What is the best 12-hour shift schedule?

There is no best one. 2-2-3 gives steady weeks and a three-day weekend every other week; DuPont gives a full week off every four weeks at the cost of a 72-hour week; 4 on 4 off gives four days off in a row but unpredictable weekends. Choose by what your team values and what your overtime rules cost.

How many hours a week is a 12-hour rotating shift?

With four teams covering 24/7, each team works half the days: 84 hours per fortnight, an average of 42 a week. Individual weeks range from 24 to 72 hours depending on the pattern.

How many teams do you need for 24/7 cover on 12-hour shifts?

Four: two on days and two on nights, alternating. Three teams can cover it only at 56 hours a week each. A fifth relief team brings the average down to about 34 hours and absorbs holiday and sickness.

Are 12-hour shifts legal?

In the US there is no federal limit on shift length for adults; overtime applies beyond 40 hours in the workweek, and some states add daily overtime. In the UK a 12-hour shift is lawful with 11 hours of rest before the next one and a 20-minute break; the 48-hour weekly limit is an average over 17 weeks.

Do 12-hour shifts include a break?

They should. A 12-hour shift usually contains an unpaid 30-minute meal break and short paid breaks, set by contract or state law. In the UK the statutory minimum is one 20-minute break for any shift over 6 hours.

12-hour shift schedules compared: 2-2-3, DuPont, 4 on 4 off, Continental

Four patterns cover most 24/7 operations with four teams and no relief team. They all average 42 hours a week; they differ in how the hours are bunched, how many days in a row, how time off falls, and what the overtime bill looks like. Pick from the table, then open the pattern for a calendar you can date and print, and an Excel template.

Pattern	Shift	Cycle	Avg h/week	Week range	Max days on	Longest off	In one line
2-2-3 schedule (Pitman)	12 h	14 days	42	24 to 60 h	3	3 days	Steady weeks, 3-day weekend every other week.
DuPont schedule	12 h	28 days	42	0 to 72 h	4	7 days	A full week off each month; one 72-hour week.
4 on 4 off shift pattern	12 h	16 days	42	36 to 48 h	4	4 days	Four days off in a row; weekends drift.
Continental shift pattern	8 h	8 days	42	40 to 48 h	6	2 days	8-hour shifts, forward rotation, 6 days on.

Week range: the lowest and highest hours in any 7-day week, over every possible alignment of the cycle with the calendar week. All four patterns use four teams and cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2-2-3 schedule (Pitman)

Four teams, 12-hour shifts, a cycle of 14 days: two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off. Two teams cover days, two cover nights. Every team works 7 of every 14 days, gets a three-day weekend every other week, and never works more than three days in a row.

Calendar, template and rules

DuPont schedule

Four teams, 12-hour shifts, a cycle of 28 days: four nights on, three off, three days on, one off, three nights on, three off, four days on, then seven days off. Every team works 14 of 28 days and gets a full week off once a cycle. The price is a 72-hour week in the middle.

Calendar, template and rules

4 on 4 off shift pattern

Four teams, 12-hour shifts: four days on, four off, four nights on, four off, a cycle of 16 days. The version where a team stays on days or nights repeats every 8 days. Either way each team works half the days, 42 hours a week on average and about 2,190 hours a year.

Calendar, template and rules

Continental shift pattern

Four teams, three 8-hour shifts a day, a cycle of 8 days: two mornings, two afternoons, two nights, two days off. Each team works six days in a row and rotates forward through the day, which is the direction sleep research favours. 42 hours a week on average.

Calendar, template and rules

How to choose

Shift length first. If 12-hour shifts are acceptable for the work and the people, you get four days off out of eight. If not, the Continental keeps 8-hour shifts at the cost of six days in a row.
Then how time off should fall. Regular weekends: 2-2-3. A long block: DuPont (7 days) or 4 on 4 off (4 days). Everyone will have a view; ask them before deciding.
Then the overtime bill. In the US, overtime is per 7-day workweek, so a pattern with 60- or 72-hour weeks pays a lot of time and a half even at a 42-hour average. Cost each pattern with your real rates before picking. In the UK the 48-hour average over 17 weeks is what matters, plus 11 hours between shifts.
Then fixed or rotating nights. Fixed nights suit people who choose them; rotating spreads the burden. Whichever you choose, night workers in the UK are entitled to a health assessment.
Then a relief plan. Four teams cover the pattern with nobody off sick or on holiday. Decide now who covers absences: overtime, a bank of casual staff, or a fifth team.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best 12-hour shift schedule?: There is no best one. 2-2-3 gives steady weeks and a three-day weekend every other week; DuPont gives a full week off every four weeks at the cost of a 72-hour week; 4 on 4 off gives four days off in a row but unpredictable weekends. Choose by what your team values and what your overtime rules cost.
How many hours a week is a 12-hour rotating shift?: With four teams covering 24/7, each team works half the days: 84 hours per fortnight, an average of 42 a week. Individual weeks range from 24 to 72 hours depending on the pattern.
How many teams do you need for 24/7 cover on 12-hour shifts?: Four: two on days and two on nights, alternating. Three teams can cover it only at 56 hours a week each. A fifth relief team brings the average down to about 34 hours and absorbs holiday and sickness.
Are 12-hour shifts legal?: In the US there is no federal limit on shift length for adults; overtime applies beyond 40 hours in the workweek, and some states add daily overtime. In the UK a 12-hour shift is lawful with 11 hours of rest before the next one and a 20-minute break; the 48-hour weekly limit is an average over 17 weeks.
Do 12-hour shifts include a break?: They should. A 12-hour shift usually contains an unpaid 30-minute meal break and short paid breaks, set by contract or state law. In the UK the statutory minimum is one 20-minute break for any shift over 6 hours.

Not running 24/7? For a shop, cafe or restaurant week, start from the weekly schedule templates (in the UK, the rota templates) or build it online with the schedule maker.

Run the rotation with real people

Load the pattern, put names on the teams, and each person sees their shifts on their phone. Shift change requests, holiday and sickness are handled without breaking the cycle. Free up to 10 people.

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