FIFOzero’s mission is to support the FIFO industry in its quest to eradicate su***de. By facilitating the coming together of a community on the fly in fly out, and providing quality education and training, this bold vision will become reality as we all play a role in it.
We believe you don't just eradicate su***de when you connect individuals and culture to their adaptive nature, their innate kindness and to a tight, spirited and highly supportive community. You reverse the trend and head into levels of thriving that every FIFO worker deserves to achieve for the sake of their wellbeing, their families and the FIFO industry as a whole.
It begins with ending isolation and isolating habits, building awareness and the courage to make meaningful connections. It builds from interpersonal skills, into a strong sense of belonging, at work, at home and in life.
At FIFOzero, we believe that most of us can be pushed too far in life, and that we can help those feeling pushed too far by developing the life skills of quality awareness, enhanced perspective, creative problem solving and resilience so that su***de never becomes an option.
FIFOzero looks at the root causes that lead to su***de, such as prolonged high stress, low self-esteem and the shutting-down of imagination in the context of toxic relationships and challenging circumstances. These factors leave many feeling vulnerable and unable to conceive the much-needed solutions - that always exist - to end the pain.
We do not focus on mental illness caused by seemingly poor genetics and personality defects that impacts a small percentage of the population. Based on our understanding of the job application process, it is unlikely that people in this situation would have been successful in their application for a FIFO role, and it is arguable that, if such people were successful, they would be seen struggling in unsustainable ways during the probation period.
There is a spectrum of personality issues that we can all be placed on. Since when were we all perfect? There is no point attempting to label and stereotype people prematurely because of their perceived weaknesses. We are all a work in progress. What is important, and in fact a key responsibility, is for us to stay focused on learning and growing. Success comes from this resilient attitude to see the challenges life presents us with as an opportunity to keep improving.
The ideas that have shaped the way that we identify with ourselves and our issues are just ideas, yet the majority of us end up attaching these ideas to our identity. Ideas like: “You are not worthy”, “You are not capable”, and “There isn’t a better way that will help you solve that problem” are learned and they can be unlearned and dismissed altogether when their absurdity is exposed. So many of these ideas fail the logic test.
Our programs have shown us that many people are shocked when they fully expose the ideas and assumptions they use to validate who they are. But we have also seen that people have the ability to recognise what is illogical to their better judgment! People experience a big shift in attitude every time a bad idea about ourselves and / or our environment is dropped. The situation is suddenly being seen with new eyes! This is how we can reclaim our power and become effective again.
We all know firsthand what it’s like to be in a perfect storm. That storm may include abusive conditioning, trauma from physical accidents, toxic and / or broken relationships, work fatigue, life fatigue, the loss of a loved one. Sadly, some or all of these things happen to most of us at some stage in life. We need to appreciate how normal this is and how often we can enter a slippery slope that is hard to escape when too many things go wrong in a short period of time that can overwhelm the best of us.
At FIFOzero, we focus first on creating an identity shift that helps people increase their skills to be an observer. Being an observer enhances perspective, which allows us to be better informed, resulting in our sense of worth and capability being boosted. With this, we can view and understand our environment from a place of empowerment. We then focus holistically on the root causes to make lasting behavioural change, avoiding any tragic path that heads towards contemplations of su***de. We make clear thinking and personal problem solving accessible life skills.
FIFOzero aims to normalise mental and emotional challenges so that the stigma attached to these, is no longer logical. We want the community to raise the bar on wellbeing, to not tolerate the high stress and anxiety that leads to habitual depression and poor coping. Instead, we can normalise the commitment to personal development for better clarity, communication skills and better management of our wellbeing.
With FIFOzero, the emphasis is on addressing issues well before the stages of mental breakdowns and suicidal thoughts are reached. We believe that if the focus is on avoiding su***de, only some people will be saved. However, if the focus is on thriving, there will be change beyond the survival goal. Focussing on thriving is the only way a mission such as reducing su***de to zero is ever going to be a reality.
We are committed to providing personal development education, tools and coaches to help create powerful transformations for individuals and workplace cultures. This will include personal coaching, workshops, programs, retreats, webinars, workplace consulting, and developing a community that includes a network of wellness hubs. FIFOzero will be an easily accessible, alternative resource for FIFO workers to help them understand themselves and their situation, and then provide practical methods and tools to move beyond the confusion, think clearly and respond confidently to create timely breakthroughs.
If you would like to learn more, join or support the FIFOzero initiative, please contact us for a Site Activation, PowerPoint Proposal.
Best regards,
George Helou and Blake Wood
FIFOzero Co-Founders
