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Business Wars Daily

At Microsoft Japan, Shorter Work Week Yields Greater Productivity

Business Wars Daily

Wondery

News, Daily News, Business News, Business

4.6716 Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2019

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today is Monday, November 18, and we’re looking at Microsoft vs. Apple.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Wonderly Plus subscribers can listen to Business Wars daily ad-free right now.

0:04.8

Join Wonderly Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

0:08.5

If you or someone you care about has cancer,

0:11.5

Macmillan Cancer Support's online community is here to help from day one.

0:16.1

Macmillan's free online forum provides a safe space to get support from both experts and others who've been

0:22.0

there. Members support each other anonymously, sharing what's helped them on a range of subjects,

0:27.5

from dealing with side effects such as hair loss and fatigue, to money worries and managing work,

0:32.9

or talking with children about a diagnosis. There are different forums on cancer types or experiences,

0:39.0

opportunities to ask an expert, and blog posts.

0:42.0

Find support 24-7 from people who get what it's like to have cancer.

0:46.7

To join, search McMillan online community.

0:49.3

One, three. Wondry.

1:08.4

I'm David Brown, and this is Business Wars Daily on another Monday.

1:12.1

And if you're the type who doesn't exactly love Monday mornings,

1:18.3

well, imagine if you were expected to work only four days a week. Huh, sounds pretty great, right? Well, that dream of unlimited three-day weekends could soon become a reality if corporate America

1:24.7

buys into the results of a recent experiment by Microsoft.

1:28.3

Last August, the tech giant tested a four-day work week at a facility in Japan.

1:33.4

As Bloomberg noted, it's a country notorious for overwork.

1:37.2

In an initiative called Work Life Choice Challenge, Microsoft Japan attempted to increase productivity

1:42.8

while also relieving worker stress.

1:46.0

The company told 2,300 employees to work only four normal length days.

1:51.0

For five weeks, employees took off Fridays, reducing their hours by a full 20% without any reduction in pay.

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