Everyone wants to know why 8-hour fixed shifts often require more staff than 8-hour rotating shifts. Rather than show you hundreds of examples, I'm going to compare the staffing requirements in a table.

 

	Rotating	Average		Fixed	Average
Coverage	Shifts	Hours		Shifts	Hours
1 per shift	4	42		6	28
2 per shift	8	42		9	37.3
3 per shift	12	42		12	42
4 per shift	16	42		18	37.3
5 per shift	20	42		21	40
6 per shift	24	42		24	42

 

 

I will show one example for 1-person coverage. Here's a common pattern for rotating shifts:

 

Emp / Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Hours
A / Week 1	-	-	d8	d8	d8	d8	d8	40
B / Week 2	d8	d8	-	a8	a8	a8	a8	48
C / Week 3	a8	a8	a8	-	-	n8	n8	40
D / Week 4	n8	n8	n8	n8	n8	-	-	40
							Average	42

 

This pattern requires 4 employees working an average of 42 hours a week. Now here's one example

of a fixed shift pattern with 8-hour fixed shifts:

 

Emp / Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Hours
A / Week 1	d8	d8	d8	-	-	d8	d8	40
B / Week 2	d8*	d8*	d8*	d8	d8	-	-	40
C / Week 1	a8	a8	a8	-	-	a8	a8	40
D / Week 2	a8*	a8*	a8*	a8	a8	-	-	40
E / Week 1	n8	n8	n8	-	-	n8	n8	40
F / Week 2	n8*	n8*	n8*	n8	n8	-	-	40
							Average	40

 

This pattern requires 6 people (2 per shift). Every Mon, Tue, and Wed two people are scheduled to work.

That's why I showed some of them with asterisks. They aren't needed for the 1-person coverage, but they 

are needed to ensure everyone gets 40 hours of work each week.

 

8-hour fixed shifts don't always require more staff. When the coverage is a multiple of 3 (e.g., 3, 6, 9 etc.)

they require the same as 8-hour rotating shift schedules. For everything else, they require more staff. Not a lot, 

but always a few more.

 

Most 24/7 schedules use shift lengths that divide evenly into 24 hours, such as 8, 12 or 24-hour shifts. 10-hour shifts are rarely used because you are really covering 30 hours a day (three 10-hour shifts) which requires at least 25% more staff than the other shift lengths.

12-hour and 24-hour shift schedules normally use 3 or 4 crews. The 4-crew schedules require working an average of 42 hours a week, whereas the 3-crew schedules require working an average of 56 hours a week. The 3-crew schedules are primarily used by fire departments and remote mining facilities or offshore drilling rigs.

Most 8-hour rotating shift schedules use 4 crews and average 42 hours a week. Most 8-hour fixed shift schedules use 9 crews (3 per shift) or 12 crews (4 per shift). The 9-crew schedules average 37.3 hours a week. They can be bumped up to 40 hours, but this creates extra coverage on one day every week. The 12-crew schedules average 42 hours a week. It's possible to create an 8-hour schedule with 40 hours every week, but this requires additional staff and creates extra (unnecessary) coverage several days a week.

Other websites often show examples of popular 24/7 work patterns, e.g., Continental, Pitman, DuPont, 6-on-3-off, 4-on-2-off, etc. You get the impression that these schedule templates are good for any group that works around-the-clock. All you need to do is choose the option you like best. Unfortunately, this is highly misleading if you want to have an effective schedule. Here are the reasons why:

• Coverage. Many organizations don’t need the same number of people working at all times. Yet the free templates found on the Internet produce constant coverage.
  
  
• Staffing. If your staff size doesn’t match the number of crews in the schedule, this will result in uneven coverage. Although a template looks attractive, it might require more employees than other, more efficient patterns.
  
  
• Pay Week. Each template works best for a certain overtime / pay week, e.g., Sunday to Saturday. Some schedules can be modified, but some can't. This can result unbalanced work week hours and a loss of weekends off for employees.
  

So, if popular work patterns aren't always the best 24/7 shift schedule, what should you do? Here are the steps we follow:

• Start with the workload and coverage requirements. How many people do you need at work on each shift? Does this stay the same all week? This is the starting point for all schedule design efforts. 
   
• Do you have enough staff? Overtime often may need to be built into the schedule to avoid additional hiring. If there is more staff than necessary, we'll show you different ways to utilize them.
  
  
• We then evaluate your schedule preferences to see if they're feasible. If the resources are adequate, we start the actual shift schedule design. We always try to show you multiple approaches as well as multiple patterns for each approach. The goal is to satisfy your specifications and explore possibilities you may not have considered.

Don't be fooled by free schedule templates. Yeah, they're cheap and look appealing, but they're not necessarily going to make the best use of your staff. And they may not give them as many weekends off as other approaches. Please check with us first. You and your employees will be glad you did.

