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Minister Tjahjo on board with plan allowing civil servants to work from home
The National Development Planning Ministry will conduct a trial run on 1,000 civil servants working flexi hours and remotely starting Jan. 1.
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Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo waves as he arrives at the Presidential Palace on Oct. 22, 2019. (JP/Donny Fernando)
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n an era in which much work and communication can be conducted online, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has agreed to civil servants being allowed to work from home, as long as the work is done according to schedule.
“The point is they need to work fast. They can still do their jobs from home,” Tjahjo said at the Presidential Palace on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.
He made the comment in response to a plan by the National Development Planning Ministry to conduct a trial run on civil servants working flexi hours and remotely starting Jan. 1.
Tjahjo argued that it was possible for some civil servants to work from anywhere. He said he sometimes worked while on the road in his car.
“Work doesn’t always have to be done in the office,” he added.
He acknowledged the concern that civil servants might be unproductive if they were not required to work at the office. However, he said it was doable if clear targets were set and punishment meted out to those who failed to reach the targets.
“Allowances could be cut,” Tjahjo said.
He added that the ministry would give the freedom to each government office regarding the work policy.
National Development Planning Minister Suhrso Monoarfa said the trial run would involve 1,000 civil servants in the ministry. They will be allowed to work from anywhere as long as they can execute their work well, he said. (dpk)
