WHAT IS A FIFO LIFESTYLE?

The FIFO lifestyle has become a very common occurrence, particularly in areas of Western Australia because of mining and other remote activities. The most common FIFO workers include miners and people working on remote oil rigs, but other resource related industries as relying more and more on FIFO workers. Other industries, such as construction companies, may also find the use of FIFO workers more convenient.

While these types of work areas provide an abundance of resources, it is rare that families can accompany and live with the workers on site.  This means more employers are seeking workers willing to commute to these remote areas to work in shifts.  While this set-up is useful for accessing needed resources, it can cause a strain on the workers and their families. If you are looking into participating in a FIFO scenario, you want to make sure you and your family understand the possible issues involved.

The FIFO lifestyle involves regular commutes back and forth between the workplace and home. A FIFO worker is sent to remote areas to work in mines or other resource related industries and can involve a long commute and extended periods away from home.

The FIFO lifestyle requires the worker to leave their loved ones for long periods of time, meaning frequent, long-term periods of separation. While the financial benefits can make the FIFO lifestyle worth it, this can also be a strain for the commuter as well as their family. The schedule can range anywhere from eight days on and six days off, to three weeks on and one week off. This requires a regular bouncing back and forth between the work field and home.

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF FIFO STRAIN?

While there are many benefits to the FIFO lifestyle – and usually care is taken to provide some level of comfort for these FIFO workers – the commute and extended separation from loved ones can cause significant strain.

Some of the common signs of strain for the FIFO worker include:

  • Mental and physical exhaustion from the commute as well as the hours involved working
  • Difficulties in re-establishing connections with their loved ones while home, both from fatigue and the awkwardness of long absences
  • Feelings of loneliness and isolation due to difficulties in communicating with loved ones while away from home
  • Resentfulness and irritability due to the demands of the job and the commute

Loved ones also deal with difficulties during the absence of FIFO workers. These difficulties include:

  • Feelings of loneliness and isolation during the worker’s absence
  • Friction due to the disruption of the constant change
  • Children may experience difficulties in connecting with the absent parent
  • Children may also experience increased behavioural issues

HOW COMMON IS FIFO STRAIN?

The rates of FIFO strain have not been well studied up to date, however as the FIFO lifestyle is becoming more popular it is likely that cases of this condition will increase.

With the difficulties of setting up home bases, especially when these bases would be temporary, and the increase in people wanting to live in metropolitan areas, employers are relying more on workers commuting in and out of the working areas rather than relocating whole families. To date, approximately 60,000 workers in Western Australia take part in the FIFO lifestyle.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

Why are so many people taking part in the FIFO lifestyle? The most popular reasons include:

  • An opportunity to build a career in an increasing industry
  • Work takes place in remote areas making it difficult to create communities
  • Some of the more short-term jobs make it meaningless to relocate whole families
  • Workers are reluctant to uproot their families from support groups or to uproot their partners from careers

While these are all valid reasons to participate in a FIFO lifestyle, it is important to understand how this lifestyle will affect you and your family and to find support for the strains involved.

How Can Brain Training Australia™ Help?

At Brain Training Australia™ we off Neurofeedback Brain Training for clients and families struggling with FIFO burnout and opting for a safe, natural and drug-free approach to look after your well-being.

Next Steps

The first step is to get in contact with us and book in for a FREE Assessment Consult where you can learn if Neurofeedback Brain Training is the right approach for you.

The team at Brain Training Australia recognise the unique qualities of all our clients and work closely with you so that you can achieve your goals.  As you work through a Brain Training Program with us, we use tracking tools to monitor your progress. The average client requires 10-15 sessions and regular sessions are essential.

Come join the millions of Neurofeedback Brain Training users
worldwide and experience the benefits today.

We look forward to helping you live a much richer, happier and healthier life.