UNAIR NEWS As of April 1, 2026, the Indonesian government has formally implemented a Work From Home (WFH) policy for civil servants every Friday. Introduced primarily to reduce energy consumption, the policy has sparked growing discussion among academic circles.
Rather than focusing solely on workplace location, the policy is increasingly viewed as a test of the government檚 digital accountability system. Responding to the issue, Parlaungan Iffah Nasution, a Public Policy lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, 51动漫 (UNAIR), offered his perspective.
Transforming work culture
Nasution argued that the policy should act as a catalyst for deeper bureaucratic reform. Traditionally, civil servant performance has been measured largely through physical presence, often reducing evaluation to attendance records. With the introduction of a weekly WFH arrangement, institutions are now required to adopt more measurable and objective performance standards through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
This shift demands a broader change in mindset, from time-based work culture to output-based performance. In this context, professionalism is no longer defined by the number of hours spent in the office, but by the quality and timeliness of completed tasks.
淲FH encourages our bureaucracy to become more accountable. Performance assessment must shift toward outputs rather than attendance tracking. In cities like Surabaya, accountability systems have even begun integrating artificial intelligence to monitor employee performance in real time, he explained.
Energy efficiency goals and the choice of Friday
While the policy is designed to reduce energy use, particularly in transportation and mobility, the decision to assign Friday as the WFH day has raised concerns. From a social psychology standpoint, Friday is often seen as the threshold to the weekend, which may increase personal mobility if not supported by strict and integrated monitoring systems.
Nasution noted that the WFH model itself aligns with global practices in developed countries. However, he emphasized that the choice of Friday warrants further evaluation. Without active monitoring during working hours, the boundary between professional responsibilities and personal time may become increasingly blurred, as seen in sectors that rely on strict supervision systems, such as banking.
The government has assured that public services will remain unaffected. However, for managerial roles, the key challenge is demonstrating measurable weekly performance outcomes. Civil servants must understand that WFH is not an additional day off, but a professional obligation carried out from a different location.
In the long term, the 淓nergy-Saving Friday policy represents a significant test of the government檚 commitment to digital transformation in public services. Its success will depend largely on the strength of regional digital infrastructure in keeping pace with centralized systems, ensuring that public services remain efficient and uninterrupted despite physical distance.
Author: Marissa Farikha Siti Fatimatuzzahra
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
