Preliminary findings of two research reports show that fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers are increasingly dissatisfied with their employers; with the majority feeling their employers don’t care about their wellbeing.

 

Murdoch University’s Libby Brook said that while FIFO workers were commonly stereotyped as ‘get rich fly-by-nighters’, the reality was that companies were failing to foster a strong sense of belonging.

 

“On a rating scale of one to seven, perceived organisational support came in at about mid-point, meaning as a group, FIFOs don’t feel very much emotional attachment to their employers,” Mrs Brook said.

 

“The workers also rated perceived supervisor support as low, showing they don’t feel valued for their contributions and don’t believe their supervisors genuinely care about their wellbeing.”

 

Mrs Brook suggested companies look at better training for supervisors in ‘soft skills’ and better understanding that the work-life balance for this group is skewed.

 

Full summaries for both studies can be found here.