Perth Chapter Meeting on the 9th August 2018  was titled “FIFO Workforce - People, Policy and Performance" and hosted by KPMG. Below summary was prepared by Caroline Hickson and Emma Leipold of KPMG.

First we heard diverse perspectives on FIFO policy from our panel of 3; Graeme Ditchburn from Murdoch University, Alex Sheldrake from Iluka Resources and Melanie Pollard from Resolute Mining. Alex and Melanie provided some insightful commentary on the FIFO arrangements implemented within their respective organisations and the challenges faced by both employers and employees. They also provided insightful examples of policy changes they had recently implemented, with a focus on making FIFO arrangements more flexible, productive and better suited to all parties with a focus on costs, and also R&R and fatigue management. Graeme brought an academic research based perspective to the panel. He presented his findings around the idea of a “perfect roster”, his thoughts on the common one size fits all approach and the impact of FIFO on the family and what organisations can do to help FIFO employees and families adjust. 

The second speaker of the day KPMG Senior Manager Andy Larmour, who presented on a wide variety of fringe benefits tax concessions available to employers who implement FIFO arrangements in certain circumstances, and gave everyone in the audience some great cost saving tips to make sure their organisations are not missing out.

Finally, Jason Murray of KPMG’s Performance Clinic, provided the crowd with an entertaining and enlightening presentation explaining how employers can enhance wellbeing and employee engagement. The overall message was that a focus on wellbeing is ultimately a win win for employers, with the benefits being happier employees who in turn perform better and are more productive in their jobs.

Want to know more about the Perth Chapter Meeting or receive updates on future events? Please email Aysegul Kayahan