Microsoft tried a 4-day work week — and productivity soared cbsnews.com

Just ask Microsoft, which tested a shorter work week in Japan and gave workers in Tokyo every Friday off this past August.
Simply Business, a call center in the United Kingdom, switched its 500 employees to a four-day work week on a trial basis in September.
Microsoft officials in Japan said their data revealed some barriers to implementing a four-day work week more broadly, including some pushback from managers and uneven results depending on the department.
But Barnes, who is writing a book about four-day work weeks, is convinced the strategy can work at any company no matter the size, industry or location.
The biggest obstacle for U.S. companies adopting four-day work weeks on a large scale is mostly psychological, he said.