When Microsoft gave its 2,300 employees in Japan five Fridays off in a row, it found productivity jumped 40 percent.

When financial services company Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand trialed eight Fridays off in a row, its 240 staff reported feeling more committed, stimulated, and empowered.

Around the world there’s renewed interest in reducing the standard working week. But a question arises: Is instituting the four-day week, while retaining the eight-hour workday, the best way to reduce working hours?

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