Pokémon Developer Game Freak Introduces Optional Four-Day Workweek

Game Freak, the Japanese game developer best known for its Pokémon series, announced it is implementing an optional four-day workweek.

According to the official press release (Japanese), the company intends to offer a "selective weekly three-day system" allowing full-time employees with young children and families to take an additional day of leave per week.

The new system will allow Game Freak's staffers to choose one day per week as a day off. The 32-hour workweek will operate on a monthly basis with the start date on the first of every month and the end date on the last day of the month. However, those who opt into the system will be paid 80% of their basic salary and bonuses compared to the employees who stick to a five-day workweek model.

Game Freak states that the system will allow employees to work more flexibly to suit their individual circumstances. The press release reads that the company is aiming to be "an autonomous manufacturing group where each person can choose their own way of working".

The company also noted that it will continue evolving to make its employees maximize their potential, although it didn't specify whether it's considering implementing other work styles or planning to provide other employees with an opportunity to opt into the four-day working system.

You can find Game Freak's press release here. Also, don't forget to join our new Reddit page, our new Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we are sharing breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.