Data from a new mental health app suggests FIFO workers suffer more on a shorter ‘swing’.

WA workplace mental health group Tap Into Safety has analysed data from its All of Me app during a trial of the new software.

Nearly 640 workers, including over 300 FIFO workers, helped test the app.

Mental health specialist and CEO of Tap Into Safety, Dr Susanne Bahn, said some of the findings were quite unexpected.

“FIFO workers on a 14/7 swing, in other words 14 days on [at the workplace] and seven days off [at home], were less stressed, anxious and depressed than those on an 8/6 swing,” she told the ABC.

“We had thought those on the shorter swing would cope better, but these results show that maybe because they've got to keep coming in and out of home, the relationship strain of reassimilating is causing them more trouble.

“We found 18 to 20-year-old men were more depressed and 18 to 20-year-old women were more anxious.

“Then if we look at different sectors like transport or government, we got completely different results again.

“Both women and men over 45 working in the government sector were more anxious and more depressed, but not younger people.

“But results from those working for transport companies show very high across nearly every age group, and it was predominantly men.

“The analysis shows that when businesses are undertaking wellbeing programs, it can't be a one-size-fits-all approach.

“They need to be tailored to the workforce because the stressors and issues within that group of workers is very likely to be different to another sector,” Dr Bahn said.