Private Companies Free to Determine WFH Implementation Days

Minister of Manpower Yassierli has emphasised that private companies have flexibility in determining the day for implementing work from home (WFH) one day per week. According to him, unlike civil servants (ASN) who generally carry out WFH on Fridays, the private sector is not bound to a specific day and can adjust the policy to their operational needs.

“For private workers, WFH implementation is flexible. Companies can choose the day according to their needs, including aligning with ASN by choosing Friday,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/4).

Yassierli stressed that the WFH policy for the private sector, including SOEs and regional SOEs, is not a mandatory regulation but a government recommendation. Therefore, technical decisions are entirely up to each company. He noted that every company has different characteristics and needs, so WFH implementation cannot be standardised.

“We leave the technical implementation to the companies, as each has its own uniqueness,” he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Manpower recommended that companies begin implementing WFH one day per week starting from 1 April 2026. This policy is outlined in the Minister of Manpower’s Circular Letter Number M/6/HK.04/III/2026 on Work From Home and the Energy Optimisation Programme in the Workplace.

The government hopes this policy can serve as a national momentum to encourage energy efficiency while improving work-life balance.

In its implementation, companies must still fulfil workers’ rights even when working from home, including full salary payments and annual leave entitlements. However, several sectors are exempted from this policy, such as energy, health, infrastructure, public services, retail, industry and production, services, food and beverages, transportation and logistics, and the financial sector.

Yassierli added that the implementation of the WFH policy will be evaluated over a two-month period, with a mechanism similar to that for ASN. The evaluation will assess the overall effectiveness of the WFH recommendation, including its impact on productivity and efficiency.

“What will be evaluated is the overall implementation of this WFH recommendation,” he stated.

With the flexibility provided, the government hopes companies can adopt the WFH policy adaptively according to their needs, without disrupting operational performance or public services.