How Midweek Weekends Made the Company Profitable: The Experience of OMD.

According to ТСН: Oksana Belyaeva took the position of CEO of OMD Optimum Media Ukraine in the summer of 2023. The business she manages found itself in a difficult situation.

“The company was in the red, some clients thought about leaving, employees too,”

However, under her leadership, the media agency became profitable again. In the first three quarters of 2025, the agency's revenue grew by 20%, exceeding 1 billion UAH. What steps did Belyaeva take to overcome the crisis?

“I made the team take more breaks,”

Employees of OMD Optimum Media receive 54 vacation days a year instead of the standard 24. In addition to shortened Fridays and a mandatory week off at the end of the year, the company also practices Recharge Day – midweek weekends.

This format is an effective way to support employees and prevent burnout. Organizational psychologist Ilya Bachurin comments:

“Structured additional time off, when the team 'pauses work' simultaneously to focus on health, family, and themselves,”

Why Take a Day Off in the Middle of the Week

In 2024, OMD introduced a Mental Health Day, allowing employees to take one additional day off each month on any day. Belyaeva hoped this would support colleagues in stressful conditions. However, observations showed that often such days off simply “burn out.”

The CEO began announcing days off after Russian attacks. However, in May and June 2025, the frequency of attacks increased, creating a need for a clearly defined day off. Belyaeva notes that Wednesday was chosen because Friday is busier in the advertising business.

Mandatory collective days off are a fairer solution, believes Bachurin, as many people need external permission to rest.

“Very often, people cannot take time off without external permission,”

When everyone takes a break, the stigma disappears.

“A person can be sure that there won’t be pressure from colleagues who are working that day and expect responses and engagement,”

Recharge Day on Wednesdays has several advantages, including the ability to visit doctors during working hours. Bachurin notes that this day off can even be more effective than an extended weekend because

“since tribal times, it is typical for people to work in sprints.”

OMD tested this approach in August 2025. In the fall and December, there will be no cash, but Recharge Day is planned for January-February and in the summer. During active months, Mental Health Day will remain available.

Not Fake Care. What to Consider When Implementing Recharge Day

The implementation of innovations raised concerns within the company. Belyaeva notes that employees were worried about clients' reactions, so 74 companies were sent letters describing the idea of Recharge Day.

“I promised that work processes would be restructured without being harmed,”

Clients were asked not to contact on Wednesdays, except in emergencies. Only two inquiries per month indicate the success of the initiative.

“It worked out great, there were no negative feedbacks,”

However, there is a risk of Recharge Day being ineffective when a company announces four-day workweeks, but the workload remains the same.

“Surveys about four-day weeks often warn about the dangers of compressed changes,”

For successful implementation, it is important that changes are accompanied by a change in corporate culture.

“What matters is not just the additional day off, but the culture that is changing for it,”

Belyaeva pays a lot of attention to recovery, for which a business coach was hired to conduct lectures on this topic. In a test survey about Recharge Day, 80% of employees expressed a desire to implement this day off permanently.

Belyaeva emphasizes that the team's productivity has not decreased; on the contrary, the quality of time management has improved. She also points out the need to recalculate KPI accounting for the four-day workweek to confirm the sincerity of the initiative.

The true test of the system can be conducted in a year, she believes, as the success of the practice is measured by a decrease in sick leaves and employee turnover.