A New Zealand firm that experimented with a four-day work week found that such a schedule does wonders for employee satisfaction and company loyalty, though the effects on productivity were mixed, according to Quartz. For eight weeks, the roughly 250 employees worked eight hours a day, four days a week, while still receiving their regular full-time pay. Consequently, those saying they were satisfied with work-life balance at their company went from 54 percent to 74, and their commitment to the company itself went from 68 percent to 88 percent. What's more, managers did not report any overall drop in productivity. However, the study found that the workers reacted in different ways to the shortened week. Some became more productive, squeezing five days worth of work into four, but others became less. While net productivity seems to have changed little, the CEO of the firm said he was encouraged by the study results and was considering making the shortened work week permanent.