The government has officially implemented a work from home (WFH)\npolicy for one day per week for civil servants (ASN), namely every\nFriday starting 1 April 2026. This policy is taken as a measure to\nanticipate the ripple effects of the conflict in the Middle East, which\nis triggering global energy price volatility.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto stated that\nthe policy is part of the national work culture transformation that\nprioritises efficiency and modernisation of the work system.<\/p>\n
\u201cImplementation of WFH for ASN in central and regional offices for\none working day every Friday,\u201d said Airlangga during an online press\nconference on Tuesday evening (31\/3\/2026).<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on Wednesday (1\/4\/2026), the Minister of Manpower\nYassierli stipulated that private sector workers, SOEs, and regional\nSOEs should also follow the one-day-per-week WFH policy, but it is\nadvisory and adjusted to each company\u2019s conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe implementation of WFH does not reduce annual leave. For workers\nor labourers carrying out WFH, they must still carry out their duties\nand obligations,\u201d said Yassierli during a press conference at his office\nin Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Yassierli also emphasised that several sectors are exempted from this\npolicy, such as health, energy, industry, transportation, and food and\nbeverage sectors, to maintain service continuity and operations.<\/p>\n
However, this policy has triggered concerns among small business\nplayers, particularly warung tegal (warteg) that have long depended on\nASN and private sector employees in office areas as customers.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Warteg Nusantara Cooperative (Kowantara) Mukroni\nassessed that the implementation of WFH for ASN and private sector\nworkers poses a major challenge to the warteg ecosystem.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the implementation of the Work From Home (WFH) policy for ASN\nand workers, it certainly becomes a major challenge for the warteg\necosystem, especially those located in government office or city centre\nareas. Warteg relies heavily on daily customer volume and quick cash\nturnover,\u201d Mukroni told CNBC Indonesia on Thursday (2\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
He explained that ASN is one of the main market segments for warteg\ndue to affordable food prices and diverse menus. With reduced office\nactivity, warteg could lose peak sales times.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing \u2018Prime Time\u2019, namely lunch hours, is the biggest source of\nincome. If offices are quiet for 3 days a week, daily revenue potential\ncould drop by up to 50%-70%,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n
In addition, Mukroni highlighted the increased risk of food waste due\nto uncertainty in customer numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a risk of food waste, where warteg cooks in large\nquantities in the morning. With uncertain customer numbers, the risk of\nunsold food (going stale) becomes higher, which directly hits profit\nmargins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, he stated that this policy forces warteg business owners\nto adapt, including changing business patterns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis policy forces warteg owners to change survival strategies, such\nas focusing on delivery services. Warteg that usually only serves\ndine-in (eating on site) must start expanding to online motorcycle taxi\nplatforms or independent delivery services to reach ASN (and\/or private\nsector\/SOE\/regional SOE workers) who are working from home,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Mukroni assessed that the impact is not only felt by warteg but also\nripples to the supply chain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWarteg does not stand alone. A decline in purchasing power at warteg\nwill impact traditional market suppliers, such as reduced absorption of\nvegetables, meat, and rice from the market,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also affects the workforce, where warteg owners may reduce the\nnumber of assistants or waiters due to a drastic drop in workload on WFH\ndays,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he sees opportunities for adaptation among business\nplayers, such as changing menu compositions and offering catering\nservices.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo survive, warteg will likely make several adjustments like\nincreasing durable menu items such as dry fried tempeh, potato mustard,\nor anchovy peanuts. To reduce the risk of food spoilage losses,\u201d said\nMukroni.<\/p>\n
\u201cOwners can also offer subscription systems or catering, weekly\ncatering packages for offices that still have essential staff or for\ndelivery to homes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that for warteg in office areas, this policy could have\nserious impacts if adaptation is not swift.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, for warteg in office zones, this policy could be a \u2018death\nknell\u2019 if they do not quickly transform digitally or adjust their\nbusiness models. On the other hand, it becomes an opportunity for warteg\non the city outskirts to capture the \u2018home lunch\u2019 market,\u201d he\nconcluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/civil-servants-to-work-from-home-every-friday-warteg-owners-complain-and-rack-their-brains-1775109051", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }