The government has officially introduced a Work From Home (WFH) policy for civil servants. The policy is planned to be implemented one day per week to reduce fuel consumption.
A lecturer in Public Policy and Management (MKP) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Dr. Agustinus Subarsono, stated that several factors could support the effectiveness of the WFH policy. According to him, the success of WFH depends on a stable technological infrastructure that enables the development of an independent and disciplined work culture.
“When the work culture still relies on instructions from superiors (technical guidelines) and has not yet become independent, WFH may reduce productivity, as civil servants may shift their focus to domestic tasks,” he explained on Friday (Apr. 10).
Dr. Subarsono further explained that WFH would be effective if the government implements standardized output- or time-based performance systems, along with measurable monitoring mechanisms such as timesheets or work logs and brief daily or weekly online meetings. He also highlighted the economic aspect of the policy. According to him, while WFH can theoretically reduce office operational costs, the assumed savings, particularly in electricity, need to be carefully examined.
“The government may be relying on assumptions that electricity costs will decrease. However, it is necessary to assess whether such efficiency would be significant enough to impact the state or regional budget,” he said.
For Dr. Subarsono, WFH can indeed reduce employee transportation costs due to increased flexibility and significantly lower energy consumption in major cities such as Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya. However, he noted that in smaller cities, particularly in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, the significance of energy reduction remains questionable.
“In terms of leadership, especially during WFH, the required style is trust-based leadership, where civil servants are trusted to work independently and responsibly,” he said.
Dr. Subarsono acknowledged the potential misuse of Friday WFH for extended weekend vacations, as it connects with Saturday and Sunday holidays. However, he noted that this is more likely among middle- to upper-income civil servants who are economically stable and view leisure as a necessity. In contrast, those from lower-income groups are less likely to use WFH for long weekends due to financial constraints.
“Middle-income civil servants may instead use WFH to seek additional side jobs to supplement family income,” he explained.
Dr. Subarsono stated that there are at least four indicators the government can use to evaluate the success of the WFH policy after one to two months of implementation. First, whether the quantitative targets or outputs have been achieved. Second, whether these targets are completed within the designated timeframe or are delayed. Third, the quality of work, whether it requires minor or major revisions. Lastly, the level of participation in digital activities.
“There are indicators that determine whether a policy is effective. These include target achievement, timeliness, quality of outputs, as well as participation and responsiveness in online activities,” he explained.
Dr. Subarsono emphasized that not all types of work can be carried out remotely. According to him, some roles still require the physical presence of civil servants as public service providers, such as driver’s license services, ID card issuance, land certification, and hospital healthcare services.
In the academic context, Dr. Subarsono supports conducting learning activities offline or in person.
“I tend to encourage in-person learning because teachers and lecturers have more flexibility to improvise in explaining knowledge and phenomena. In-person learning also helps prevent learning loss, which refers to the decline in students’ knowledge and skills due to disruptions in the learning process,” he said.
Dr. Subarsono suggested using clear indicators to measure WFH effectiveness. Daily output-based performance metrics, weekly reports, and a reward-and-punishment mechanism would facilitate evaluation of the policy’s success.
“I recommend using daily output-based indicators, weekly reports, and clear reward and punishment mechanisms. Within two months of implementation, the government should conduct surveys to assess whether public satisfaction has declined, remained stable, or increased,” he concluded.
Author: Diyana Khairunnisa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Zabrina Kumara
Photo: Shutterstock