The technology company Microsoft has said it successfully trialed a four-day working week in Japan, which saw improvements in workers' productivity and job satisfaction. The trial took place over the summer at the tech giant's headquarters in Tokyo. Employees were given every Friday off as paid leave in August. The company monitored the effects a three-day weekend would have on workers' performance. Company executives said the shorter working week resulted in additional benefits. Productivity rose by 40 per cent and 92 per cent of employees expressed their satisfaction with the scheme. The trial could lead to a change in Japan's infamous workplace practices of long hours and lots of overtime.

科技公司微软表示，他们已经成功地在日本试行了四天工作周，员工的工作效率和工作满意度都有所提高。审判于今年夏天在这家科技巨头位于东京的总部进行。8月份，员工每周五都有带薪假期。该公司监测了为期三天的周末对员工工作表现的影响。公司高管说，每周工作时间的缩短带来了额外的好处。生产率提高了40%，92%的员工对该计划表示满意。这次审判可能会改变日本臭名昭著的长时间加班的工作方式。

Microsoft called the trial the Work-Life Choice Challenge. The company said it aimed, "to create an environment where each employee can choose a diverse and flexible way of working according to the circumstances of their work and life". Other aspects of the trial included shortening the length of meetings to a maximum of 30 minutes and encouraging workers to choose online chats over face-to-face ones. There were additional advantages to the trial. Microsoft said that 23 per cent less electricity was consumed and 59 per cent fewer pages were printed compared with August 2018. Microsoft will conduct another experiment in Japan later this year and has asked employees for their input.

微软称这次试验为“工作-生活选择挑战”。该公司表示，其目标是“创造一个环境，让每个员工都能根据自己的工作和生活情况，选择多样化和灵活的工作方式”。试验的其他方面包括缩短会议时间，最多不超过30分钟，鼓励员工选择网上聊天而非面对面聊天。这项试验还有其他好处。微软表示，与2018年8月相比，耗电量减少了23%，打印页数减少了59%。微软将于今年晚些时候在日本进行另一项试验，并征求了员工的意见。