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

The National Civil Service Agency (BKN) has begun piloting a ‘Work Near Domicile and Family’ programme for its civil servants (ASN). The initiative is based on the belief that employees who achieve a better work-life balance will demonstrate higher motivation and performance. By placing staff closer to their homes, the agency aims to allow them to better fulfil their roles as parents and family members. In this initial phase, BKN employees are being assigned to positions within the Head Office, Regional Offices, and Technical Implementation Units (UPT) that are closer to their residences. BKN Head Zudan Arif Fakrulloh stated that happier employees who can gather with their families are expected to deliver higher performance. He noted that the policy helps staff better manage their economic conditions by eliminating the burden of transportation and lodging costs incurred from living far from their families. Beyond improving quality of life, the programme is an effort to help civil servants achieve household expenditure efficiency, as many have historically been forced to live apart from their families due to distant placements. Zudan added that this innovation is relevant given that income adjustments cannot be made in the near term, making cost reduction a viable solution without compromising public service quality. The programme is currently limited to an internal trial within BKN, with future evaluations planned to assess its impact on employee productivity, organisational effectiveness, and service delivery.