Jakarta. Indonesia has officially decided that it will implement a work-from-home policy every Friday — a move that the government estimates can enable people to save a combined Rp 59 trillion (roughly $3.5 billion) in fuel spending. 

The Indonesian government is banking on the work-from-home (WFH) rule in navigating the Iran war-induced energy crunch. The policy applies to civil servants. The Manpower Ministry will soon draft a regulation on how this WFH applies to private sector employees, according to Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

"The WFH rule for private sector employees still takes into account the characteristics and needs of each business," Airlangga told a press briefing on Tuesday.

The government can save Rp 6.2 trillion ($365.5 million) in state spending related to fuel compensation as people stay home and offices use less power. This is the money rolled out by the government to energy firm Pertamina to compensate for financial loss fueled by price-related policies.

WFH will not apply to workers in public services such as healthcare and security. Those working in strategic fields (e.g., energy, production, transportation, logistics, and finance) will also be working as normal.

The policy will kick in next month, meaning the first WFH day will fall on April 10. The first Friday of the month is on April 3 — a public holiday as Christians observe Good Friday. Airlangga also explained the rationale behind picking Friday for the WFH amidst concerns that it would only give Indonesians a long weekend.

“People only work for half a day on Fridays, unlike the other weekdays. But public services remain operational. The same goes for productive activities, including the capital market and banking services. Offices may use [digital] apps to manage [the attendance],” the minister said.

The government will review the once-a-week WFH policy every two months.

The US-Israeli war against Iran has fueled an energy crisis as Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. The strategic waterway sees 25% of the global seaborne oil trade. The paralysis has worried Indonesians at home as two oil tankers belonging to the state energy giant Pertamina can’t pass through the strait. The government, however, claimed Iran had given a “positive response” in granting Indonesia the Hormuz pass.