Microsoft Japan experimented with only the 4-day work week in Japan. The land of the rising sun as is called to Japan is a place which is quite notorious for overwork, and they continuously keep on working, thus creating a severe imbalance between their work life and personal life. This has also caused a massive decrease in the birth rate in the population as the parents or the single individuals are always busy with their work.
Therefore, Microsoft Japan decided to organize an experiment where the workweek was reduced to only 4-days. They gave the total 2300 full-time work special paid leave during the office closure so that they can spend their day leisurely rather than just focusing on work.
Besides, they also limited the timing of the meetings to only 30 minutes and encouraged the usage of remote communication rather than emails.
And what a magnificent feat this scheme touched as the sales of the Microsoft experienced a mega increment of 40% per employee in August. This also resulted in a reduction in the cost of electricity, paper, and other related costs.
This boosting of the efficiency greatly benefited Microsoft and consequently, they have again made the decision to launch a similar program this winter but without any special leave, where the employees will be encouraged to use their existing holidays.
Japan’s Government has also felt the need for flexible work hours so as to revitalize the shrinking population of Japan. Thus they are also very cooperative in programs like this and are strongly urging the businesses to accept telecommuting, different part-time schedules, and off-peak commuting.
“Karoshi” a word that has been invented in 1970 means death by overwork which has reached a critical level in Japan and therefore, many people have been trying their best to address this serious issue as can be seen through the example of Microsoft Japan.
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