BKN Trials Programme to Place Civil Servants Near Their Homes
The National Civil Service Agency (BKN) has commenced a pilot programme called ‘Mendekatkan Pada Domisili dan Mendekatkan Pada Keluarga’ (Closer to Domicile and Closer to Family). This initiative places BKN employees at central, regional, or technical implementation unit (UPT) offices near their homes.
BKN Head Zudan Arif Fakrulloh stated that the policy stems from a belief in the importance of work-life balance. He argued that employees with a balance between personal life and work will deliver more optimal performance for the state. He added that working near home not only boosts motivation but also allows civil servants to maximise their roles as parents and family members.
“In the initial stage, BKN is trialling this programme for its own civil servants so that employees can perform better because they feel happier being with their families. In addition, employees can manage their economic conditions better as they are no longer burdened by transportation or accommodation costs due to living far from their families,” Zudan said on Monday (27/07/2026).
Beyond quality of life, the programme is also a strategy to help civil servants achieve household spending efficiency. Zudan noted that many civil servants have had to migrate and live apart from their families due to job assignments, incurring double costs for transport and living expenses. Placement closer to domicile is expected to significantly reduce this financial burden.
Zudan described the move as a highly relevant policy innovation for current conditions. While income adjustments cannot be made in the near term, he hopes reducing expenditure will be a smart solution without compromising the quality of public services.
The programme is currently an internal trial within BKN. A thorough evaluation will be conducted to assess its impact on productivity, organisational effectiveness, and service quality.
If successful, Zudan said the results will serve as a best practice for future welfare-based and performance-based civil service management. “We hope this innovation not only benefits BKN employees but also inspires other ministries, agencies, and local governments to design more adaptive civil service management policies that address employee needs without neglecting professionalism and accountability,” he said.
Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini also commented on the trial. She affirmed that such a policy is permissible as long as it does not compromise the quality of public services. She reminded that, in principle, civil servants must be ready to be assigned anywhere according to the needs of their respective agencies. “Essentially, civil servants must be ready to be placed anywhere. Of course, we will adjust this with the respective personnel development officers. I am certainly pleased if employees can be placed closer to their domiciles,” Rini said.