Big pay cheques not enough to retain FIFO workers

MINE DEVELOPMENT Big pay cheques not enough to retain FIFO workers BY PHILIPP KIRSCH, MARY-ANNE BARCLAY, JO-ANNE EVERINGHAM, JILL HARRIS AND MENG SHI, SUSTAINABLE MINERALS INSTITUTE, THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND From the outside, you could be forgiven for thinking ly-in ly-out (FIFO) work offered a glamorous lifestyle. High salaries, jet-setting to and from work, holiday resort conditions on site and long stints of days off all sound rewarding. esearch from the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) at The University of Queensland has found the insider view is somewhat different – FIFO workers are looking for something money cannot always buy. In a study of the accommodation and work preferences of the long-distance commuting workforce, employees expressed a clear desire for a private room where they can use the internet, phone family and friends, or watch TV at a time of their choosing and without other people nearby. The ability to connect with family and friends is important for the psychological health of FIFO workers – a sense of belonging reduces stress and loneliness, and reassures employees that they play an important role in the lives of people closest to them. Regular and uninterrupted communication maintains the strong bonds that workers have with spouses and children. With days spent in an intense, often high-stress work environment like mining, it is also important to have personal and private mental space in which to unwind after a very long day (or sometimes night) at the face, since 12-hour shifts are the norm. The six-month study, conducted by SMI’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining and the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, included 300 predominantly welleducated, mid-career professionals employed in technical and managerial roles. It was unique in that 70 per cent of respondents held a university degree and 40 per cent were female. While most people were in permanent relationships, only a minority had children. Almost three-quarters of respondents earned more than $100,000 per year, with the lion’s share of FIFO workers based in Queensland and Western Australia. R 114 • Australian Resources and Investment • VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 Within this group of professionals, the relatively small percentage of respondents with children suggested that acceptability of FIFO to workers varies through a working career. Young and single workers often preferred to live in larger centres and commute to work locations, whereas employees with young families often prefer to live locally (within daily commuting distance). As children get older, and as families have greater need for more options with respect to education, lifestyle and partner employment, many people prefer to establish the family home in a larger centre, with the mining employee taking on (or even returning to) the commuting lifestyle of the FIFO worker. To try to understand what accommodation factors were important to these workers’ wellbeing, workers were asked about the availability of a set of amenities and how important those amenities were to each individual. Analysis of responses to these questions reveals two interesting phenomena: some amenities are generally available, but not highly valued; MINE DEVELOPMENT and the opposite also applies with amenities that are highly important, that are not always available. The irst category included car parks, medical centres, on-site shops, games rooms and even a wet mess. The second category mostly concerned room conditions and personal connectedness, internet access, exclusive use, the same room each swing and mobile phone reception. Contrary to popular belief, this study found that workers did not place the same value on swimming pools and buffet meals. The high degrees of satisfaction with work remote from home, and the prevalent desire for privacy and personal space does not indicate that FIFO workers are ‘loners’. In fact, 40 per cent reported feeling lonely or socially isolated some of the time, and 15 per cent were experiencing loneliness frequently. Although levels of depressive symptoms in this sample were comparable to the general population, loneliness contributed signiicantly to the results. Similarly, stress was no more prevalent among those surveyed than in the general population, but a small number – ive per cent of the sample – reported moderate to high stress levels, which have also been associated with social isolation in previous studies. Despite what could be seen as dificult conditions in FIFO environments, the survey respondents were in agreement that the move away from family and friends had often been beneicial for professional development and future career opportunities. They were very satisied with their jobs, especially the salaries, the commute and the work in general. Nevertheless, almost half (44 per cent) of respondents were intending to change jobs in 2014 as they sought higher salaries, career progression, and greater lexibility in managing work and family. While 2013 was a challenging year with a large number of sector redundancies, those surveyed said they were conident that they would be able to ind new roles, in part because of the skills they had gained on the job. Many individuals expected to ind a different job in the same company, while others planned to job hop within the industry. A small number intended to leave the industry. While The high degrees of satisfaction with work remote from home, and the prevalent desire for privacy and personal space does not indicate that FIFO workers are ‘loners’ the economic fortunes of mining in Australia have been buffeted by the global economy in the last 18 months, the coal seam gas industry continues to expand rapidly in Queensland and New South Wales. Miners are moving into the gas ields, which are also served by a similar long-distance commuting (FIFO) workforce model. Following the approval of a number of new resource projects across Australia in late 2013 – including the China First mine owned by Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal in the Galilee Basin, which will be Australia’s largest coal mine to date – it’s evident that the demand for workers will increase, making companies face decisions about where and how to source and house their workers. The Galilee projects alone are expected to have over 4000 workers on shift at any time once construction is in full swing. Companies that listen to their employees are most likely to attract and retain a highly skilled and loyal workforce. When planning to deploy a long-distance commuting workforce, new operations should consider both accommodation and workforce health strategies that would increase worker wellbeing and optimise employee retention. Accommodation Consider design improvements in accommodation villages that focus on: 3 private rooms with direct internet access and personal television and video connections 3 planning of camp facility and sleeping quarters to maximise peace and privacy. As far as possible, sleeping quarters should be distanced from communal areas, with comfortable beds and blackout curtains provided to minimise sleep disturbance. (Note: Hot-bedding is considered very onerous and should be avoided). Workforce health Adopt and implement human resource management strategies that could improve the health and wellbeing of FIFO workers. It is important to raise awareness of some of the potential challenges associated with the FIFO lifestyle. Consider providing: 3 an information booklet that discusses the common challenges faced by FIFO workers, and that provides contact details for agencies that provide support 3 easy-to-access information about anxiety, stress and other mental health issues in the workplace and at the accommodation site. This could also involve a dedicated website that workers can access privately, and that enables workers to assess the severity of their stress symptoms via an online checklist, with direction to medical or counselling assistance, including contact details for the nearest doctors and counsellors. This research has provided a window into the experience of the long-distance commuting professional who regularly leaves home to work on a remote and VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 • Australian Resources and Investment • 115 MINE DEVELOPMENT rural mine site somewhere in Australia. With almost 400 respondents to date, this survey is starting to build a baseline of preferences and wellbeing indicators for long-distance commuters – primarily those working in technical roles in the mining sector. The University of Queensland intends to continue these surveys over time and space. In late 2013, a parallel survey was launched in the Canadian resources industry with a goal to establish whether accommodation experience and worker wellbeing are similar or different to that in Australia. A modiied survey is also targeted at the Australian workers in international tropical regions. In the second quarter of 2014, the Sustainable Minerals Institute will launch both Spanish and Portuguese language editions of this survey to measure workforce responses in Latin America and Africa. This survey measures both accommodation experiences and worker wellbeing. It is an ideal tool to establish a baseline against which the physical and mental health of individuals can be monitored over time. The results of this study have the potential to provide future employees working in technical roles 116 • Australian Resources and Investment • VOLUME 8 NUMBER 1 with realistic expectations about FIFO work and experiences; more importantly, these results – potentially combined with targeted use of this survey instrument at speciic sites – have the potential to assist companies to accommodate worker desires and provide appropriate facilities on mine sites being planned in the future. Not only will such an approach improve workers’ wellbeing, it will also enable the industry to measure worker experiences and wellbeing to reduce staff turnover and improve workforce stability and productivity in the long-term.