Not All Get Friday WFH: One Policy, Different Fates for Civil Servants
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Not all workers are working from home (WFH) every Friday under the central government’s initiative to save energy. They must continue to serve the public.
One ministry employee, Reyno (not his real name, 28), feels envious of not getting the chance to WFH every Friday, as he is tasked with accompanying a certain official in all daily activities.
On the other hand, when coming to the office every Friday, he feels uncomfortable because he has to endure the heat while working.
“The office AC facilities are turned off, making it hot and uncomfortable,” he said when contacted by Kompas.com on Monday (11/5/2026).
Therefore, every Friday, this Gen Z individual has no choice but to endure the hot workroom, as he must stay in the room while the official he accompanies has no activities outside the office.
However, behind the uncomfortable office conditions, Reyno sees the positive side of Friday WFH as making the roads less congested than usual.
“When it’s WFH Friday, the roads are empty or not jammed,” he said.
This Gen Z individual only needs about 45 to 60 minutes from his home in Cijantung, East Jakarta, to his office in the Gambir area, Central Jakarta.
Reyno does not feel burdened by additional work, even though many of his colleagues are WFH.
The Head of the Dukcapil Sector for Kemayoran Subdistrict, Central Jakarta, Ismawati (41), is also one of the civil servants who does not get the Friday WFH quota.
This is because she is trying to comply with the Governor of DKI’s Circular Letter number 3/SE/2026 on transforming work culture through adjustments to the implementation of civil servants’ official duties, one of which is the implementation of WFH, which is excluded for work units that provide population services.
With the existence of this circular letter, all Dukcapil employees in Jakarta do not WFH and continue to provide services as usual every Friday.
Even though they have to come in every Friday, Ismawati claims she has no problem and is not envious of other civil servants who get the WFH opportunity.
“If it’s said to be envious, it’s more about understanding the differences in conditions or job functions. Every assignment is already arranged according to needs, so we support each other to ensure that work and services to the public continue to run well,” Ismawati said when interviewed by Kompas.com on Friday.
She instead strives to ensure that the public remains well-served, even with the Friday WFH policy.
On the other hand, Friday WFH is also considered not to add much workload for civil servants who come in, as it is already divided according to each person’s job functions.
Between civil servants, whether working from home or in the office, they help each other if there are things that need coordination.