East Java Secretary's Remarks on the Effectiveness of WFH on Wednesdays
The East Java Provincial Government (Pemprov Jatim) has implemented Work From Home (WFH) on Wednesdays since 1 April 2026 to save energy. This WFH policy for Civil Servants (ASN) of Pemprov Jatim differs from central ministries and other regional governments, which apply it on Fridays.
East Java Provincial Secretary Adhy Karyono stated that the idea of WFH on Wednesdays originated from him and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa. According to Adhy, WFH on Wednesdays is more effective than on Fridays for energy savings.
“If WFH is on Friday, it’s no different from a long weekend. This means shifting fuel waste from the office to home,” said Adhy on Thursday, 9 April 2026.
Adhy acknowledged that this decision is not aligned with the central government, which implements WFH on Fridays. However, Pemprov Jatim still assigns ASN to work on Wednesdays if necessary.
“For example, if there is a ministry visit, we still assign ASN to attend in person,” explained the former acting Governor of East Java.
In addition, he believes that Wednesday is an effective day for a break from high mobility. This is because Wednesday is in the middle of the week.
He also urged ASN to start using public transport for commuting to the office and to reduce the number of entourages during events.
So far, Adhy assesses that this policy has been quite effective. “Yesterday I saw it was indeed quiet. Everyone works via Zoom meetings except for inaugurations,” he said.
Adhy stated that Pemprov Jatim is willing to adjust if there are specific instructions to change the WFH day. However, the idea for Wednesday is still seen as more effective.
The WFH regulation has also received a positive response from ASN of the East Java Youth and Sports Office (Dispora), Aditya Wahyu. According to Adit, the WFH rule on Wednesdays is very effective because it is not close to the weekend. This can also prevent ASN from wanting long holidays.
In addition, Adit mentioned that Dispora Jatim also assigns additional tasks to its employees to fill out WFH output forms. Even team leaders always monitor the implementation of WFH at Dispora Jatim.
“If someone appears idle, their workload will definitely be increased,” said Adit.