Khofifah Announces WFH for East Java ASN Every Wednesday to Save Fuel

Governor of East Java, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, has implemented a policy of working from home (WFH) every Wednesday for all civil servants (ASN) within the East Java Provincial Government. Khofifah stated that this WFH policy every Wednesday is intended to curb fuel oil (BBM) consumption. “Starting next week, our WFH will fall on Wednesday,” said Khofifah in Surabaya on Wednesday (25/3). Khofifah explained that the selection of Wednesday underwent thorough consideration. She deliberately avoided WFH on Fridays to prevent ASN from tending to extend it into a long weekend, which could instead increase BBM usage due to tourism or returning home mobility. “Initially, we trialled how WFH on Friday would work? On Friday, there’s a tendency for it to turn into a long weekend. If it’s a long weekend, what was initially hoped to be part of BBM efficiency would not save more, it might not save at all,” she said. The former Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs stated that this WFH policy has been calculated together with Deputy Governor Emil Dardak. Their calculation shows that the average distance travelled by ASN to the office is 28 kilometres round trip, so eliminating one day of commuting to the office is considered capable of providing a significant impact on BBM efficiency. “The Deputy Governor’s calculation is about 14 kilometres to the office, so round trip average is 28 km per day, and that means we need a certain amount of BBM, but if on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every week taken as a long weekend, this would add a lot more BBM used because there would be a greater tendency to go back to the village or recreate and so on,” she continued. Khofifah emphasised that this policy still prioritises productivity and public services will continue to run at 100 per cent. She also underlined the difference between WFH and Work From Anywhere (WFA). According to her, working from home allows for family supervision, thus maintaining employee integrity in working. “WFH is not WFA. If anywhere, it could be at tourist spots, cafes, anywhere, but WFH. At home, it feels like family is also monitoring. Whether it’s my husband or child, my wife is working,” she said. Furthermore, Khofifah instructed the East Java Regional Civil Service Agency (BKD) to monitor the attendance of all employees, both PNS and PPPK, to ensure discipline remains maintained despite the adjusted work schedule. This two-term East Java Governor also mentioned that the WFH policy on Wednesdays is planned to be implemented starting next week. “So, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday [WFH] in the middle, then Thursday and Friday we work maximally,” she said.