MenPAN-RB on One Day Weekly WFH: Not a Reduction in Working Hours

Minister for State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (MenPAN-RB), Rini Widyantini, has assured that the work from home (WFH) policy for one day per week is not intended to reduce civil servants’ (ASN) working hours. She stated that the policy aims to encourage a digital-based government. This was conveyed by Rini during a working meeting with Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (31/3/2026). She discussed the shift to a more flexible working system compared to mere physical attendance presence. “So now the main point is that the implementation of this flexible working arrangement is changing the paradigm from physical attendance presence to output-oriented, right. We have already made several changes,” said Rini during the meeting. She explained that the WFH policy for ASN encourages improvements in digital-based governance. Rini emphasised that WFH does not mean reducing ASN working hours. “So the main point is, we indeed want to make improvements, not about reducing working hours, but how we improve to encourage digital government, improvements in governance management, while still ensuring that essential public services are carried out,” she stated. Rini noted that essential services are not permitted for WFH. According to her, government agencies are allowed to regulate the mechanism for implementing WFH. “So the approach is that for essential public services, WFH cannot be done. They must directly provide services, but for hybrid ones, we can do flexible working arrangements like that,” said Rini. “Government agencies are also allowed to regulate how they arrange it, but the most important thing is how we want to encourage digital literacy in the bureaucracy as well, digital government, because we are carrying out digitalisation improvements,” she added. When met separately, Rini was asked whether this WFH policy allows ASN to work from anywhere, including cafes. She said that literally, the WFH policy requires working from home. “Well, what is it called, it’s called work from home, right, so like that. The mechanism will be in the MenPAN Regulation. We’ll wait for the details tonight, if it’s WFH, yes, like that,” she added. As is known, the government has set a policy for working from home or WFH one day per week. That one day of WFH will apply every Friday. “The implementation of work from home for ASN in central and regional agencies, done one working day per week, namely every Friday,” said Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto, in a press conference on Tuesday (31/3/2026) evening. Furthermore, the government is also implementing WFH for private sector employees. Private sector employee WFH will be adjusted to the characteristics and needs of each business sector. “The implementation of work from home for the private sector will be further regulated in the Circular of the Minister of Manpower,” said Airlangga. “While still considering the characteristics and needs of each business sector,” he continued.