One of the most popular 12-hour police schedules is the 2-3-2 pattern, also known as the Pitman (or sometimes Pittman) schedule. The reason for its popularity is you only have to work 2 or 3 days in a row and you get every other weekend off as a 3-day weekend. No wonder so many people think it's the best. But you probably didn't know that there are some big downsides to this pattern for the night shift.
Let me explain.
Most people working the night shift tend to stay awake during the daytime on their days off (roughly 75% of the people on 12-hour shifts and 50% on 8-hour shifts). With the 2-3-2 pattern, this means that every 2 or 3 days, people are flip-flopping when they sleep. This can be really tough on sleep and alertness. In fact, it's even worse than most rotating shift schedules that rotate on a weekly basis.
Another problem with the Pitman has to do with the organization's overtime/pay week, since that dictates what days you get off for the weekend. If your pay week begins on Mon, Wed, or Fri, the 3-day weekend will be Sat, Sun, Mon instead of Fri, Sat, Sun. For the night shift, this means you have to work Friday night, so it really doesn't feel like you're getting the whole weekend off.
If your schedule has fixed shifts, I recommend that each shift select it's own pattern. This way the day shift can work the Pitman while the night shift can work something else that is better for alertness and safety. The best choice on the night shift is the 4-on-4-off shift schedule. That's because there are fewer changes from work-days to off-days, meaning a slower rotation of when people sleep. Other 12-hour patterns lie somewhere in between these two extremes: Pitman and 4-on-4-off.
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