{
  "id": 18913868,
  "title": "A CEO gave his employees Fridays off. Three years later, revenue is up about 160%",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/a-ceo-gave-his-employees-fridays-off-three-years-later-revenue-is-up",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-08T10:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/11/08/ceo-four-day-workweek-fridays-off-brick-media-revenue/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In late 2022, Jake Kurtz, founder and CEO of Tampa-based social media agency Brick Media, pondered the idea of a four-day workweek. Inspired by European companies experimenting with shorter workweeks, he launched a 90-day pilot in January 2023, offering employees Fridays off without reducing their salaries. By April, the schedule became permanent, and nearly four years later, Brick's revenue skyrocketed by approximately 160% over three years. Company figures reveal a 73% revenue increase in 2023, 39% in 2024, and 8% in 2025. Kurtz attributes part of this success to the four-day workweek, although he doesn't claim it as the sole reason. He believes that retaining employees leads to a more efficient and competitive company.\n\nAt Brick, employees work four nine-hour days, Monday through Thursday, totaling 36 hours per week. This setup provides slightly fewer hours than the traditional 40-hour week, including paid lunch breaks. Employees remain full-time and eligible for benefits, placing Brick between a compressed 40-hour week and the 32-hour model often advocated for in research. This approach contrasts with the long hours typical in the public relations field, where 55% of professionals reported working over 40 hours the previous week, according to Muck Rack's State of PR 2026 report.\n\nClients have remained understanding of the arrangement, and most tasks can be planned ahead of time. While employees occasionally handle small tasks on Fridays or weekends, serious emergencies requiring several hours of work occur roughly once or twice a quarter. In those instances, nonexempt employees receive overtime, and freelance contractors are brought in as needed. The rule Kurtz follows is to avoid overburdening employees with excessive work.\n\nBrick currently serves 56 clients, up from 56 in all of 2022. A social media manager typically handles six or seven clients, with seven being the upper limit. Once employees reach this threshold, Brick hires additional staff instead of assigning more work to existing employees. This strategy has contributed to Brick's remarkable revenue growth and stable profit margins, as payroll has risen alongside revenue. The company's workforce has grown from 15 employees at the end of 2022 to 25 in 2026. Voluntary departures have decreased from 20 in 2022 to only three in 2026, indicating employees' increased willingness to stay.\n\nFor Kurtz, employee retention is a key growth strategy. He believes that happier employees lead to a more efficient business, as experienced colleagues can resolve issues quickly in a hallway conversation, saving time compared to lengthy email exchanges. Brick's social media manager handles six to seven clients, with seven being the limit. Once this limit is reached, Brick hires more staff rather than piling on more work. This strategy, coupled with the company's flexible work hours and remote work options, has contributed to Brick's impressive revenue growth and retention of top talent.",
  "summary": "Brick Media caps workloads and hires instead of piling on. Resignations fell from six in 2022 to none so far in 2026, though profit margins have held flat.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}