The Work from Anywhere (WFA) policy for civil servants has been regulated under the Circular Letter of the Minister of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform No. 2 of 2025.
This policy aims to alleviate traffic congestion, especially before the Eid homecoming season, and will be implemented from Mar. 24-27, 2025.
In addition, the government has moved the school holidays earlier, from Mar. 24 to Mar. 21, 2025.
Dr. Subarsono, a Public Policy and Management lecturer at the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), considers this policy a breakthrough. It formally allows civil servants to work flexibly through WFH or WFA schemes.
According to him, the policy has the potential to reduce traffic congestion during the homecoming period.
However, in terms of public service effectiveness, it may not have a positive impact due to the religious and familial atmosphere during the holiday.
“Civil servants may tend to spend their time socializing, reminiscing, and reconnecting with family, friends, and neighbors, rather than working,” he said on Monday (Mar. 10).
With this flexible work arrangement, civil servants are not required to come to the office during the designated period and are allowed to work remotely.
Considering the possibility of not being obligated to work in the office, a clear control mechanism from their supervisors is needed to ensure effective public service delivery.
“I think supervisors should be able to monitor and ensure that civil servants are carrying out their duties as instructed,” he explained.
Furthermore, the civil servants must still complete the workload during the 4-day period. The most important thing is ensuring they are accountable for the WFA policy.
On the other hand, there should be mechanisms to impose sanctions on those who fail to show evidence of online work during working hours.
Despite this regulation, there remains uncertainty regarding its purpose and accountable outcomes.
“I hope this is not just a euphemism or a polite way of extending the holiday for civil servants,” he added.
Dr. Subarsono suggested that the government create more rigid regulations in the future, such as limiting WFH or WFA to one or two working days.
Author: Jelita Agustine
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Image: Freepik