worked fine for their experiment. Sales per worker increased by 39.9% when compared to the results in August 2018. An overwhelming 92.1% of all employees appreciated the switch and were happy with the new corporate workflow.
Plus, Microsoft helped the planet in the same time. The company experienced a 23.1% decrease in electricity use and a 58.7% decrease in number of printed pages.
Even better, this isn’t a fluke. Before Microsoft tried it, a New Zealand company came up to the same conclusion and established a shorter week.
Shouldn’t it be your turn now?
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