Civil Servants Agree with WFH Proposal One Day per Week: It's Already Common from the Pandemic Era

The government’s plan to implement a work-from-home (WFH) system one day per week for Civil Servants (ASN) has been positively received. Several ASN members consider this policy rational, as they have grown accustomed to remote working patterns since the Covid-19 pandemic era. Dimas (29), a staff member at one of the DKI Jakarta Sub-District Offices, stated that his experience with WFH during the pandemic serves as a foundation for flexible working today. “Actually, WFH isn’t something new; it’s happened several times, especially during the pandemic when we did it for two years, even though I wasn’t here back then. But we should be used to it by now,” said Dimas when interviewed by Kompas.com via telephone on Friday (27/3/2026). According to him, technological advancements also support remote work implementation. Coordination and document management can now be done online. He assessed that data and research-based work is relatively suitable to be done without physical presence at the office. “Sometimes at the office, time gets interrupted with many distractions. If WFH is for work that can be done remotely, just find a comfortable and quiet place,” he said. Dimas also views WFH as helpful in improving work-life balance and time efficiency, especially for employees with long commutes to the office. His journey from Bekasi to Central Jakarta, for instance, can take nearly three hours round trip. The fatigue from such travel often drains energy before starting work. With one day of WFH, he hopes employees can begin their tasks in a fresher state. In agreement, Erwin (41), an ASN at one of the ministries, believes there needs to be a change in mindset regarding the concept of work that doesn’t always have to be done at the office. “The culture so far is that work is only visible if you’re at the office; if it’s WFA or WFH, it’s thought of as a holiday. Meanwhile, many come just to leave at 4 p.m., who knows what they do,” said Erwin. He added that implementing WFH can encourage ASN to become more technology-savvy, although it requires a process of adaptation that is not short.