Since the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the culture of working from home began to be widely applied by companies. Even today, the work system has developed into work from anywhere. This system allows workers and business activists to work more flexible hours with safer and more comfortable conditions for their physical and mental health. How about you, Smartcitizen? Are you interested in this work system? If you do, here are some public places recommendations that are work-friendly in Jakarta.

Tebet Eco Park

If you need a beautiful and refreshing place to work, Tebet Eco Park is all yours. Before being revitalized, this green area was two separated parks, which are Honda Park and the Bibit Park which were located opposite each other. The two parks are separated by a busy motorway. After being revitalized into Tebet Eco Park, the two parks have become more beautiful. The two, which are known today as the North Zone and South Zone of Tebet Eco Park have been connected through the Infinity Link Bridge, a bridge with the symbol of infinity (infinity).

In the North Zone of the park, you can find Plaza, Thematic Garden, Community Lawn, and Event Lawn. Thematic Lawn is an area overgrown with themed plants. Community Lawn and Event Lawn are places where community events or activities are held. Well, for those of you who plan to work from Tebet Eco Park, you can work at the plaza. Because, in this area there are MSME stalls for snacks, as well as toilets and prayer rooms that you might need while working.

Tired of working? No worries! If you go up to the infinity bridge, you can take a break and just take photos or rest your eyes by looking at the green plants. As you walk on the bridge, you will be escorted to the South Zone of Tebet Eco Park. On this side, you need to be more creative to find or set up a spot that you can use to work for a long time, but there are several areas where you can relax to unwind. For example Wetland Boardwalk, Children Playground, Community Garden, Community Pavilion, and River Naturalization.

At the Wetland Boardwalk, you will find a garbage-free river. Children who come to this park can also play and run in the Children Playground area. The spacious area also consists of slides, climbing, and a series of toys to support children’s activities. Another unique thing about Tebet Eco Park is also the existence of fitness equipment that can be used for free by visitors. People who use bicycles don’t need to worry when they come here because bicycle parking is provided. Cool, right?

Anyway, Tebet Eco Park is really suitable as a place to work for those of you who like a beautiful atmosphere. If you are really interested in working from Tebet Eco Park, look for more information about this park first. You can read the review written by the Jakarta Smart City team.

Kemendikbudristek Library

You don’t think working in the park is for you and want to work in an indoor working atmosphere? Try working from libraries in Jakarta! One of the libraries that is qualified and often visited by many Jakartans to study or work is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) Library. This library is located in the Kemendikbudristek building complex and is managed directly by the ministry. Not surprisingly, it is equipped with complete facilities that can support your comfort at work.

Just like entering a library, when you enter the room, you will be asked to leave your bag and luggage. Then, you can choose the best spot for you to work. It can be on the chair or sofa. The room is also equipped with air conditioning so you won’t get hot even after working for hours. No need to worry when you need internet access, because there is free WiFi available for 60 minutes which of course can be extended. There are also quite a number of sockets for those of you who work using gadgets.

Considering that this place is a library, the entertainment you can get if you want to take a break from work, of course, has something to do with books. The Kemendikbudristek Library book collection is indeed more focused on education, culture, and research, so you can easily find books or journals with similar themes. But, there are also lighter non-academic books. Besides books, there are other entertainment alternatives that this library provides, like e-books, audiobooks, and film collections.

If you want to refresh a little from work, you can take advantage of these various entertainments. Want to watch a movie? Go to the mini theatre. This theater has a capacity of up to 27 people. You can also sit in the audiovisual room if you want to enjoy the audiovisual media provided by the library. Need to print a document? The Kemenbudristek library has a photocopy machine that you can use.

The Jakarta Provincial Public Library

Another library that you can work from is the Jakarta Provincial Public Library. Located in Taman Ismail Marzuki, this library consists of 3 floors. On the 1st floor, you can find a wide collection of books. On the 2nd floor, there is a playground that operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at certain hours. In addition, there is also a special reading room for children. With children’s books, carpets, and seats provided there, children who visit can read and play as they’d like without disturbing other visitors. Going up to the 3rd floor, you will find various special references that you can read at the site.

