Jakarta – The 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.
Implementing the plan will be a walk in the park. But if we are looking for more significant savings in national fuel consumption, the idea of a short workweek could be an attractive proposition, both for employers and employees alike.
The four-day workweek is not a novelty. Many countries in the West have contemplated it and run pilots as part of promoting a better work-life balance. Many companies taking part in the trials reportedly embraced it because they found the overall experience positive.
Governments that ran the pilots, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, however, decided they were not ready to take the plunge. They may want to revisit the idea now given the changing circumstances presented by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines now have the honor to be the first countries in the world to introduce it nationwide, though more in response to the emerging energy crisis and not so much to promote a work-life balance.
The then-state-owned enterprises ministry ran a pilot on four-day workweek for SOEs last year, essentially compressing the mandatory 40 hours of work a week into four days instead of five. We have not heard much about the results, so this is a good time for the former ministry to share with the rest of the nation its experience, and show the upsides and downsides.
The pilots run in the US and UK typically followed the 100-80-100 model, that is 100 percent pay for 80 percent of the time in exchange for maintaining 100 percent productivity.
Companies that ran the trials reported improved employee wellbeing, higher productivity and better recruitment and retention. Fewer commuting days also reduces carbon footprints, and companies see lower utility bills and reduced overhead costs.
Among the reported downsides include increased work intensity from compressing 40 hours of work into four days, and operational challenges for industries requiring 24/7 or constant coverage such as health care, emergency services and manufacturing.
If the idea of a shorter workweek feels too drastic for the government to call, public and private companies and organizations can still take their own initiatives, taking cue from the many successful pilot projects. SOEs have already shown the way.
Source: https://asianews.network/toward-a-four-day-workweek-the-jakarta-post