COPYCAT: Work from Home in the Caribbean; what you should know if you work for US comapny
COPY CAT
If you don’t know why I do “Copy Cat” thought pieces check out my first one here with a longer explanation, but it’s my version of a call and response lol.
For this copycat edition and I felt the need to give my two cents on the HAWT topic of “Tired of Your House? Work from home on these 5 Islands” originally written (or at least the one I read) by the Queen of all things Champagne and Carnival Madame Global Carnivalist. If you want to read her take on the topic check it out here. Now that the bills are paid, let’s get into it.
Working from home is clearly officially the mood for 2020, and probably most of 2021, and maybe even 2022... unless of course you’re an essential worker and if so SHOUT OUT TO YOU we appreciate you! As a SEASONED work from home employee, meaning that I’m not new to this WFH life because I can count on one hand the amount of times I’ve worked from the office just because, I can walk you through the highs and lows, pros and cons of WFH long term. And to that end, I have also periodically worked from The Bahamas because I am lucky enough to have a job that allows for those freedoms on a regular basis; like I’ll go home for a month and work 3 of the 4 weeks I’m there. A luxuries pleasure that is probably going to become a part of work benefits in the “new normal”, post COVID world.
So to answer your first question in case you didn’t read Globey’s list, here’s the list of islands you can work from if you want to live your best beachside conference call life:
No The Bahamas isn’t on the list, yet?, we’ll see if they add my lovely country to the list. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about. I’m here to tell you things you may not have realized and need to think about before you pack up your georgey bundle and decide to live out your romanticized island fantasy of living where you typically vacation. Here are five things you should consider that will impact how easily your WFH can switch to a WFC.
1. Electricity
Haha, you may think I’m joking but I’m oh so very serious, I don’t know about the situation in Aruba, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados or Bermuda; BUT I can tell you for a fact that your electricity, or “current” as we call it will just cut off in The Bahamas, and if you don’t have a generator dog eat your lunch for that 2:30 Zoom call. Luckily, both my house back home and the office I work out of have generators so if the current does cut off I have power kick in and I don’t miss a beat. This may not be something you think about because you typically stay in hotels or for short periods of time, but this becomes a reality if you want to take advantage of MP Mia Motley’s Work from Barbados 12 month visa and live in a lovely Airbnb on the beach be sure to ask your host or preferable apartment complex if they have a generator.
2. Connectivity (Internet and Phone)
You probably don’t think about this too heavily living in America where, if you’re like me it is normal to have 3 laptops, a smart TV, and a cell phone all running at the same time sucking up your internet bandwidth like it’s nothing. The Internet is not equal in the Caribbean at this point in time. That’s just a fact of life. Yes we have the internet, yes it works well, but there are limitations that you may not think about if you have Google Fiber. So if you get impatient with your internet connection at home and need a certain level of reliability, think twice before making this decision. Another factor is if you have lots of conference calls, I have access to Vonage phones (internet phones with US numbers) back home so I am always accessible to my colleagues and clients (a must have in my line of work). I would highly suggest getting one if you don’t already have one, or your Airbnb doesn’t when deciding to WFC.
3. Work Culture
What is your company’s work culture? This probably needs to be your highest consideration when choosing to change your WFH to a WFC. I can tell you from experience, at least in my line of work, being on call almost every hour on the hour is a must have and while you may think you can be working beach side, there isn’t any WiFi on the beach so…. What are you going to do? If you only have to be available a few hours of the day and can pop online and offline then this probably will be your reality. When I WFC, I am not beach side or even pool side, I am in an office next to my Vonage phone with my 3 laptops running. Yes, I have the luxury of family and friends and beach festivities after but that’s not my typical 8-10 hour day.
4. Tax Laws
This may be because of where I work but I am extremely aware of the implications of tax laws considering they keep emailing us to remind us to accurately report where we’re working from. Also, as a person that regularly files taxes in 3 or more states because of the nature of my job, you have a legal obligation to accurately report where you’re working from for tax purposes. Now, my personal convictions of taxes aside, I can promise you Uncle Sam wants his money and I would be sure to talk to your tax advisor to get feedback on any long term or extended work remote choices outside of the US. Also, if you didn’t know that you need to accurately report your location in your taxes and you’re working from somewhere other than home, still go and speak to your tax advisor.
5. Cybersecurity/Security Issues
Depending on where you work, there may be additional considerations for working remotely. For example, do you know your company’s cyber and security policies for working from home? I know for us, we’re not allowed to leave our laptops in cars for example, meaning you have to take it with you everywhere. Also, what is the lock out policy on company issued devices? I don’t think you’ll get hacked but let’s say you left the laptop on the beach and can’t find it. How do you deal with that? Hypervigilence and responsibility is of the utmost importance because a replacement laptop shipped to the Caribbean is… well let’s just say it may be a little longer than anticipated.
While I 10000% support and encourage you to visit our beautiful countries and islands, I just want to make sure you’re appropriately planning for your WFC experience. I don’t want you to have a negative island life experience; instead I wish for you blissful worklife magic and island bliss.
XOXO
Jae The Last Mermaid