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View all search resultsToward a four-day workweek
To significantly save national fuel consumption, the idea of a short workweek could be an attractive proposition both for employers and employees alike.
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Motorcyclists line up to refuel with non-subsidized Pertamax gasoline on March 1, 2026, at a gas station in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta. State oil and gas giant Pertamina adjusted the prices of non-subsidized fuel, starting effectively on March 1. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he plan to introduce work from home (WFH) once a week in the public and private sectors should not be that hard to implement since the nation has already had plenty of experience from the COVID 19 pandemic years. But with the emerging energy crisis, Indonesia needs more drastic measures to reduce national fuel consumption.
The four-day workweek, being introduced in the Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in response to the global energy crisis, could be an option for Indonesia to consider, along with other measures including the inevitable raising of gasoline prices.
Prior to the just-ended long Idul Fitri holidays, the government assured us that the national fuel stockpiles were enough for 28 days given the average national consumption rate. With the massive movement of people during the holiday, and with the government refraining from increasing gasoline prices, the nation has been burning fuel like there is no tomorrow. We can only imagine that the reserves have depleted faster than officials care to admit.
With reports of severe disruptions to oil shipments in the Strait of Hormuz, we are looking at a global shortage of oil. World oil prices have already shot up above US$100 a barrel requiring our swift response.
Now that the long holiday is over, it is time for the nation to get serious in facing the imminent energy crisis and, almost certainly, the ensuing economic crisis.
One idea already mooted is the one-day WFH plan.
The government in the past has allowed WFH, or its variation “work from anywhere” (WFA), in the public sector around long extended holidays, including the recent Idul Fitri. Many private companies and organizations have continued the hybrid model of combining in-office and remote work, post-COVID pandemic, after finding that WFH did not affect productivity or morale in work places.
