Mall Business Owners Give Unexpected Response to Weekly WFH Plan
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Mall business owners have spoken out on the government’s plan to implement a work-from-home (WFH) policy once a week. This proposal has elicited a cool response from business owners and labour unions alike.
However, mall entrepreneurs have offered a different perspective. Malls operate in the trade and services sector, which requires employees to be on-site and interact directly with consumers.
The General Chairman of the Indonesian Mall Managers Association (APPBI), Alphonzus Widjaja, supports the government’s step to implement WFH. However, there is a condition for malls to survive amid this policy: the provision of incentives to boost domestic consumption.
“The WFH programme, intended as one strategy for energy conservation, will certainly be beneficial amid threats of shortages and high energy prices, particularly petroleum fuel. However, the WFH programme should be accompanied by various stimulus or incentive programmes, especially to boost domestic consumption, which is also one way to minimise dependence on uncertain global conditions and situations,” Alphonzus said when contacted by CNBC Indonesia on Monday (30/3/2026).
He added that to minimise the impact of the Middle East conflict, the government should prioritise domestic trade to avoid over-reliance on global situations and conditions.
“The government should prioritise domestic trade so as not to be too dependent on the impacts of global situations and conditions, as we did during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he explained.
Alphonzus noted that during Covid-19, Indonesia’s economy was relatively better than many other countries due to relatively strong domestic trade.
“During Covid-19, Indonesia’s economic condition was relatively better than many other countries due to relatively strong domestic trade with a large domestic market, namely Indonesia’s population of more than 280 million people,” he clarified.
Previously, the government proposed a WFH policy of one day per week to save on fuel consumption amid global turmoil. This WFH implementation plan was discussed in an online meeting led by Coordinating Minister Airlangga yesterday.
The announcement of the WFH policy for Civil Servants (ASN) or Civil Servants (PNS) and encouragement for private sector employees will be made shortly.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto revealed that the announcement will be made before the end of March 2026, with only one day remaining.
“It will be decided this month,” Airlangga said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Friday (27/3/2026).
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Tito Karnavian stated that the one-day-per-week work-from-home (WFH) policy is scheduled to be announced by the government on Tuesday (31/3/2026) today.
However, details of the timing were not explained by the Interior Minister, as they did not want to preempt the announcement of the WFH day.
“I hear it might be officially announced tomorrow, so I don’t want to preempt it,” Tito said when met by reporters after a working meeting with Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives on Monday (30/3/2026).