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Last summer, Microsoft's Japanese subsidiary did an experiment: for a month, they didn't work on Friday, giving employees one more day off, but keeping the same salary. In addition, bosses announced that meetings should not be longer than 10 minutes and urged staff to cut down on the time it takes to sort out emails. The experiment was extremely successful.
Productivity (measured as sales per employee) increased 40% over the same period last year. Electricity costs decreased by 23%.
This is especially striking in Japan, where it is customary to work until you drop, and there is even a special diagnosis "karoshi" - death from overwork. The results were so promising that the company plans to repeat the experiment this winter.
Actually, this is not surprising.
Companies from around the world that cut their workweek or workday - but importantly, didn’t cut wages - did the same. New Zealand-based investment firm Perpetual Guardian has introduced a 4-day work week and reported a 20% increase in productivity and a 45% increase in work life balance. As a result, the company never returned to its old schedule.
And German consulting firm Rheingans Digital Enabler has cut its workday from eight hours to five. In the year that has passed since that moment, the company not only did not lose profitability, but also became one of the most attractive employers in the tough labor market. Employees show greater efficiency and enthusiasm - while still having more energy and time for hobbies and personal lives.
Americans work harder than people in other developed countries. In 2017, Americans worked 270 billion hours, or 1,739 hours per worker on average. That's more than in workaholic Japan, but overworked people don't increase productivity.
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The saddest thing is that they do not receive adequate compensation for this. The Economic Policy Institute found that American productivity has grown by as much as 69% since 1979, but hourly wages have increased by only 11%. In other words, Americans have never worked as hard or earned as little as they do today.
The 40-hour work week became the norm in the United States as early as 1940 - although many people work even longer today. Almost 80 years have passed - and we are just beginning to discuss the possibility of reducing it. But it's high time!