ASN “WFA” Scheme Believed to be Able to Reduce the Density of Homecoming Traffic

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Ministry of Transportation appreciates the policy of adjusting public services for Civil Servants (ASN) to enable them to work from anywhere ahead of the 2025 Eid al-Fitr period. This policy is believed to help alleviate congestion during this year's homecoming traffic, especially if the same strategy is implemented by state-owned enterprises and private companies.

In a press statement received by Kompas on Thursday (6/3/2025), Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi stated that the implementation of the work-from-anywhere (WFA) scheme for civil servants could provide more time for transportation and traffic coordinators to alleviate congestion among travelers ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

"With this flexibility, hopefully we can create a safer and more comfortable Eid situation for all members of the community," said Dudy.

Previously, on Wednesday (5/3/2025), the Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB), Rini Widyantini, officially issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 2/2025, which regulates the implementation of flexible working arrangements (FWA) for civil servants in each government agency.

The circular letter aims to support the enhancement of work productivity in government administration and public services, as well as to ensure smooth mobility for the public during the national holiday and collective leave for the holy day of Nyepi, Saka Year 1947, and the celebration of Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijri.

With the issuance of this SE, the heads of government agencies can adjust the implementation of ASN duties, through a combination of flexibility in carrying out official duties in the office, carrying out official duties from home (work from home/WFH) and/or other locations determined by the head of the government agency (WFA).

Dudy believes that with the issuance of the Circular Letter of the Minister of PANRB number 2/2025, civil servants planning to travel for the holiday will depart earlier. This way, the Ministry of Transportation will have additional time to manage the flow of holiday travelers ahead of two major religious celebrations.

WFA, Dudy continued, provides an opportunity for workers to celebrate Eid with their families without having to worry about physical presence at the workplace.

"This policy will provide dual benefits, both for workers who will celebrate Eid with greater peace of mind and for smoother mobility of the public during the homecoming season," said Dudy.

In her official statement, Minister of PANRB Rini Widyantini said that during the adjustment of the implementation of official duties, the heads of government agencies divided the number of employees who carried out official duties via WFO, WFH, or WFA, by referring to the number of employees and the characteristics of government services.

The heads of government agencies also ordered public service organizations within their respective agencies to ensure that essential public services that have a direct impact on the community remain available and accessible.

This includes health services, transportation services, security services, and others, as well as paying attention to the provision of friendly services for vulnerable groups including people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, children, and others.

"In this adjustment, I also appeal to the leaders of government agencies to be selective in providing annual leave by considering the workload, nature and characteristics of the tasks, and the number of employees from each agency/organization providing public services," said Rini.

According to Dudy, SOE Minister Erick Thohir has appealed to SOEs to implement WFA before and after Eid al-Fitr, March 24-April 8, 2025, while maintaining productivity and paying attention to the company's needs. However, until this news was written, the SOE Ministry had not confirmed whether the appeal was actually implemented.

Dudy also suggested to entrepreneurs and private company leaders to be able to implement the WFA policy for their workers during the 2025 Lebaran period by considering operations, productivity, and customer service. The reason is, WFA can reduce traffic density, especially in areas of homecoming flow focus.

Based on the trend of Lebaran transportation realization in 2022-2024, there is an increase in the number of trips and passengers of public transportation. In 2022, the number is 13.6 million passengers, followed by 2023 with 14.7 million passengers and 2024 as many as 16.2 million passengers. The peak of Lebaran homecoming is around four days to two days before Eid al-Fitr or D-4 to D-2.

If WFA starts D-7 of Eid or March 24, 2025, the Ministry of Transportation predicts that the peak of homecoming will occur on D-3 of Eid, namely March 28, 2025. However, if WFA starts D-5 of Eid or March 26, 2025, then the peak of homecoming is predicted to occur on the same day.

"If we implement WFA starting March 24, 2025, it will not be too much of a spike, more or less estimated to be the same as the previous year. However, if WFA starts March 26, 2025, there will be several spikes such as March 26, 29, and 30, 2025," said Dudy.

Meanwhile, the General Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), Shinta W Kamdani, said that the WFA in the period leading up to religious holidays, needs to take into account the need to meet the spike in demand and public consumption.

"If the WFA policy is implemented without careful planning and calculation, it certainly risks disrupting the supply chain, thus affecting the stability of supply in the market," he said.

Apindo also emphasized the importance of discussions involving all parties, including entrepreneurs, employees, and local governments (Pemda) before the WFA policy is taken. The goal is so that the policy does not disrupt the operational stability of the business world, especially in strategic sectors that contribute significantly to the economy.