Religious Affairs Minister Reminds Civil Servants: Public Services Remain Priority Despite Friday Work-from-Home
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Nasaruddin Umar, has reminded civil servants (ASN) in the Ministry of Religious Affairs to continue upholding the quality of public services at an optimal level, even while implementing a work-from-home (WFH) scheme every Friday.
“Public services are the top priority. Adjustments to the work system, including WFH, must not diminish service quality. Services must remain present, easily accessible, and of high quality for the public,” Nasaruddin stressed in a press statement on Friday (3/4/2026).
The instruction applies to all work units in the ministry, both at the central and regional levels, with the aim of maintaining service quality for the public.
According to him, the technical arrangements for implementing WFH are left to the leaders of each work unit, taking into account the characteristics of tasks and types of services.
He also encouraged the optimisation of information system technology in public services within the ministry.
“The use of technology must serve as a solution to maintain service quality. The digitalisation of services needs to be continuously strengthened so that the public remains served without obstacles,” he said.
Nasaruddin stated that every work unit must ensure that service information is clearly conveyed to the public, whether for online or offline services.
“Transparency of information is key. The public must receive certainty about services, even with work system adjustments,” he emphasised.
The one-day-per-week WFH policy is regulated in Circular Letter (SE) Number 800.1.5/3349/SJ on the Transformation of Civil Servant Work Culture in the Regional Government Environment.
The issued SE takes effect from 1 April 2026 and will be periodically evaluated.
The Minister of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB), Rini Widyantini, has required every agency to conduct periodic evaluations during the implementation of Friday WFH.
“To ensure its implementation runs optimally, every agency is required to carry out ongoing monitoring and evaluation of organisational performance achievements, energy efficiency, and public service quality,” Rini said, as quoted from the official PANRB Ministry website, cited on Thursday (2/4/2026).
At the provincial level, high-ranking madya and pratama leadership officials are still required to work from the office despite the WFH policy for ASN.
Meanwhile, at the district/city level, WFH exemptions also apply to pratama high-ranking leadership officials, administrators or echelon III, sub-district heads, ward heads, and village heads.