UGM Expert Recommends Limited Pilot Before Implementing One Day Per Week Work from Home

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Public policy expert from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Agustinus Subarsono, believes the government needs to conduct thorough studies before implementing a work from home (WFH) policy of one day per week on a wide scale.

He opines that if the WFH policy is to be implemented promptly, the government should start with pilot projects first.

“It is best not to implement it simultaneously for all bureaucrats in Indonesia because bureaucrats and agencies need to prepare first, for example, SOPs on which jobs can be done via WFH,” said Agustinus, when contacted on Monday (23/3/2026).

Thus, agencies will have time to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs), including determining the types of jobs that can be done remotely.

Regarding the sector most ready to implement WFH one day per week, Agustinus believes the approach should not only be viewed from the sector but also from the level of position in the bureaucracy.

“I tend not to look at the sector in relation to WFH but at the level of bureaucracy,” he explained.

In addition, analyst groups are also considered more flexible for working remotely. Conversely, operational and administrative jobs are deemed to still require physical presence in the office.

According to Agustinus, the government also needs to prepare national guidelines that regulate the standards for implementing WFH in various sectors.

These guidelines need to include the classification of sectors or professions that can carry out WFH, such as teaching staff, lecturers, and analysts, as well as sectors that do not allow remote work such as medical personnel, transportation and logistics, machine operators, and quality control.

He gave examples of several types of jobs that are considered relatively ready to implement WFH, including the technology and information field such as programmers, software developers, web developers, mobile app developers, data analysts, data scientists, up to cybersecurity specialists.

Furthermore, Agustinus emphasised the importance of clear supervision mechanisms for employees carrying out WFH.

Supervision can be carried out based on output, such as daily or weekly targets, key performance indicators (KPIs), and task completion deadlines.