Heru Budi Hartono, the acting governor of Jakarta, expressed his expectations that the business sector will adopt the work-from-home (WFH) policy during the ASEAN Summit, which will take place from the 5 to 7th of September 2023. Heru Budi claimed that WFH and distant learning are essential for the occasion.
“Because the road in 29 areas will implement contraflow [during the ASEAN Summit], it could be uncomfortable for other road users on September 5, 6, and 7, 2023,” he stated on Thursday, the 24th of August 2023, at Jakarta City Hall.
Before the ASEAN Summit, the government has already implemented the 50% WFH policy for government-funded employees to decrease traffic congestion and air pollution.
On the days of the event, the proportion of civil servants working from their own homes will rise to 75%, while schools surrounding the ASEAN Summit venue will utilise the school-from-home scheme.
The Jakarta Transportation Office also sets up traffic simulations on 29 highways using contraflow to guarantee that the summit delegations have an easy journey to the venue.
Regarding WFH for the private sector, Heru doesn’t have the authority to impose the policy on private-sector businesses. He remarked, “If [the companies] want profit, go ahead [to work from the office], but if they want to sacrifice themselves for Indonesia, we will appreciate it.”
The head of the Presidential Secretariat has met with several business associations in the Jakarta City Hall. However, there still needs to be certainty on whether or not the private sector agrees to implement WFH. Still, as stated before, the government hoped that all the private sectors in Jakarta would join and work together with the government to make sure that the ASEAN Summit would run smoothly; the Jakarta government also argued that pulling work-from-home would do great for Jakarta’s deteriorating air quality.
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