Government Considers WFH to Save Energy, Kadin Highlights ASEAN Competition

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The government is currently reviewing a work flexibility policy through the Work From Home (WFH) scheme or working from home for one day in every five working days. This is being done to save energy in response to the increase in oil prices due to the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. The General Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Anindya Bakrie stated that the implementation of this policy needs to be considered further because the industrial world also wants to increase productivity to compete with other ASEAN countries. He added that the plan to implement Work From Home (WFH) for one day per week to suppress fuel oil (BBM) consumption cannot be applied uniformly across all economic sectors. He explained that the policy needs to be studied further so as not to disrupt industrial productivity. According to him, this WFH policy is suitable for more flexible industries such as the services sector. This is because the sector requires special consideration due to its different operational characteristics. “Of course, we must review it, because as mentioned earlier, some sectors make sense, especially in the service industry. But in the manufacturing sector, it certainly needs to be reviewed,” he added. Anindya elaborated that the manufacturing sector has a high dependence on the physical presence of workers and the continuity of the production process. He believes that the goal of effectiveness must still align with efforts to maintain national productivity. “But the important thing is to focus on how to achieve efficiency without eliminating productivity. Usually, that involves using technology,” he explained. This means that the utilisation of technology can be a solution to support efficiency without sacrificing performance, especially in sectors that allow for flexible working systems.