People have toyed with the idea of a 4-day workweek for over 80 years. Here's how the concept has evolved, from the Great Depression to Microsoft's latest successful experiment

In the 1920s and 1930s, entrepreneurs like Henry Ford found that decreasing workweeks from 60-plus hours to 40 could actually increase productivity, according to Wharton professor Adam Grant.

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In 1933, Congress nearly passed a 30-hour workweek bill to cut hours as an alternative to unemployment during the Depression, but it failed as opponents called it "communist."

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Other New Deal legislation was a way to keep 30-hour workweek activists happy, like the Works Progress Administration, and the Federal Labor Standards Act, which mandated overtime pay past 40 hours.

After the Depression ended, hours increased and averages hovered around 40 hours, according to Wake Forest economics professor Robert Whaples. The movement for shorter hours dwindled.

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Kellogg's was a notable exception, and workers voted in favor of a six-hour workday in 1946. But the company slowly moved toward an eight-hour day, and in 1985, the last department shifted to those hours.

Second- and third-wave feminism in the later half of the 20th century emphasized giving women access to paid work, and pressuring men to contribute more to unpaid domestic labor, rather than cutting overall paid working hours.

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Some environmentalists have suggested that working less could be useful to curbing climate change, as workers consume fewer resources during their commutes. In Microsoft's case, electricity use went down nearly 25%.

In the 21st century, rethinking the 9-to-5, Monday to Friday workday is popular as tech companies seek to disrupt all aspects of life.

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Many organizations moved to this schedule to cut costs. Between 2008 and 2011, the Utah state government worked four 10-hour days per week.

In 2018, New Zealand company Perpetual Guardian was so happy with results of a four-day workweek that it made the experiment permanent.

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According to a 2019 study, 40% of US workers would prefer a four-day week, and a development firm that analyzes these results says workers only get four hours of work done per day.

ZipRecruiter postings mentioning four-day weeks are reportedly up 67% this year, and have increased in similar numbers the past few years as companies compete to attract top hires.

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The US remains an outlier compared to other countries. The average US worker works about 1,780 hours per year, compared to about 1,300 hours in Germany.

While some employers are toying with the idea of a shorter workweek, people are generally working longer hours and available for work outside the office. As the Wall Street Journal said "the phrase 'nine to five' is becoming an anachronism."

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With Microsoft's results getting plenty of attention, maybe more companies will follow its lead.