 

Here are links to articles I've written about 8-hour shift schedules:

 

1. 8-hour fixed shift schedules

 

2. 8-hour rotating shift schedules

 

3. 8-hour shift schedules with no built-in overtime

 

4. 8-hour shift schedules for 24/7 coverage

 

5. Mixing 8-hour shifts and 12-hour shifts

 

 

 

If you are looking for examples of 8-hour schedules for 24/7 coverage:

 

1. Package of ten different 8-hour rotating shift schedules

 

2. Package of five different 8-hour fixed shift schedules with coverage in 3-person increments

 

 

 

If you have any of these conditions, you will need a custom-designed schedule:

 

1. Your company's hours of operation are less than 24/7

 

2. Your coverage varies by day of the day, e.g., 4-person coverage on weekdays and 2-person coverage on weekends

 

3. Your coverage is not a multiple of 3, e.g., you need 2-person coverage

 

 

Request help with a custom-designed schedule

I just got an email from someone searching for a 10-hour rotating shift schedule for a company that worked 18/7. He needed 2-person coverage on the day shift and 1-person coverage on the evening shift. I gave him a quote of $150 for two different options. His reply was: "I’m sorry Bruce, I'm not paying $150 for the schedules. Is there anywhere you can point me to find something similar online. Had a hard time finding anything until I came across your ad."

 

I'm sure this happens all the time. This guy was brave enough to say what all the others were probably thinking: "Why pay, when you can find schedules online for free." They just don't see the value in paying for professional scheduling assistance. They think they can either figure it out themselves or find schedule examples on the internet.

 

While it's possible to find schedules on the internet, rarely are they matched to the staff size, coverage requirements, scheduling approach, or pay week. That means the schedules won't work properly and the users will have to live with sub-standard results. Worst of all, they'll never realize that they could've had something far better.

 

So how do I communicate the value of professional scheduling help? I can't compare my recommended schedules with whatever they came up with. If people are willing to live with a schedule that doesn't produce the right coverage or doesn't provide something attractive for the workers, how can I convince them that spending $150 or $300 would have avoided these problems. 

 

I've been charging the same prices for over 20 years now. And my clients tell me they love what they got. They especially like the fact that they got multiple options and approaches to compare them and weigh the pros and cons. If you want to see the best possible schedule with more than one pattern, and you're willing to pay a small fee, please contact me. Here's a link to a form that has all the questions I'll need answered.

 

CONTACT US

 

 

 

Your group needs a new work schedule for the employees. So where do you start? Most people go to the internet and search for free schedule examples. Why not? There must be tons of schedule templates to choose from, right? Let's take a look.

 

You search for "free schedule templates." You get page after page of websites that sell scheduling software or offer blank forms and formatted spreadsheets. Some feature common work patterns for 8, 10 or 12-hour shifts. The question is: will any of these schedules work for you?

 

The best work schedules must be designed around specific staff sizes and pay weeks. If you don't have the same parameters as the free template, you could end up with coverage that is inadequate or inconsistent from day-to-day, unnecessary overtime, and fewer weekends off.

 

Yes, you can make some of these schedule templates to work for you. It could be as simple as changing the days of the week to match your pay week. In some cases, you might have to tweak the work pattern to make it work properly. And sometimes, nothing will help. For example, how do you use a pattern intended for 4 crews when you have 11 employees or how do you use a 12-hour shift schedule when your coverage varies in 8-hour increments or you need different coverage on the weekends? 

 

Wouldn't it be better to find schedules matched to your unique circumstances? We think so. That's why we custom-design schedules around your requirements and preferences. We also show you alternative approaches/options so you can compare them and let your employees debate the pros and cons of each one.

 

Don't pick a template just because some other company is using it or a few employees recommended it. It might be free, but it could cost you a bundle (though you'd never realize it). Get started today with schedules designed by an expert. Schedules that are matched to your situation. Schedules that make optimal use of your staff and offer maximum weekends off. Click on the link below:

  

CONTACT US

 

A majority of the organizations that cover 24/7 use 8-hour fixed shifts. That would be fine if it weren't for the fact that employees hate the schedules. The universal complaint is that they don't get enough days or weekends off. They simply want a better work-life balance.

 

The employees think 10-hour shifts would be a good choice, but the increased staffing requirements prevent most organizations from adopting them. Most employees don't want 12-hour shifts, though when they see actual examples of 12-hour schedules, they often change their minds. But let's focus this article on 8-hour shifts.

