what evidence can I use to support the benefits of four-day work week from the study: Workers at Microsoft Japan enjoyed an enviable perk this summer: working four days a week, enjoying a three-day weekend and getting their normal, five-day paycheck. The result, the company says, was a productivity boost of 40%. Microsoft Japan says it became more efficient in several areas, including lower electricity costs, which fell by 23%. And as its workers took five Fridays off in August, they printed nearly 60 percent fewer pages. All of the employees who took Fridays off were given special paid leave, the company says. Encouraged by the results, it plans to hold a similar trial in the winter. Sponsor Message Because of the shorter workweek, the company also put its meetings on a diet. The standard duration for a meeting was slashed from 60 minutes to 30 an approach that was adopted for nearly half of all meetings. In a related cut, standard attendance at those sessions was capped at five employees. In a blog post announcing the plan in July, Microsoft Japan said there was often no reason for meetings to run an hour, or to tie up