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8-hour shift schedule with every other weekend off
With 8-hour shifts and 40 hours a week, you can have every other weekend off by working 10 shifts in each two-week period: one week Monday to Friday, the next week Saturday and Sunday plus three weekdays. Two people on opposite weeks cover every day of the week.
By Asier Fernández ·
The two-week pattern
| Week | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | off | off | D | D | D | D | D | 40 |
| B | D | D | off | D | D | D | off | 40 |
Read as one cycle from Saturday of week A: OODDDDDDDODDDO. That is 10 shifts in 14 days, 80 hours, 40 every week, so there is no weekly overtime if the workweek starts on Saturday. The cost is a run of up to 7 shifts in a row across the weekend you work. In 2027 it gives 0 to 26, depending on the weekday your cycle starts full weekends off.
Two people, every day covered
Give the second person the same pattern a week later. Then at least one of them is on duty every day, and on Tuesday to Thursday both are, which leaves room for training, meetings or the busiest days. If you need exactly one person each day, a third person on a different split, or 12-hour shifts, works better. For full 24/7 coverage with 8-hour shifts, see the southern swing and 24/7 schedules compared.
Shorter runs: the 12-hour version
If 7 shifts in a row is too many, the 12-hour Pitman (2-2-3) also gives every other weekend off, never more than 3 shifts in a row and a three-day weekend each fortnight, at 42 hours a week. 12-hour schedules with every other weekend off compares the options.
Make the calendar
In the shift calendar choose “Build your own”, type OODDDDDDDODDDO with 8-hour shifts and set the start to a Saturday you have off. Share the link with whoever covers the other weeks.
More guides
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate
Questions
How do I make an 8-hour schedule with every other weekend off?
Work Monday to Friday one week, then Saturday, Sunday and three weekdays the next: 10 shifts and 80 hours every two weeks, with every other weekend off.
How many hours a week is it?
40 hours every week, if the workweek starts on Saturday.
What is a rotating weekend schedule with 8-hour shifts?
A pattern where staff alternate working weekends, so each person has every other weekend off while the weekends stay covered.
What is the schedule called when you have every other Friday off?
That is a 9/80 schedule: eight 9-hour days and one 8-hour day every two weeks. See the 9/80 schedule calendar.
How many days in a row will I work?
Up to 7 with this pattern, around the weekend you work. The 12-hour Pitman keeps runs to 3.