WFH for Civil Servants Set for Fridays, Airlangga: Public Services to Continue as Usual

The government has established a work-from-home (WFH) policy for civil servants (ASN) in both central and regional institutions, to be implemented every Friday. Each week, one working day is mandatory for WFH. “The implementation of WFH for ASN in central and regional institutions will be carried out for one working day per week, namely every Friday,” explained Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto during a virtual press conference on Tuesday evening (31 March 2026). “We chose Friday because it is already a half-day, meaning it is not a full day like Monday to Thursday,” Airlangga clarified. Despite the WFH arrangement, public services will continue to operate as usual. This is because not all tasks can be performed remotely. “Public services will continue to run, and productive activities including banking, capital markets, and others will proceed. Those in the offices are permitted to arrange it using certain applications,” he stated. “We have signed circular letter Number 800.1.5/3349/SJ on the Transformation of Civil Servant Work Culture in Regional Government Environments as of 31 March 2026 today,” explained Tito. The circular clearly states that the policy will take effect from Wednesday, 1 April 2026. This policy will be evaluated every two months. “This policy takes effect from 1 April 2026 and will be evaluated periodically every two months,” reads one point in the circular. “For regions where digital service infrastructure is not yet available, implementation of duties can be adjusted according to the conditions and capabilities of the region,” it states. For information, there are several criteria for ASN who are not subject to the WFH policy. At the district/city level, high-ranking leadership positions (pratama), administrators (eschelon III), sub-district heads, village heads, and village chiefs are not allowed to WFH. Furthermore, public service units and sectors are not subject to the WFH policy.