Indonesia told to adopt more flexible WFH policy

This call was made by Labour Institute Indonesia executive secretary Andy William Sinaga, who said, “With the increasing number of cases due to the transmission of the Omicron variant, I think the government needs to re-create a more flexible work from home policy. This means that work-from-home (WFH) doesn’t need to be up to 100%, but only 50%.”

In addition, the implementation of health protocols needs to be monitored more closely, he said. These included preventive measures to ensure occupational safety and health aspects amid the Omicron spike.

The implementation of the health protocols also needs to be tightened in workplaces which need employees to be present on-site. Labour inspectors will thus play an important role in ensuring compliance in such cases, he said.

The executive secretary of the non-governmental organisation also said giving booster vaccinations to workers will go a long way in helping to curb the spread of Omicron variant in workplaces.

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Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo, in a recent press statement, had appealed to the public to reduce activities in crowded areas and proposed working from home whenever possible to reduce the spread of Omicron, which is more infectious than earlier variants, according to Antara News.