Wellbeing of fly-in/fly-out and drive-in/drive-out employees: Evidence from Australia

Within the Australian mining industry, Flyin/ Fly-out (FIFO) and Drive-in/Drive-out (DIDO) are common types of employment for people working in remote areas. While the number of such FIFO/DIDO employees has increased over recent years, research into the wellbeing of these employees is limited (Sipek, 2012). This paper reports on a recent Australian study of FIFO/DIDO employees, which explores the lifestyle of these employees and the factors associated with their psychosocial wellbeing, with the aim of identifying the potential risk factors for psychological distress amongst the FIFO/DIDO population. The survey of Australian FIFO/DIDO employees was undertaken in 2012, with participants recruited using a snowballing technique and through social networking sites and forums. In total, 150 FIFO/DIDO employees completed the anonymous questionnaire, which included demographic and lifestyle items as well as a range of measures assessing aspects of psychosocial wellbeing. A key finding of this study is that 72% of participants expect to cease FIFO/DIDO employment within the next five years. Additionally, severe to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress symptomology was reported by 26%, 24% and 36% of participants, respectively. The participants' employment decisions were found to be related to their psychosocial wellbeing as well as to site and employment conditions. As such, understanding the factors affecting employee social and psychological wellbeing provides further insight into employee turnover and will better equip companies to manage the recruitment and retention of FIFO/DIDO employees.