territory, the island is governed by federal law, meaning there’s no need for work visas or waivers. The large community of innovators found in Puerto Rico is supported by a unique mix of start-ups, incubators, and shared co-working environments with the amenities to support a tropical lifestyle all while requiring none of the hassle of international work or travel.Īs a U.S. “I think there’s going to be physical movement of people coming out here more and more and with that comes talent,” McGue said.Įntrepreneurial Ecosystem and the ICT Infrastructure Overseeing HigherMe’s own human resources as well as helping clients with theirs, McGue sees remote opportunities in Puerto Rico as an opportunity for businesses and remote workers that aren’t tethered to office space or geography post-pandemic. McGue, who moved her family to Puerto Rico full time after stints in the San Francisco Bay Area and Denver, Colorado, represents shifts in remote work driven by technology that were underway prior to the pandemic, but accelerated dramatically during the crisis. “I’m able to be 10 times more productive because I’m in a very calm environment.” I definitely have that here,” said McGue. “Especially through this pandemic it’s really important to ground yourself. Or I drive a couple of minutes and go experience the ocean for a minute just to calm myself,” said McGue, who works remotely as Director of People and Partnerships for HigherMe, a scrappy hiring software start-up based on the mainland United States that specializes in the high-turnover restaurant and retail sectors. I look outside, take a break and walk out and get some vitamin D. So, she jumps in her car, and in a matter of minutes she’s looking at the ocean. Sitting in her home about 30 minutes outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, there are some days Samantha McGue needs a break from work. Taxes are another thing for another post.By Brian Bourgerie, Enterprise Manager focusing on Innovation, Investment and Entrepreneurship for Invest Puerto Rico It's been okay for me and I plan on staying as long as it makes sense. I guess that I could conceivably work off a generator and the 5G thing, but it would be rough. Also, the power will go out here and there, but a generator generally handles that issue. People are friendly for the most part but to can be difficult to hire people for little stuff, so it's better to be able to DIY. In PR, it helps if you're a little handy. My internet did go down for a few days this past year and you need a backup plan. After this hurricane season, I think I'll skip town for part of August and Sept this year, but I also think that I'll have 2 internet providers. I also got a 5G ATT receiver in case of emergency and I put a deposit down for skylink which should become available sometime this year. The internet has been pretty reliable, I have Liberty (200mbs, I think it's $89/month - you can get faster). Can you live there once all costs are added up on that paycheck? Since PR doesn’t have a set locality pay, you would get the Rest of US locality. When you are hired to be “remote”, your locality pay is then determined by where you physically live not your work address (this is federal policy - you can’t legally get around this). While your office mates might have printers at their desk, remote employees often don’t get those perks. In the remote world, agencies don’t have to provide anything above a laptop, monitors, mouse and keyboard. I know a couple places that this is their only block with taking the leap and going remote. An agency will (most likely) not pay for flights back to get someone’s laptop fixed, that means it’s on your dime. What if your laptop breaks? How will you handle it? How will you handle updates? Can IT remote in? If you get a new laptop (even if used by others) will “your first login” have to be on network? I would come up with solutions first. However, there is no overarching Fed/OPM policy that prevents it. Since it’s not CONUS, it might not be allowed - even if other agencies allow it.
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