Legislator Requests WFH Not on Fridays: It Would Become a "Long Weekend"

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A member of Commission II of the House of Representatives from the PDI-P faction, Romy Soekarno, has requested that the government not place Work From Home (WFH) for one day per week for civil servants and the private sector on Fridays. Romy stated that if workers are allowed to WFH on Fridays, they tend to turn it into a long weekend. Romy views the one-day WFH policy for fuel savings as a rational step in the context of national energy efficiency. However, he reminded that this policy must not stop at good intentions alone and should be designed precisely to avoid being counterproductive. “We must not ignore aspects of bureaucratic performance and the world of work in general. In practice, WFH often makes work processes less direct. Decision-making becomes slower, coordination is not as effective as face-to-face, and there is often fragmentation in communication,” he explained. Furthermore, Romy highlighted the reduced direct interactions due to WFH. According to him, direct interactions are the foundation of trust, leadership presence, and team solidarity. When these interactions decrease, what emerges is a more mechanistic work pattern with less depth in collaboration. Therefore, Romy assesses that if this WFH policy is still to be implemented, several principles must be upheld. For example, selecting a neutral day like mid-week. Romy emphasised that the choice of day must be considered to avoid distortion into a long weekend. Meanwhile, Romy stated that public policy must always consider the balance between efficiency and quality. “WFH can be a solution, but without a mature design, it can also become a source of new problems,” Romy added.