An experiment at a New Zealand company shows that a four-day working week substantially increases the capacity of employees t0 manage their work-life balance. The 240 employees worked four eight hour days for two months and were paid for five. Academics studied the trial before, during and after its implementation. In November last year, just over half (54 percent) of staff felt they could effectively balance their work and home commitments, while after the trial this number jumped to 78 percent.