Remote work has become the new reality for many in the US, but some work-from-home environments are more desirable than others. As the winter months creep in, Hawaii offers a new opportunity to escape the cold weather for telecommuters craving a change — and the flight is free.
A new initiative, coined movers and shakas After the Shaka hand gesture, a popular greeting in the state, encourages individuals to bring their work-from-home lifestyle to the island of Oahu with free travel arrangements and discounts on lodging and co-working spaces. The program requires people who are already employed and able to work remotely to sign a pledge to be a “good neighbor” and participate in community service for three to five hours a week to help local communities to help, and it comes at a time when the Hawaiian Islands don’t see their usual visitors.
“Very early in the COVID era, we noticed that more and more Kamaaina, or former residents, were returning to Hawaii,” said Jason Higa, CEO of FCH Enterprises, one of the program leaders. “They had worked for their employer in Seattle, Bay Area or LA, and they were working out of their little apartments in those cities anyway, and they were able to come back to Hawaii, reunite with their families, and obviously it was a unique opportunity — one of the Silver lining of COVID.”
The program was accepting applications for 50 places on November 29. “What we really hope at the end of their stay is that it wasn’t the free round-trip ticket that was memorable,” Higa says, but “it was the experience they had with the nonprofit, but really something about our people, learning our culture, learning our community, and that’s really the experience we want to offer to these 50 cohorts.”
Working with the Hawaiian government and local leaders, the Central Pacific Bank Foundation, Hawai’i Executive Collaborative, Island Holdings, Inkinen, Omidyar Group and FCH Enterprises developed the program, says Higa, in response to the state’s related economic struggles with tourism since the Corona pandemic began.
Photos you should see – Dec 2020
After strict two-week quarantine measures for travelers were imposed at the beginning of the pandemic and throughout the summer and by sight a loss of 97.6% of visitors in August compared to the same time last year, the Hawaiian government began encouraging travel again in October, replacing quarantine policies with mandatory testing.
The Hawaiian economy took some of the biggest hits from the coronavirus pandemic, with 19.3% of its jobs in leisure and hospitality and 53% of jobs in those industries were lost between February and August Pew Research Center. With the new testing policy, the state hoped to revive and more than welcome its travel sector 65,000 visitors to the islands in the first week of the new test protocol. Despite Hawaii’s economic struggles during the pandemic, the state’s low number of COVID-19 cases – perhaps a testament to its strict travel guidelines – is also being touted as a selling point for those interested in relocating.
The Aloha State isn’t the only one encouraging telecommuters to take the plunge. Vermont initiated a program For the past year, newcomers to the state have been encouraged to work from home in a bid to bolster the local economy and aging population. The program has provided all of its funding, although plans for additional grants are reportedly in the works.
Utah also has a program to invite workers to relocate to the state; Some of its incentives include free courses that teach workers how to make the digital transition. The state’s economy has been more resilient than Hawaii and Vermont’s during the pandemic and boasts some of the best Employment numbers in Septemberbut the opportunity for remote workers remains.
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