Rotating shift schedules, explained pattern by pattern
Every 24/7 operation runs on one of a handful of proven rotations. Each page below shows the full cycle for every team, an interactive calendar you can export, staffing math, and the honest tradeoffs.
All shift patterns
2-2-3 schedule (Panama)
12h shiftsFour teams on 12-hour shifts work 2 days, get 2 off, work 3, in a 14-day cadence that gives every team a full weekend off every other week.
- Cycle:
- 28 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 3 days
Pitman schedule
12h shiftsThe fixed-shift take on the 2-2-3 cadence: two permanent day teams and two permanent night teams, 12-hour shifts, and every other weekend off.
- Cycle:
- 14 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 3 days
DuPont schedule
12h shiftsA 4-week rotation of 12-hour days and nights whose signature feature is a full 7-day break every cycle, paid for with one 72-hour work week.
- Cycle:
- 28 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 4 days
4-on-4-off schedule
12h shiftsThe simplest continuous pattern there is: work 4, rest 4, forever. Four teams on 12-hour shifts cover 24/7 with a cadence anyone can remember.
- Cycle:
- 16 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 4 days
Continental schedule
8h shiftsA fast-rotating 8-hour pattern: four teams move through mornings, afternoons and nights in short 2-3 day blocks across a 4-week cycle.
- Cycle:
- 28 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 7 days
Kelly schedule
24h shiftsThree platoons on 24-hour shifts: work one full day, get two full days off, forever. The standard rotation for fire and EMS crews.
- Cycle:
- 9 days
- Avg:
- 56h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 1 day
7-on-7-off schedule
12h shiftsA full week on, a full week off. Two fixed day teams and two fixed night teams alternate 7-day blocks of 12-hour shifts.
- Cycle:
- 14 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 7 days
Southern Swing schedule
8h shiftsA slow-rotating 8-hour pattern: four teams spend a full week on each shift type before moving forward to the next.
- Cycle:
- 28 days
- Avg:
- 42h/week
- Longest stretch:
- 7 days
The patterns side by side
Most of these cover 24/7 with four teams averaging 42 hours a week, but not all: Kelly needs only 3 platoons on 24-hour shifts and averages 56, while 7-on-7-off and Southern Swing keep the 4-team, 42-hour baseline but stretch the blocks to a full week. What differs across all eight is the rhythm: how long the shifts are, how many days you work in a row, and when the breaks come.
| Pattern | Shift length | Cycle | Rotation | Longest stretch | Longest break | Weekends off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-2-3 | 12 hours | 28 days | Rotating (fixed-shift variant: Pitman) | 3 days | 3 days | Every other weekend (3 days) |
| Pitman | 12 hours | 14 days | Fixed day and night teams | 3 days | 3 days | Every other weekend (3 days) |
| DuPont | 12 hours | 28 days | Rotating days and nights | 4 days | 7 days | Varies; includes one full weekend inside the 7-day break |
| 4-on-4-off | 12 hours | 16 days | Rotating days and nights (fixed variant common) | 4 days | 4 days | Rolling; full weekends off recur on an 8-week rhythm |
| Continental | 8 hours | 28 days | Fast forward rotation (day, swing, night) | 7 days | 3 days | Varies through the cycle; roughly one weekend per month fully off |
| Kelly | 24 hours | 9 days | Fixed rotation, no day/night distinction | 1 day | 2 days | Rolling; 2 out of every 3 weekends fall on an off cycle |
| 7-on-7-off | 12 hours | 14 days | Fixed day and night teams, full-week blocks | 7 days | 7 days | Every other week entirely (7 days) |
| Southern Swing | 8 hours | 28 days | Slow forward rotation (week-long day, swing, night blocks) | 7 days | 3 days | Varies through the cycle; roughly one weekend per month fully off |
How to choose between them
Start with the shift length question, because it decides half the field. If the work is too physically or cognitively demanding for 12-hour shifts, or your working-time rules cap daily hours, choose between the fast-rotatingcontinental pattern and the slower, week-long blocks ofSouthern Swing. Everything else on this page assumes 12-hour, or in Kelly's case 24-hour, shifts are workable.
Among the 12-hour patterns, the choice is really about what your team values most. Teams that prize regular weekends pick the 2-2-3 cadence, rotating as Panama or with fixed day and night crews asPitman. Teams that want maximum simplicity and long guaranteed breaks pick4-on-4-off. Teams that would trade hard weeks for a full week off every month pickDuPont, and teams staffing a remote or single site where travel is the real cost pick7-on-7-off.
One pattern breaks the four-team assumption entirely: theKelly schedule covers a position with just 3 platoons on 24-hour shifts, the standard for fire and EMS crews, at the cost of a 56-hour average week instead of 42. It is the pattern to reach for when headcount is scarcer than hours.
Beyond headcount, where these patterns differ operationally is fatigue shape and fairness, and that is where scheduling software earns its keep, tracking hour balances and keeping swaps from quietly breaking the rotation. If overtime is your main worry, our guide onreducing overtime without understaffingpairs well with the staffing tables on each pattern page.
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