‘Life here is calmer’: Two Canadians on their experience working in Barbados during the pandemic

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Heather Dickson and her husband had always planned to retire in Barbados, but they didn’t have a solid date.

“We had been to other Caribbean islands and Barbados felt like the best fit,” Ms. Dickson said.

Then, about six months after the pandemic began, in June of 2020, the Barbados Government announced the introduction of the 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp. It allowed people from around the world to work on, and travel to and from, the island without being taxed.

The Welcome Stamp was introduced as a way to encourage more people to visit Barbados as the small tourism-driven island saw their visitation numbers plummet.

Barbados data shows that in January 2020, nearly 60,000 people visited the island. By April 2020, that number had dropped to less than 150 visitors in a month. Tourism numbers have now rebounded, but the Welcome Stamp program is still available.

Ms. Dickson and her husband saw an opportunity to move toward a retirement lifestyle, sooner while she was still working. Her husband was already retired, so figuring out how to work remotely wasn’t an issue for him.

Ms. Dickson was able to continue tutoring Canadian students remotely while the couple was in Barbados.

She said she loves the change of pace, even though it can take time to get used to.

“Life here is calmer. You get used to having to do things more slowly,” she said.

Now, Ms. Dickson is looking to ease into retirement, and eventually become a permanent resident, making Barbados home.

Another Canadian resident, Gordana Vuksic, took advantage of the Welcome Stamp in October 2020.

She had first heard about the opportunity on TV, and was surprised about how easy it was to apply and relocate.

However, she had hesitations about working in another country, including concerns about internet connectivity and being able to perform her work duties.

“Both were just fine,” Ms. Vuksic said.

Ms. Vuksic, who works in real estate, was able to stay and work in Barbados for 10 months.

She said one of the biggest learnings was that she was able to embrace more work-life balance – something she keeps in mind now that she is back in Canada.

“I realized that work-life balance was possible and it was needed,” she said.

Ms. Vuksic said she enjoyed being able to explore different beaches, meet new people and step away from some of the stresses of the pandemic.

Now, Ms. Vuksic is back home in Toronto and has returned to working in the office.

She looks back at the opportunity and is grateful.

“We were so lucky to have been able to work remotely, which also allowed us to experience living in a different climate and culture from ours,” she said.

What I’m reading around the web

• There are many reasons why Gen Z and Millennials are embracing non-alcoholic beer, wine and cocktails, according to this CBC article. From a reduced stigma toward being sober, to the growing list of craft options and more of a focus on health, experts say zero-proof drinks are here to stay.
• In this TEDx talk, researcher Sandersan Onie provides insight into how tech algorithms have the power to do so much more than deliver targeted ads; they can help save lives. Watch the video or read the transcript to learn more about how algorithms can be used to support people’s mental health at crucial times.
• There’s an ongoing disconnect when it comes to mental health in the workplace, according to this article in the Toronto Star. On one hand, employers understand how important having good mental health is for employee happiness and productivity. On the other, they still aren’t grasping how business decisions, such as bringing people back into the office, has potential for both positive and negative affects on wellbeing.
• Have you ever had the feeling you were going to be fired, but didn’t know what to do? This New York Times article outlines what steps you can take, and how you can protect yourself, if you are laid off. Spoiler: Save the important files from your computer now.

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