Perks and pitfalls of the FIFO life

My experience working in the mining sector

I am writing this article based on my experience and learnings following a decade of working as a truck driver in the mining sector and enduring comments about being a ‘rich miner’ or ‘loaded’. Having recently turned my mind to moving into a new phase in my life through the study of psychology, I was motivated to correct the many misconceptions about life as a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) worker in outback Queensland.

The public perception of mining often envisages a bogan bunch in the QANTAS lounge; some in thongs and scruffy clothes that look like they have shopped secondhand, and others in designer label clothing complete with extensive plastic surgery, all swearing and over-the-top loud. The most common comment and perception about mining workers is that they are ‘loaded’ and ‘have it easy’. The truth is far from that. The naivety of these comments ranges from mildly insensitive to completely uneducated. What the public miss out on is the information that details a day-to-day lifestyle encompassed within the mining sector and the challenges faced by each and every demographic employed in this industry. There are many positives to working in the mines but like all things in life there are pros and cons that must be managed by the individual and their families.

For those employed in the mining industry work is away from home, often called FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) or DIDO (drive-in, drive-out) workers due to working shift work in remote locations throughout Australia. Studies suggest that the mining lifestyle offers many benefits including remuneration, greater time at home with family and friends, career progression and an increase in independence and coping skills (Dittman, Henriquez, & Roxburgh, 2016); these are all things that I would personally agree with. For those of us without another skill set to fall back on, it’s a great career opportunity that allows you to get ahead in a world where money is the method of barter in our supply-and-demand world.

The reality also includes a vast contrast to the happy situation initially presented. Miners often face a disassociation from ‘normal’ lifestyle routines and negative emotions (sadness, loneliness, grief), poor relationship quality, as well as an increase in risky behaviours such as smoking, problematic alcohol use and obesity (Dittman, Henriquez, & Roxburgh, 2016). Having worked within the industry these behaviours are a normal way of life and would be found across many, if not all, mine sites. The emotional and physical toll of working away is further challenged when adding in families and relationships to this situation. With the constant travel that miners undertake they often find themselves away for holidays, birthdays, Christmas, New Year, children’s firsts and so much more.

This can make it hard to keep your head focused on your work during the long hours of silence in a cab and it can be just as hard to keep your head focused on your family when at home. Leaving your partner at home to manage the day-to-day tasks of a household and potentially also look after children adds strain to your relationship and can exacerbate the loneliness experienced by both partners. When one partner bears the burden of overseeing a household it takes a massive toll. Additionally, when the FIFO partner returns home consumed with fatigue and struggling to return to home-life routines, they may not be able to offer the support needed to their families, which further compounds the loneliness felt by both partners.

The pros and cons are an individual choice to be made by those engaging in this kind of career. What I have learned is that the greatest success for families living the mining lifestyle is for those who consciously choose to undertake this path with a clear goal in mind and an end date. There needs to be compromise and flexibility within the relationship to work with the ebbs and flows of life and to support each other’s own unique difficulties faced in the circumstances to succeed.