Andrew Mina

FIFO – what does this mean for you? 

For me, it has two very different meanings; one I learned in Australia and one I learned in Denmark.

In Australia, FIFO stands for Fly-In Fly-Out. It describes employees who travel long distances to remote worksites, often working intensive rosters such as 7–14 days on followed by 7–14 days off. FIFO workers play a critical role in industries such as mining, energy, and construction, where access to skilled labour is essential.

In Denmark, however, I encountered a very different interpretation: Fit In or F*** Off – FI(or)FO. An to be honest it caught be off guard when it was openly discussed in the workplace.

Unlike the Australian definition, this version has nothing to do with geography. Instead, it speaks to workplace culture, belonging, and the often-unspoken pressure to conform. In Atlas of the Heart (2021), Brené Brown argues that requiring someone to “fit in” should be understood as a threat to belonging.

The contrast is striking. One form of FIFO is about physical distance from work; the other is about emotional distance from the people around us.

While Fly-In Fly-Out work is about physical distance from the workplace, Fit-In-Or-F*ck-Off cultures create emotional distance. Both influence employee experience, only belonging creates sustainable bridge to better employee engagement.

Experiencing FIFO

Both shape the employee experience. Both can create opportunities and challenges. And both raise an important question: what does it take for people not just to fit in, but to truly belong?

FIFO

The positives of FIFO working arrangements are both advantageous for the individual and the organization.

• High financial reward and compensation
• Staffing remote work sites
• Access to skilled employees
• Work-Life separation and extended breaks

Perhaps you, a family member or someone in your networks have experienced some of the challenges it can bring.

• Extended periods away from family and friends
• Increases cost of living expensive in regional and remote locations
• Mental health risk

FI(or)FO

At its best, FI(or)FO can simply reflect the reality that every workplace has norms and expectations. When moving from an unhealthy culture to a healthier one, changing industries, or joining a high-performing team, some adaptation can be both reasonable and necessary. Fitting into a team does not mean abandoning your ideas or individuality; it means understanding how success is achieved and contributing to it.

The negative side is a little more intense when the message is FI(or)FO. At its worst, the message can feel like a demand for conformity and this is the antithesis of belonging. Notwithstanding that ‘fitting in’ can be exhausting and the mental load that comes with it reduces our capacity for good work to be done. Brown (p. 158) says when we have to “work to fit in and be accepted, our ‘belonging’ is tenuous.”

Brown provides a useful distinction: “Fitting in is being accepted for being like everyone else” (p.163). Often, the FI(or)FO message does not come from leadership at all. It can emerge from peers or informal influencers within a workplace and sound like: “Don’t rock the boat,” “That’s not how we do things here,” or “Don’t be different.”

When there is an invitation fit in and experience belonging, it is amazing what we’re prepared to change – clothes; communication styles including, vocabulary, humour, tone, formal and informal communication style, direct or passive aggressive; attitudes; ways of working.

In here lies the challenge for leaders today: not deciding who fits in but creating an environment where there are clear values directing the ways of working. Quoting Roy F. Baumeister and Mark R. Leary, Brown shares that “Research shows that ‘people who have strong connections with others are happier, healthier, and better able to cope with the stresses of everyday life” (Brown, p. 169). Ultimately, this creates the psychological safety needed for people to perform at their best. 

Navigating workplace belonging

Here are three general approaches you could take as these messages can come from peers, managers, leaders, or even broader organization:

1. Change – you are the only person you have the power over to change. Consider is there any validity in the challenge to fit in. If there is start the journey to explore what you could change and if there isn’t consider what else you can change in your work environment and even change roles, departments or organization.
2. Partnership – with the support of an internal mentor or ‘new hire buddy’ seek guidance you along the way see how you can navigate fitting in.
3. HR – be open with your HR team about your experience. 

In 2026, do we need to redefine FI(or)FO?

As work becomes increasingly hybrid, physical presence matters less than cultural experience. This raises an interesting question: has FI(or)FO become less visible, or has it simply taken new forms online?

According to a Noverésumé report posted on LinkedIn “approximately 34.3 million Americans worked from home or remotely for pay in April 2025” and looking ahead it is expected to grow.

So, could it be that hybrid working employees are now our new FIFO employees? I would suggest that employees working hybrid joined the cohort of employees already operating in a fly in and fly out arrangement albeit 3-4 days onsite and 1-2 days remote.

And the question I have does this mean that FIorFO impact has been diminished or reconstituted for employees? If a change has happened will it lead to greater belonging?

Whatever the case may be for you, I would be so happy for you that you have a role where you have the following:

• Freedom – to work in the way that is best for you
• Mastery – opportunities to develop your skills
• Belonging – that you feel you belong and others express it
• Impact – what you do and who you are makes a difference
• Leadership – you are able to lead both informally and formally