BKN Pilots 'Work Near Home' Programme for Civil Servants to Boost Performance and Cut Costs

Jakarta, VIVA – The Head of the National Civil Service Agency (BKN), Zudan Arif Fakrulloh, said the agency has begun trialling the ‘Closer to Domicile, Closer to Family’ programme for BKN employees as an initial phase.

He acknowledged that the policy is based on the belief that employees with a balance between family life and work (work-life balance) will be able to deliver more optimal performance.

Zudan said that if civil servants can work closer to their families, they will be more motivated at work, while also having better capacity to fulfil their roles as parents and family members.

Therefore, in this initial phase, BKN employees are being placed within the scope of the Central Office, Regional Offices and BKN Technical Implementation Units, so they can work closer to their domicile and family.

“As an initial phase, BKN is trialling this programme for its own civil servants, so that employees can perform better because they feel happier after being with their families,” said Zudan on Thursday, 23 July 2026.

He hopes this will allow employees to better manage their finances, as they will no longer be burdened by transport and accommodation costs arising from living far from their families.

Beyond improving employees’ quality of life, Zudan said the programme is also an effort by BKN to help civil servants achieve household spending efficiency.

According to him, many civil servants have until now had to live apart from their families because of distant work assignments, forcing them to bear travel, housing and household costs in two separate locations.

“With placements closer to their domicile, it is hoped that this burden can be reduced significantly,” he said.

Zudan added that the step is a form of policy innovation relevant to current conditions. At a time when improving welfare through income adjustments cannot be achieved in the near term, he hopes that reducing expenditure burdens can be one solution achieved without diminishing the quality of public services.

For now, the programme is still being applied as a trial within BKN’s internal environment. Throughout its future implementation, BKN will evaluate its impact on employee productivity, organisational effectiveness and the quality of services to the public.