Yahoo! Japan mulls three day weekends for staff
The Japanese arm of Yahoo! is considering implementing a three day weekend in order to combat overworking and boost employee productivity.
Death by overwork - or “karoshi” as the Japanese call it – has been on the rise in recent years, with over 20 percent of the workforce reporting that they work considerably long hours at the cost of personal relationships and overall work-life balance.
Yahoo Japan thinks that a four-day work week would be advantageous to the company and could cut costs and potentially boost productivity. “By giving employees more freedom on how to work, we’re hoping that employees choose a style that lets them perform at their best, so that we boost productivity,” spokeswoman Megumi Yagita recently said.
Yahoo Japan already has a number of initiatives in place that support a modern, flexible workplace. For example, it allows its employees to work remotely five days each month and gives provides a monthly travel expenses allowance to those living far away from its offices.
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SOURCE: [QZ]