 

There are a lot of different patterns with 8-hour fixed shifts. Unlike 12-hour schedules that normally use 4 crews, 8-hour schedules can use anywhere from 6 to 27 crews. The number depends on the coverage levels, as shown in the table below:

 

Coverage	Staffing	Total	Average*	Weekends	Possible	Pattern	Pattern	Pattern
Per Shift	Per Shift	Staff	Hours/Week	Off (max)**	Patterns	#1	#2	#3
1	2	6	37.3	1/2	2	Max. 7 days	Max. 4 days
2	3	9	37.3	1/3	3	Max. 8 days	Max. 7 days	Max. 4 days
3	4	12	42	1/4	5	Max. 7 days	6-on-2-off	Max. 5 days
3	5	15	33.6	2/5	2	Max. 7 days	Max. 5 days
4	6	18	37.3	1/3	3	Max. 7-8 days	Max. 5 days	4-on-2-off
5	7	21	40	2/7	2	Max. 7 days	Max. 5 days
5	8	24	35	3/8	1	5-on-3-off
6	8	24	42	1/4	5	Max. 7-8 days	6-on-2-off	Max. 5 days
6	9	27	37.3	3/9	1	Max. 7 days	6-on-3-off
* Average Hours/Week often can be increased to 40 by requiring occasional extra coverage
** Max. Weekends Off can only be achieved with certain patterns

 

Are you thoroughly confused? Sorry. There's a lot of information in this chart. Let me try to explain using 5-person coverage as an example. There are 2 rows with 5-person coverage. On the first row, 7 people are required if they work an average of 40 hours a week. On the second line, 8 people are required, but they only have to work an average of 35 hours a week. 

Why would you adopt a schedule that only averages 35 hours a week? People do it all the time. Not because they want fewer hours. They chose a popular work pattern without realizing that it averages less than 40 hours. In this case, the pattern is 5 days of work followed by 3 days off, aka 5-on-3-off.

 

Continuing with the example, you'll next see the maximum weekends off. The maximum with 7 people per shift is 2 weekends off every 7 weeks whereas the max. with 8 people per shift is 3 weekends off every 8 weeks. After that is a tally of the number of possible schedules along with descriptions of those schedules. Max. 7 days means the schedule requires working 7 consecutive days at some point. In general, the more days worked, the more weekends off.

 

A significant portion of my clients contact me because they have adopted a popular 8-hour work pattern, and they're tired of the employee complaints and never having enough or consistent coverage. I try to show them both alternative approaches (i.e. different shift lengths) and other 8-hour options. This way they can compare the coverage, average hours of work, weekends off, and so on. This chart illustrates the possibilities for 8-hour fixed shifts only.

 

Are you ready to explore other work patterns or alternative scheduling approaches? Contact us today:

 

Contact Us

 

[Please note that a similar version of this appeared in Industry Week. It was written by Bruce Oliver and Dan Capshaw]

 

If you ask a group of shiftworkers to describe their ideal shift schedule, you'll probably hear statements like these:

• “Monday through Friday with 8-hour day shifts.”
• “Monday through Thursday with 10-hour day shifts.”
• “Thursdays only -- so I can pick up my check.”
• “I’ll just stay home, and you can mail me the check!”

These statements illustrate how much value shiftworkers place on their time-off. In fact, if compensation is unaffected, time-off is the shift worker’s primary consideration when comparing alternative shift schedules. Having adequate time-off allows them to have a life outside of work, i.e. the ability to balance their lives at work with their lives away from work.

 

There are four types of time-off that employees consider when evaluating a shift schedule:

• Weekends off
• Total days off
• Daily time off
• Consecutive days off

We will examine the schedule attributes that drive these four different types of time-off, supplementing this discussion with statistics from our surveys of over 20,000 shiftworkers working 24/7 schedules.

 

 

Weekends Off

 

Of the four types of time off, the number of weekends off is the usually the most important. The desire to increase the number of weekends off is a common reason for adopting longer shifts. The graph below shows the maximum number of full weekends off (Saturday and Sunday together) per year that are possible with 8-hour and 12-hour shifts (13 versus 26 weekends off).

 

Of course, the actual number of full weekends off depends on more than just shift length. Other factors include the number of consecutive days worked, the pattern of on-off work days, the amount of overtime, and the day the pay week begins. But, as a general rule, longer shifts will enable workers to get more full weekends off.

 

A key consideration with weekends off is predictability. Most shift workers (82% in the survey database) are willing to work their fair share of weekends. They simply want sufficient advance notice and no last-minute changes. This allows them to make plans for the weekend and not have to worry about getting an unexpected weekend assignment.

 

 

Total Days Off

 

Many shift workers also favor schedules that offer more total days off overall. As shown in the chart below, 12-hour shifts provide twice as many days off each year (compared to 8-hour shifts) for the same number of hours worked each week (182 days off versus 91 days off). 

