Page 29 - e-KLIPING KETENAGAKERJAAN 10 JUNI 2020

Health protocols at the workplace are prescribed to ensure everybody can work safely without
fear of contracting the virus, which has so far contributed to the deaths of nearly 2,000 people
across Indonesia. Workplace safety also leads to productivity, which is why the government
wants business to resume in the first place. The pandemic has hurt the nation financially and
mentally and it will take years to recover.

We don’t know how many offices, both public and private, are ready to fulfill the protocols.
There are also questions over how closely protocol implementation will be supervised.
Some businesses may be prepared for the new normal, as they are facilitating rapid tests for
their employees to make sure all are fit to work and providing carpooling services to discourage
them from using public transportation.

Compliance with the protocols, not to mention the extra facilities, means additional spending,
which most corporations and institutions cannot afford in this time of economic slowdown. For
those who are not ready to follow the health protocols, work from home remains the best policy.

A recent survey jointly conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the University
of Indonesia (UI) and the Manpower Ministry discovered that 78 percent of 1,213 respondents
claimed they remained productive while working from home. Unsurprisingly, one of the
researchers involved in the survey suggested the continuation of work-from-home measures so
long as the pandemic remains unbeaten.
Considering the risks of virus transmission en route to the workplace, especially for those taking
public transportation, and possible traffic congestion, working from home should be an ideal
choice for both employees and employers, despite household distractions and non-ideal work
settings. Home sweet home, as the old saying goes, as no place offers peace and shelter better
than our abodes.

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