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24/7 shift schedules compared
Covering every hour of the year takes 8,760 hours per position. How you split them decides how many crews you need, how long people work and how much overtime you pay.
How many crews for 24/7?
A week has 168 hours. Divide them by the number of crews to get the average week of each person, whatever the shift length:
| Crews per position | Average hours a week | Hours a year | Typical schedules |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 56 | 2,920 | 24-hour shifts: 24/48, 48/96, Kelly. Outside fire departments, which use the 7(k) exemption, that is about 16 hours of weekly overtime per person. |
| 4 | 42 | 2,190 | 12-hour patterns (Pitman, DuPont, Panama, 4 on 4 off…), the 8-hour southern swing and the 24/72. |
| 5 | 33.6 | 1,752 | Five-crew schedules, usually 8-hour shifts, often with the spare time used for training, relief and leave cover. |
40 hours a week would need 4.2 crews, so most 24/7 operations run four crews at 42 hours and pay about 2 hours of overtime a week on average (more when the weeks are uneven), or add relief staff.
The schedules side by side
| Schedule | Shift | Crews | Hours a week | Days and nights | Most shifts in a row | Longest break | Overtime hours a year* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitman, crews fixed on days or nights | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Fixed | 3 | 3 days | 520 |
| Panama (rotating 2-2-3) | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 3 | 3 days | 520 |
| DuPont | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 4 | 7 days | 624 |
| 4 on 4 off, rotating | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 4 | 4 days | 208 |
| 3 on 3 off, rotating | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 3 | 3 days | 208 |
| 2 on 2 off, rotating | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 2 | 2 days | 208 |
| Continental (2 days, 2 nights, 4 off) | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 4 | 4 days | 208 |
| 14/14 hitch, day and night crews | 12 h | 4 | 42 | Fixed | 14 | 14 days | 1,144 |
| Southern swing (8-hour days, evenings, nights) | 8 h | 4 | 42 | Rotate | 7 | 3 days | 208 |
| 24/48 | 24 h | 3 | 56 | Whole day | 1 | 2 days | 7(k) |
| 48/96 | 24 h | 3 | 56 | Whole day | 2 | 4 days | 7(k) |
| Kelly | 24 h | 3 | 56 | Whole day | 1 | 4 days | 7(k) |
| 24/72 | 24 h | 4 | 42 | Whole day | 1 | 3 days | 7(k) |
*Per person, federal rule (over 40 hours in a workweek), crew A with the cycle and the workweek both starting on Monday. Moving the start of the workweek changes it; each pattern page shows all seven options. 24-hour fire schedules use 7(k) work periods instead (29 CFR 553.230).
How to choose
Start with shift length. 12-hour shifts need only two handovers a day and give people about half the days of the year off, but some jobs and some people cannot sustain 12 hours. 8-hour shifts mean three handovers and more days at work, but shorter days.
Then decide on nights. Fixed crews (a Pitman with day and night crews) let people stay on one shift, which suits those who prefer nights; rotating patterns share nights fairly but make everyone change their sleep. If you rotate, faster rotations (2 or 3 nights at a time) and forward rotation (days, then evenings, then nights) are often preferred because they change the body clock less.
Finally look at the weeks, not just the average. A DuPont and a Pitman both average 42 hours, but the DuPont has weeks of 72 hours and weeks of none, which costs more in weekly overtime unless the workweek is set carefully. Put the candidates in the shift calendar with “All crews” to see coverage day by day, and compare pay in the shift pay calculator.
Headcount
Four crews cover one position, but leave and sickness still have to be covered. Each person on a 42-hour rota is entitled to the leave in their contract (in the UK at least 5.6 weeks a year under the Working Time Regulations), so plan relief or overtime for those weeks. In the UK, check each rota against the 48-hour average week and the 11-hour daily rest on the UK rota page, read the working time rules for shift workers and plan cover for the bank holidays.
Questions
How many employees do I need for 24/7 coverage?
8,760 hours a year per position. With four crews each person works about 2,190 scheduled hours (42 a week), so you need four people per position before leave and sickness. With three crews on 24-hour shifts each works 2,920 hours.
What is the best shift schedule for 24/7 coverage?
There is no single best one. For 12-hour shifts the Pitman gives every other weekend off and can keep crews on fixed days or nights; the DuPont gives a full week off every four weeks; 2 on 2 off keeps runs short. Fire departments mostly use the 24/48 with three platoons.
Can you cover 24/7 with three crews on 8-hour shifts?
Only if each crew works every day, about 56 hours a week with no days off, which breaks rest rules in many places and causes heavy overtime. Four or five crews are the usual minimum for 8-hour shifts.