Awaiting the Impact of WFH Every Friday to Curb Fuel Consumption

The government has announced several policies for energy efficiency amid uncertain global conditions, one of which is through work from home (WFH). Starting this month, civil servants (ASN) will WFH every Friday to save fuel oil (BBM). How effective is this policy? The ASN WFH policy every Friday will apply from April 2026, and the private sector is encouraged to follow. There is a reason why the government chose Friday. “Why Friday? Because some ministries have already done that, working four days a week with applications, this was post-COVID,” said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto during a press conference on Tuesday (31/3/2026). “We chose Friday because it’s half, meaning not full from Monday to Thursday. But public services will still run,” he added. In its implementation, several sectors are excluded, namely public service sectors such as health, security, and cleanliness. As well as strategic sectors like industry or production, energy, water, staple food and beverages, trade transportation, logistics, and finance. The government believes this policy has the potential to save fuel oil (BBM) consumption by trillions of rupiah. “The potential savings from this work from home policy directly to the state budget is Rp 6.2 trillion in the form of fuel compensation savings. Meanwhile, total public fuel spending has the potential to be saved by Rp 59 trillion,” said Airlangga. Indonesia Follows Other Countries with WFH Policy Indonesia is not the first country to implement a WFH policy to save fuel amid the US vs Iran war. In March, several countries had already implemented WFH earlier. Pakistan asked 50 percent of its workers to work from home (WFH) and extended school holidays. In Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered civil servants to work from home since Tuesday (10/3), except for those who must serve the public directly. According to the BBC, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has released a ten-point emergency plan to quickly reduce global oil demand amid threats of energy supply crisis. One of its main recommendations is to encourage employees to work from home (WFH) up to three days a week if the type of work allows. The IEA projects that massive WFH implementation can be a key instrument in curbing fuel consumption for transportation, which is the world’s largest oil-consuming sector. Besides the WFH policy, the IEA plan includes other drastic measures such as lowering vehicle speed limits on highways, implementing car-free days in major cities on Sundays, and providing incentives in the form of cheaper public transport prices. If all these recommendations are collectively implemented by developed countries, it is estimated that world oil demand can be reduced by up to 2.7 million barrels per day within four months. This strategy is considered the most effective emergency step to maintain energy market stability and avoid broader economic impacts from surging oil prices. Is WFH Every Friday Effective in Saving Fuel? Member of Commission II who is also the Head of PKS Bappilu, Mardani Ali Sera, hopes that civil servants (ASN) remain productive after the government sets work from home (WFH) every Friday. Mardani said the WFH policy reported to his side could efficiency office budget usage by up to 32 percent. “For fuel, a study is needed, but yesterday’s meeting with BKN (State Civil Service Agency) efficiency in the office can be 32 percent in one day for electricity, water, official vehicles, to operational costs,” said Mardani. Deputy Chair of PKB Commission II of the DPR RI, Muhammad Khozin, assessed that choosing Friday for WFH is less ideal. Nevertheless, Khozin believes the government has special considerations regarding the regulation. He hopes that WFH every Friday will be evaluated periodically. “The government has decided on the WFH policy to be carried out on Fridays every week. Although in our view, this choice of day is not ideal because it is feared it will turn into a long weekend. But the government has discretionary authority in determining WFH as a manifestation of government administration,” said Khozin. “However, we ask that the implementation of WFH every Friday be evaluated periodically and supervised consistently by ministries and agencies as well as regional governments,” he continued. Notes came from Deputy Chair of PDIP Commission II of the DPR who is also the Chairman of PDIP DPP, Deddy Sitorus, who is worried that WFH on Friday is less effective. He said the policy needs to be tested for effectiveness through measurable data. Among them, is the graph of fuel consumption and public mobility movements. “I don’t understand what the basis is for choosing long weekend as WFH day, so we wait first for the government’s explanation. Because to decide on WFH day, there must be psychosocial calculations, economic activity projections, mobility patterns and public consumption as well as many other calculations based on various scenarios,” he explained. “Later, we can see the fuel consumption graph, citizen/vehicle mobility data from distribution and intensity. Let’s see after two or three weeks ahead before evaluating,” he said.