A new programme from the government of Indonesia will help employees in state-owned businesses in Indonesia have a better work-life balance and mental health. Through a shortened workweek, this plan will allow employees to choose to take Fridays off, as long as they still meet the 40-hour workweek requirement.
“We encourage the implementation of the compressed working schedule programme,” said Erick Thohir, who is the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises in Indonesia. They can choose to take Friday off if they have worked more than 40 hours.
Furthermore, the programme provides workers with two extra weekends every month and aims to address the growing concerns about mental health in the workplace. Thohir said that about 70% of young people have mental health problems, which shows how important it is to have programmes that put staff health first.
He also said that even though Indonesia is already seeing the effects of changing how state companies work, now is not the time to relax. He said, “Challenges are growing, and we need new ideas and solutions that can make life better for everyone involved in state enterprise.”
As of October 2023, the Jakarta Globe says that there are 65 organisations in Indonesia that are listed as state-owned businesses. Only 108 of these groups were listed as such in 2019, down from 142 in 2018. Even though there are fewer of them, these organisations still have 1.6 million workers.
In an August 2023 LinkedIn study by HRM Asia, 64% of people said they thought a four-day workweek was possible. This shows that people are open to different work arrangements that put health and productivity first. Fifteen percent of those who answered were worried about how it would work in real life, and twenty percent were still not sure and wanted to know more about the possible effects and problems before making up their minds.
