(Bloomberg) -- Even the world’s biggest workaholics are starting to come around to the idea that maybe working less might be more efficient.

At a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, experts discussed the benefits of a four-day work week, highlighting how flexible work can help retain talent and lead to greater productivity.

The United Arab Emirates has been an important test case. After the government introduced a shorter work week earlier this year, around 70% of employees reported working more efficiently, while there was a 55% reduction in absentees, according to the country’s minister for government development and the future.

“The flexibility people want most at work is not choices about where they work, it’s when and how much they work,” said Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

The U.A.E. implemented the change for various reasons, including enhancing personal wellbeing and strengthening family and community relations, Minister Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi said on the panel. But there is also a positive economic side effect.

“When people have longer weekends, they can also spend more,” he said.

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