If you want to visit this library, the first thing you have to do is exchange your ID card for a locker key and leave your belongings there. After that, then you can explore the rooms one by one. Seeing the function of the existing space, of course you can use the reading room on the 1st floor as a place to work. You are free to sit on a chair or carpet. The library room is quiet, equipped with air conditioning and bright lighting, making work more comfortable. To access WiFi, you can ask the staff for the password first.

If you want to take a break from work, try reading the available books. There are various collections, both from local and international books. However, to be able to borrow and bring these books home, you must become a member of the library. Membership can only be processed if you have a Jakarta ID card.

Thamrin 10

Working from morning to evening certainly drains your energy. Sometimes, you also need a snack to fill your stomach or just make you no longer sleepy. If you need a workplace that provides many food choices, Thamrin 10 is the solution! Before becoming a food & creative park, Thamrin 10 was a parking lot for workers in the surrounding area. However, in line with the recommendation from the Jakarta Jakarta Provincial Government for people to use public transportation, this parking area has been transformed into an open park that provides a variety of food and beverage outlets owned by MSMEs as well as space for community events.

There are two areas that you can use to sit and work, which are the lower area surrounded by food and beverage outlets and the upper area above these outlets. The food and drinks sold are very diverse and affordable. Ranging from light to heavy meals are available. If you are tired of working, besides being able to eat and drink, you can also take photos in the upper area which has instagrammable spots. However, if you want to work on Thamrin 10, make sure the gadget’s battery is fully charged, ok? There are no sockets available except at outlets. For emergencies, you can leave your gadgets with the seller to charge your gadgets there. Overall, Thamrin 10 is still recommended for those of you who want to work only two to three hours.

Bakoel Koffie

Restaurants, cafes, or coffee shops are usually the top of my mind for whenever you want to work from outside of home or office, because of the cool weather, the ability to eat, drink, and charge your gadget. Even in some restaurants, we are allowed to sit for long periods of time. Well, one of the places that provide this service is Bakoel Koffie.

Starting as a rice stall, Bakoel Koffie was founded in the 1870s by an immigrant from China named Liaw Tek Siong. In the 1878s, he sold coffee at the Tek Sun Ho Eerste Weltevredensche Koffiebranderi shop in Kali Ciliwung. Now, the coffee shop is managed by his fourth generation and is located in a shophouse in the Menteng area.

When we first entered the coffee shop, we were treated to a colonial-style room design. There are quite a number of tables and chairs, either on the 1st or 2nd floor. Usually because of its strategic location near the Post Office and Taman Ismail Marzuki, quite a lot of people come to just meet friends, have lunch, work, and meet at Bakoel Koffie. Well, you can choose a quiet corner to be your workplace. Fortunately, there are many sockets you can use.

You don’t drink coffee? No need to worry! Bakoel Koffie also serves non-coffee drinks like tea and fruit juices. The food is very diverse, there are Indonesian and international food, ranging from market snacks, heavy meals, to desserts. The prices also vary and are quite affordable for a coffee shop in Jakarta, from around IDR 50,000 to IDR 100,000 per person. Bakoel Koffie is open from 9.00 am to 23.30 pm. You can sit there for hours, but may have to order again if you want to stay a bit longer. However, considering the price is still affordable, Bakoel Koffie is really worth it to be your working place!

Those are some work-friendly public places recommendations for Smartcitizens. Jakarta has a variety of spaces, whether those that are managed by the government or individuals, that you can use as a place to work. Recently, the Jakarta Provincial Government is also launching Digital Nomad Jakarta, which is a program that facilitates the needs of workers and business activists to work from anywhere and anytime. Want to know more about the program? Watch the following video. And finally, have fun exploring work spots in Jakarta!