Tech

Microsoft Trials 4-Day Work Week in Overworked Japan; Sales Rise Almost 40 Percent

In a country notorious for overwork, Microsoft Japan trialled a radical idea: working less. And it found that four-day weeks and other reforms both boosted sales and cut costs.

The Japanese unit of the US IT giant closed its offices every Friday in August, giving all 2,300 full-time workers special leave.

It also restricted meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes, and encouraged online chats as an alternative to face-to-face communications.

The number of participants at meetings was limited to five, and workers were also encouraged to use online communication instead of emails, it said. MORE>>