The substantial increase in days off is one of the reasons three-quarters of all shift workers prefer to work longer shifts. This is shown in the chart below:

 

 

 

Daily Time-Off

 

The third type of time-off is the number of hours off on the days of work. As seen in figure above, a quarter of the shift workers prefer shorter work days even though they would have to work more days a week. Shiftworkers who are older, have childcare concerns, are going to school, have second jobs, or participate in other non-work activities on workdays often prefer 8-hour or 8&12-hour shift schedules so they can have more “free” time each day.

 

 

Consecutive Days Off

 

The fourth type of time-off is the number of consecutive days off in the schedule. In the figure below, you can see that most shift workers prefer to work several days and then take a long break, i.e. get more consecutive days off. In general, there are two ways to get more consecutive days off. One way is to work 12-hour shifts. The other is to work longer stretches of days in a row.

 

With 8-hour shifts, a schedule that is based on working 7 shifts in-a-row can offer up to one 4-day break every month. With 12-hour shifts, a schedule that is based on working 3 and 4 shifts in-a-row can offer up to a 7 or 8-day break every month.

 

 

Discussion

 

It is clear that shift workers place a high value on their time-off. This is what enables them to reach a balance between work and their personal lives. What is not clear, however, is which type of time-off the schedule should emphasize. Should the schedule have 12-hour shifts to provide more weekends off and more total days off? Should the schedule mix 8-hour and 12-hour shifts to satisfy both those who want more weekends off and those who want more time off each day of work? Should it have longer stretches of days worked in a row to provide more consecutive days off?

 

While recognizing that each work site will have its own unique set of preferences, our surveys offer some additional insight into this dilemma. With each of our clients, we show the workers several different schedule options that satisfy the client’s business coverage requirements. By educating employees about the various possibilities, we enable them to make more informed choices from the schedule alternatives.

 

The options we show employees typically include one or more 8-hour, 10-hour (infrequently because they are not a good match with most 24/7 operations), 8&12-hour, and 12-hour schedules. Although the schedules for each shift length may differ from site to site, the results indicate a much stronger preference for schedules that incorporate 12-hour shifts.

 

 

Summary

 

When managers face the possibility of changing shift schedules, it is beneficial to be familiar with the schedule features that offer employees the best opportunities for work/life balance. This doesn’t replace the need to survey the workforce to determine their unique schedule preferences, but it does provide insights that will be valuable during the change process.

 

Although 75% of the shift workers would rather work longer shifts in order to get more days off, this does not always mean that 12-hour shifts are best. Some workers place a greater value on the hours off each day instead of the number of days off each week. Other schedule features such as the number of consecutive days of work are equally important in helping some individuals realize the type of time-off they prefer. Despite these qualifications, 12-hour shifts are clearly a favorite, gaining the highest ratings at nearly every organization we’ve worked with.

When employees say that want better “work-life balance,” they are really expressing a desire for more time off from work. They want a work schedule that offers more days off, especially weekends off. This usually requires changing to 10 or 12-hour shifts. Even though this means longer work days, many employees feel the extra time off is worth it.

We showed employees examples of 24/7 schedules using different shift lengths and asked them to rate the different shift lengths. Here are the results:

Ratings definitions:

 

     5 = I like it a lot

     4 = It has potential to be good

     3 = Neutral or not sure

     2 = It doesn't look promising

     1 = I don't like it

 

Are you surprised? If you simply asked your employees whether they wanted 8-hour or 12-hour shifts, you'd probably hear 80% saying they'd prefer 8-hour shifts. But if they saw the actual schedules, 12-hour schedules would likely come out on top. So please don't fall into this trap of thinking your group doesn't want 12-hour shifts. You have to show them actual schedule examples so they can make a truly informed decision.

 

The same goes for 10-hour shifts. Not only are the 10-hour schedules less attractive than the 12s, but you run into a bunch of problems. I've written many, many articles about this. Please do a search on this website for 10-hour shifts if you want to read a few of them.

 

In addition to more days off, employees also tend to prefer longer breaks between work days. Here are more results from our surveys of shiftworkers in 24/7 operations:

 

The demand for schedules that will improve work like balance makes it critical that you show your employees examples of both 12-hour and 8-hour schedules with more consecutive work days. This way, they can see and better judge whether the increased time off is worth the longer shifts OR the need to work more days in a row. Let us show you a few examples of each to make it easy for you to accomplish this. Get started here:

 

Contact Us

 

 

 

 

In surveys of more than 20K shiftworkers, we asked them about their shift length preferences for 24/7 coverage. We did it in a way to avoid directly mentioning specific shift lengths as shown in the graph below:

We found that asking specific shift lengths did not give reliable answers since it was based on perceptions rather than actual schedules. When we showed the shiftworkers actual schedule examples using different shift lengths, here is how they responded:

Ratings definitions:

     5 = I like it a lot

     4 = It has potential to be good

     3 = neutral or not sure

     2 = It doesn't look promising

     1 = I don't like it