4 Day Work Week Japan (2024) (2024)

FAQs

What are the results of Japan 4-day work week? ›

Results of Microsoft's 4-Day Workweek Program

One of Microsoft Japan's test findings is that the 4-day workweek can enhance the balance between work and life. It offers employees more time to work on their private projects and spend quality time with family or friends.

Almost all (96%) of staff said their personal life had benefited, and 86% felt they performed better at work, while 38% felt their organisation had become more efficient, and 24% said it had helped with caring responsibilities. Organisations reduced working hours by an average of 6.6 hours to reach a 31.6-hour week.

In a four-day workweek, workers log 32 hours per week rather than 40 hours per week. Benefits and pay, however, remain the same. The four-day workweek certainly existed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic increased conversations around and adoption of the alternative schedule.

Pros of a 4-day work week can include cost savings, increased productivity, and employee retention. Some disadvantages, however, can include scheduling challenges, reduced productivity, and added stress.

A U.K. four-day workweek pilot has shown lasting benefits more than one year later. The four-day workweek is proving to be the gift that keeps on giving. Companies that have tried it are reporting happier workers, lower turnover and greater efficiency. Now, there's evidence that those effects are long lasting.

According to the Japanese Labor Standards Act, a full-time employee can only work for 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week in total. The law also stipulates that anything above these limitations is considered overtime and requires extra pay.

The pilot program – conducted in the UK by non-profit 4 Day Week Global, the UK's 4 Day Week Campaign and think-tank Autonomy – guided over 60 companies and almost 3,000 workers through a six-month trial of a 4 day week, with no loss of pay for workers.

The 2022 study, conducted by the think tank Autonomy alongside the 4-Day Week Campaign and 4-Day Week Global, began as a six-month trial that has extended to the one-year mark and, in some cases, made permanent.

Nearly one-third (30%) of large US companies are exploring new work schedule shifts such as four-day or four-and-a-half-day workweeks, according to a KPMG survey of CEOs released this week.

How many hours is a 4 day week? ›

The 4DWW is 32 hours or less. Note that a standard working week of 35 to 40 hours worked over four days instead of five is not a four-day week – that is considered to be a five-day week with compressed hours, resulting in four long workdays.

What could a four-day work week mean for my paycheck? Here's the good news: If you're a salaried employee, a four-day work week would likely mean you get more time off while receiving the same pay. In other words, no change to your regular paycheck. If you're an hourly employee, here could be changes to overtime pay.

Even if the results from trials are positive on balance, there are already a few potential issues in view. First, especially if employers are dictating the terms, four-day weeks could simply come to mean cramming the same amount of work time into fewer calendar days, like working four 10-hour days.

If organisations adopt a 4 day working week, the daily head count in the office drops by approximately 20% and the number of cars on the road drops by at least a fifth. It's a win-win-win scenario for employees, employers and the environment.

Moreover, times and conditions change everywhere, and Japan is no exception. Obviously, the Japanese work culture has also been changing for good. Progressive, modern Japanese companies offer great work environments. Their work culture is carefully tailored to maximize the talent's potential for mutual growth.

Belgium introduces a four-day workweek for employees who want it. Belgium became the first country in Europe to legislate for a four-day week. In February 2022, Belgian employees won the right to perform a full workweek in four days instead of the usual five without loss of salary.

When researchers asked what the four-day structure had changed, 82% of surveyed companies reported positive impacts on staff well-being. 50% saw positive effects on reducing staff turnover and 32% said the policy had noticeably improved their recruitment, the study reports.

Happier workers

More than nine out of 10 employees who took part in the global trials said they wanted to continue with the four-day week, rating their experience 9.1 out of 10. Measures of employee stress, burnout, fatigue and work/family conflict all declined.