Fly-in/Fly-out work can be a tough gig. We’ve talked previously about the benefits of FIFO work, but we also want to talk specifically toward the importance of looking after yourself while undertaking this challenging line of work.
Extended periods away from home, long hours, and limited options can all make for uniquely challenging situations. Read on here for five strategies you can employ to help address those challenges and make a FIFO job work for you.
One – Schedule Your Check-Ins with Family and Friends
Working FIFO means being away from friends and family for extended periods of time. If you’re lucky, you’ll have plenty of people to relax and unwind with while you’re on-site. But that won’t keep you from wanting to know what’s going on at home.
By far the best way to stay in touch is to take the guesswork out of it. Capitalise on the time you have available to you and schedule in times to catch up. Make a phone call or get on Skype and catch up with your friends and family back home.
Two – Stay Mindful of Your Habits
The things we do become our habits, and those habits can be hard to break. This one goes both ways, as the habits you form while on-site can help or hinder your physical and mental health. Stay mindful of the habits you’re encouraging in yourself, and you’ll be better placed to ask yourself whether you think they’re really serving you.
There isn’t anything wrong with wanting to unwind after a long shift. Just as there isn’t anything wrong with having a relaxing routine to look forward to. But it is important that you regularly check in with yourself and make sure that what you’re doing to unwind is right by you and your loved ones.
Three – Take Time for Yourself
While we’re talking about habits, a good habit to form is taking time at regular intervals to take time out for ourselves to do some personal work. While you’re on-site, that could mean making use of the gym, studying, or engaging in some mindfulness. How you do it is up to you, but any time you do have to yourself should be treated with respect. Looking after yourself is how you make sure you are looking after others.
Four – Plan your Time Back Home
Extended periods on FIFO work can put more than a geographic distance between where you are on-site and where you’ll be when you get home. A solid way to keep yourself in touch is to plan for the time that you have back at home between stints on-site.
It could be holidays or day trips; it might even just be handling some routine budgeting and home-admin. The very act of planning and handling the stuff you can do remotely can help preserve the connection you feel to home and will help you make the most of your time when you get back.
Five – Remember That It Isn’t Just You
FIFO work can be tough, not just for those doing it, but also for their loved ones. This final strategy is more about ensuring that you remember that your partners, family and friends are going without as well. While you’re back, it can be great to jump in and do whatever routine activities you can to give your loved ones a break. They’ll likely need it and it’ll give you more opportunities to pick up where you left off.
For more career and industry related information, keep checking in with us here at Zoom Recruitment. With a wealth of experience in recruiting for the mining industry, along with construction, civil, rail, commercial, industrial and heavy industrial projects, we know the ins and outs of finding the right role for you. Get in touch today to find out more.
