Government Reveals Reasons for ASN Work-from-Home on Fridays

Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, has revealed the reasons for selecting Friday as the work-from-home (WFH) day for civil servants (ASN). Friday was chosen because work activities tend to be relatively lighter compared to other working days. According to him, the busyness level on that day is not as high as on regular days, and in many agencies, it only amounts to about half of the daily workload. “We chose Friday because it is indeed half a day (workload). Meaning it’s not full like from Monday to Thursday,” said Airlangga during a virtual press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (31/3). In addition, the selection of Friday for WFH also follows the practices of several ministries that have previously implemented a four-day workweek pattern with digital system support, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Airlangga assured that public services and strategic sectors will continue to operate normally as usual. “But public services will still run, and productive activities including banking, capital markets, and others will continue. And they are allowed to arrange those at the office with certain applications,” he explained. As is known, the government has officially implemented the WFH policy for ASN in central and regional agencies every Friday. The policy will take effect from 1 April 2026 and will be evaluated after two months of implementation. “The implementation of work-from-home for ASN in central and regional agencies, done for one working day per week, namely every Friday, is regulated through a circular letter (SE) from the Minister of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (MenPANRB) and SE from the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri),” said Airlangga. Besides ASN, the government is also urging the private sector to implement WFH with arrangements adjusted to the characteristics and needs of each business sector through a circular letter (SE) from the Minister of Manpower. However, several sectors are excluded from this policy, including public services such as health, security, and cleanliness, as well as strategic sectors like industry, energy, water, basic goods, food and beverages, trade, transportation, logistics, and finance. In the education sector, teaching and learning activities for primary to secondary levels will continue to be conducted in-person five days a week without restrictions. Meanwhile, for higher education, implementation will follow the policies of the relevant ministry. “The education sector will continue teaching and learning activities in-person, offline normally at all levels from primary to secondary education. Five days a week, and there are no restrictions on sports activities related to achievements or other extracurriculars,” he stated. Meanwhile, he continued, for higher education, semesters four and above will follow the circular from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek).