FIFO, Fly-In-Fly-Out workers are workers that work in remote locations for a limited amount of time; as the acronym suggests, they fly in for the job and fly back home when they’re done. Most consistent and steady FIFO workers are employed heavily in fields like mining where there usually isn’t an option for even so much as driving in.
This is especially prominent in Australia and Canada where they have extremely remote locations for mining.
The benefits to the FIFO life lie solely with the companies employing the workers as it saves them hefty sums of money, and there are several reports that make the claim that children and families of FIFO workers (if they have) suffer from the absence much in the way children and families of military workers do.
While the Australian government has repeatedly put out reports that counter these findings, as an employer of such a force, the duty lies with you to ease whatever burden you can of the vagabond life – like offering business class seats for the flights.
According to a recent report, 9 out of 10 FIFO workers surveyed said it was crucial to have good accommodations, and that includes commute mode. In 2014, 45% of professionals that flew business class in Australia were miners. This tells us that despite the fact that miners make up the second-to-smallest industry grouping for the Bureau of Statistics, they’re of the most frequent flyers in the country and should be treated accordingly.
News outlets love sensationalizing, so you may have heard of FIFO workers associated with unruly behavior and scandal aboard flights, but statistics show them to be the least demanding passengers, and the most easy-going. 90% of FIFO workers said that on flights that were shorter than 4 hours they didn’t need the business class.
Still, we suggest extending this small courtesy to your hard working employees. After having to leave their families behind to strike rock all day, a comfortable in-flight is the least they deserve, wouldn’t you say?
