Indonesia's biggest festival of the year, the Great Fasting Holiday, is over, and I think things are finally getting back to normal. However, this year's fast-breaking holiday will coincide with companies that close in March, preparing for their annual financial statements and preparing for the new fiscal year. 4 Since the holidays took place in the middle of the month, I think there are many companies that are struggling to deal with the huge amount of work that has piled up after the holidays.
Under such circumstances, there are quite a few employees who do not return to Jakarta on the first day of work after returning home. In most cases, employees have no intention of resigning, but why does this happen? This time, we will deal with the situation of employees who do not return after returning to their hometowns, which can be said to be a common situation in Indonesia.

[I have not booked a return ticket]

First, let's take a look at the means of transportation for returning home. If you are returning home by plane or train, you will usually make a round-trip reservation, so it is relatively safe. However, there are cases where you are unable to board due to double booking, or you are delayed until the next day. In some cases, you may also use the free return bus/ship provided by the government. This also requires reservations, so the situation is similar to airplanes and trains. If you are returning home by car, you will not be unable to leave even if there is traffic. The highest risk is public long-distance buses. When returning home, you wait at a departure point such as a bus terminal in or near Jakarta and board the empty buses that arrive one after the other, so you can say that things are still going smoothly, but when you return, you have to wait at the bus terminal, bus stop, or on the road along the bus route at your destination, and watch the crowded buses pass in front of you. I know the situation because this situation is the same every year, but Indonesians tend to be relatively optimistic, and there are some who wait for several days hoping that they will be able to ride. This is why many employees are applying for paid leave because they can't get a bus home yet.

[I can't pay transportation expenses]

Many people in Indonesia are not good at spending money systematically. No matter how much money you receive for religious festivals, the day you go home is not your payday. You will need money to survive until your payday after returning home. If you don't think about such things and treat your parents who you haven't seen in a while, give New Year's gifts to your relatives, and spend the night chatting with old friends while eating and drinking, your allowance for religious festivals will disappear in no time. I don't have enough money for transportation when I want to go home. Even if you want to borrow it from someone else, other friends and relatives who are back home may also be similar. There are many cases where you have no choice but to apply for a loan from your boss using a mobile phone that you have a monthly contract with. I don't know if I have to say this to a good adult, but things like, ``You can't go to work unless you have at least the same amount in your bank account as your transportation expenses when you go home,'' and ``You can't go to work without paying for your living expenses after vacation.'' 1 It seems necessary to provide guidance in advance, such as, ``You need to check how much you need each day and keep it in your bank account.'' This often happens, especially for field workers recruited in rural areas. You may be able to avoid risks by thinking, ``I might not think about it,'' rather than ``I have no idea what this is?'' and taking proactive steps.