Silalahi optimistic about five-day working week
Silalahi optimistic about five-day working week
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Administrative Reforms T.B.
Silalahi expressed optimism yesterday that the five day working
week, which is being implemented by a number of agencies as a
trial this month, will be a success.
Silalahi said seven government institutions, including the
Ministry of Information, the Ministry of Industry and the
Ministry of Home Affairs will launch the trial operation.
He said that the scheme, which allows civil servants to have
Saturday and Sunday off, aims at improving productivity as well
as eliminating the "I don't like Mondays syndrome".
The minister said that the two day weekend would renew
employees' spirit on their return to work on the Monday.
The seven government agencies will report regularly to him
about how the trial is proceeding to see if the scheme is
effective or not.
The government has allowed all its agencies to conduct a trial
run before it implements the scheme nationwide in August next
year.
Earlier, Silalahi said the offices that had previously
introduced the program had reported a rise in productivity.
They are the Jakarta municipal administration, the Agency for
the Assessment and Application of Technology and state owned oil
company Pertamina.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, for example, launched a trial of
the five day working scheme while promising incentives for those
who wanted to work on holidays.
"The scheme is aimed at improving efficiency, effectiveness
and discipline among employees," Suryatna Subrata, the Ministry's
secretary general, announced recently.
The government introduced the long weekend scheme with the aim
of tightening the budget by saving on electricity and telephone
bills.
The idea of giving civil servants Saturdays and Sundays off
came from President Soeharto who recently suggested that the long
weekends would enable them to have more time with their families.
The Ministry of Home Affairs is phasing in the introduction of
the five-day working week, beginning with only one week this
month, and then two weeks each month between September and
January and three weeks each month starting February.
Beginning in May, the employees will enjoy every Saturday off.
(par/yns)