6th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the 95 Minerals Industry, 30 June – 3 July 2013, Milos island, Greece Wellbeing of fly-in/fly-out and drive-in/drive-out employees: Evidence from Australia J. Tuck, E.C. Temple and M. Sipek University of Ballarat, Australia ABSTRACT Within the Australian mining industry, Fly- in/Fly-out (FIFO) and Drive-in/Drive-out (DI- DO) are common types of employment for peo- ple working in remote areas. While the number of such FIFO/DIDO employees has increased over recent years, research into the wellbeing of these employees is limited (Sipek, 2012). This paper reports on a recent Australian study of FIFO/DIDO employees, which explores the lifestyle of these employees and the factors as- sociated with their psychosocial wellbeing, with the aim of identifying the potential risk factors for psychological distress amongst the FIFO/DIDO population. The survey of Australi- an FIFO/DIDO employees was undertaken in 2012, with participants recruited using a snow- balling technique and through social networking sites and forums. In total, 150 FIFO/DIDO em- ployees completed the anonymous question- naire, which included demographic and lifestyle items as well as a range of measures assessing aspects of psychosocial wellbeing. A key find- ing of this study is that 72% of participants ex- pect to cease FIFO/DIDO employment within the next five years. Additionally, severe to ex- tremely severe levels of depression, anxiety and stress symptomology was reported by 26%, 24% and 36% of participants, respectively. The participants’ employment decisions were found to be related to their psychosocial wellbeing as well as to site and employment conditions. As such, understanding the factors affecting em- ployee social and psychological wellbeing pro- vides further insight into employee turnover and will better equip companies to manage the re- cruitment and retention of FIFO/DIDO employ- ees. 1. INTRODUCTION FIFO/DIDO workforce practices have become increasingly widespread in Australia, although, the precise extent of these practices today is un- known (House of Representatives, 2013). One recent study exposes the issues with regard to quantifying the FIFO/DIDO workforce in Aus- tralia, whilst estimating that there are currently in the order of 100,000 mining and mining- allied FIFI/DIDO workers (KPMG, 2013). Research into the wellbeing of FIFO/DIDO employees is limited. Although a small number of studies have been conducted relating to the psychosocial wellbeing of the Australian FIFO/DIDO population (for example, Clifford, 2009; Sibbel, 2010; Sipek, 2012; Torkington et al., 2011), the need for further research into the lifestyle and wellbeing of these types of em- ployees has been identified (Clifford, 2009). The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia recently held an inquiry into FIFO/DIDO workforce practices in Australia. The findings of the inquiry (House of Representatives, 2013) report a dearth of em- pirical evidence regarding the impacts of FIFO/DIDO. In particular, the inquiry reinforces the need for further research into the wellbeing of FIFO/DIDO employees - Recommendation 8 (p.xix) identifies the need for a comprehensive study into the health effects of FIFO/DIDO work and lifestyle factors. This study explores the lifestyle of FIFO/DIDO employees and the factors associat-