24/7 shift patterns: 8-hour and 12-hour rotas that work

Start with the numbers

One post staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is 168 hours a week. Divide by the average hours one person works and you get the number of crews: 168 ÷ 42 = 4 crews, and 168 ÷ 33.6 = 5 crews. Three crews would need 56 hours each, which is above the 48-hour weekly limit in Article 98 and above the 48-hour average that Article 100 allows for rotating work. So, outside the Article 106 exceptions, a 24/7 post needs at least 4 crews.

Any 24/7 pattern has people working on Fridays. Article 104 lets the employer give those workers another weekly rest day after notifying the labour office.

Those are crews for the roster itself. Leave, sickness and training come on top, so most teams add a buffer; the staffing calculator does that sum.

Pattern 1: 8-hour shifts, three shifts a day, 4 crews

Each crew works 2 mornings, 2 evenings and 2 nights, then has 2 days off, on an 8-day cycle. The crews start 2 days apart, so each day has one crew on each shift and one crew off. Example times: morning 07:00–15:00, evening 15:00–23:00, night 23:00–07:00. M = morning, E = evening, N = night, — = off.

Each person works 6 shifts in 8 days: 42 hours a week on average and at most 48 hours in any 7 days. The rotation runs forward (morning, then evening, then night), which leaves at least 16 hours between shifts, and the 2 days off after the nights give a 48-hour break.

Law check: it stays within 8 hours a day and 48 a week (Article 98). If the 8 hours include the 30-minute break Article 101 requires, actual work is 7.5 hours. Our reading: on an 8-day cycle the days off do not fall in every calendar week, so check that each person still gets the weekly rest of at least 24 hours in a row that Article 104 requires, and notify the labour office if the rest day is not Friday.

Pattern 2: 12-hour shifts, 2-2-3, 4 crews

Two crews cover days (07:00–19:00) and two cover nights (19:00–07:00). Each pair splits a 14-day cycle: work 2, off 2, work 3, off 2, work 2, off 3. D = day, N = night, — = off.

Each person works 7 shifts in 14 days: 42 hours a week on average, and if day 1 is a Sunday, each crew has every other Friday and Saturday off. But the busy week has 5 shifts, which is 60 hours at the workplace.

Law check: 60 hours in a week is above the 48 in Article 98, so this pattern needs the Article 100 route: Ministry approval, and an average within 48 hours a week over 3 weeks or less (the 2-week average here is 42). A 12-hour shift is also the most time at the workplace Article 101 allows, so a late handover breaks it.

Pattern 3: 12-hour shifts, 4 on and 4 off, 4 crews

Each crew works 4 shifts, then has 4 days off, on an 8-day cycle. Two crews cover days and two cover nights, half a cycle apart. D = day, N = night, — = off.

Each person works 4 shifts in 8 days: 42 hours a week on average, and never more than 4 shifts (48 hours at the workplace) in any 7 days. Every week has at least 3 days off.

Law check: no 7-day stretch goes above 48 hours at the workplace, and actual hours are lower once the Article 101 breaks are taken out. But 12 hours a day is above the 8 of the daily standard and the 9 of Article 99. Our reading: under the weekly standard this may fit without Article 100, because Article 98 then sets only a weekly cap, but we have not found an official answer, so confirm with the Ministry first.

Choosing between them

All three give 42 hours a week on average with 4 crews. The difference is in the shape of the weeks:

• 8-hour rotation: shorter days and the clearest fit with the 8-hour daily limit, but three shift changes a day and a rotation through nights for everyone.
• 2-2-3: every other Friday and Saturday off, but a 60-hour week that needs the Article 100 route.
• 4 on, 4 off: long blocks off and fixed day or night crews, but four 12-hour shifts in a row.
• In Ramadan, Muslim staff are limited to 6 hours a day or 36 a week (Article 98), so none of these patterns fits that month as it is. Plan Ramadan as its own roster.

From pattern to a real roster

A pattern is a starting point. Real months have leave, sick days, staff preferences and swaps, and the hard shifts have to be shared fairly over time. Rosterna builds the monthly roster from your coverage needs, rest rules, fairness and staff preferences, and you can always edit by hand. Staff see their own schedule and can request swaps and leave in the staff app.