The 2-2-3-2-2-3 Rotating Shift: How the Cadence Works

Q: What hours does 2-2-3-2-2-3 average?

42 hours a week on 12-hour shifts: a 3-shift (36 h) week alternating with a 4-shift (48 h) week.

2-2-3-2-2-3 is the repeating fortnight cadence behind several of the most popular 12-hour rosters: 2 shifts on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off — then the fortnight repeats. It gives every employee alternating 36- and 48-hour weeks (42 average) and every other weekend completely off.

Try the rotation

Pick a start date to map the rotation onto real weeks. Team A starts the cycle on day 1; the other teams are staggered so cover never drops.

Cycle start date

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
Team A	Day	Day	Off	Off	Day	Day	Day	Off	Off	Day	Day	Off	Off	Off
Team B	Off	Off	Day	Day	Off	Off	Off	Day	Day	Off	Off	Day	Day	Day
Team C	Night	Night	Off	Off	Night	Night	Night	Off	Off	Night	Night	Off	Off	Off
Team D	Off	Off	Night	Night	Off	Off	Off	Night	Night	Off	Off	Night	Night	Night

Day = Day shiftNight = Night shiftOff = Day off

The math

Cycle length	14 days
Shift length	12 hours
Average hours per week	42 hours
Shifts per year (per person)	183
Days off per year	183
Teams needed for 24/7 cover	4

How the rotation works

Write the cadence onto a two-week calendar starting Monday and its geometry shows up: the 3-day blocks always land on Friday-Saturday-Sunday. One week you work the weekend block; the next week the weekend is entirely yours. That alternating free weekend is the property every 2-2-3 family member inherits.

The cadence is a chassis, not a finished roster. Fix the crews to permanent days and nights and you have the Pitman schedule. Rotate crews between days and nights each fortnight and you have the Panama (2-2-3). Rotate quarterly, or swap which crews take weekends, and you have one of the many local variants — the cadence underneath never changes.

Whichever variant you run, four equal crews are needed for 24/7 cover, and nobody ever works more than three shifts in a row.

Who uses it

Police departments — the dominant cadence for US patrol rosters
Hospital units & EMS — short runs limit clinical fatigue risk
24/7 plants & control rooms — four-crew operations choosing between Pitman/Panama variants
Dispatch & call centres — SLAs needing even cover with humane weekend sharing
Fire & rescue services — alongside its cousins like the 48/96

Pros & Cons

Pros

Every other weekend off — guaranteed by the geometry, not by goodwill
Maximum run of 3 shifts; fatigue stays manageable
One simple fortnight to memorise, forever
Works as fixed (Pitman) or rotating (Panama) without changing the calendar
42-hour average with predictable alternating weeks

Cons

The 2-on/2-off chop never lets you settle into a work groove
12-hour shifts dominate work days regardless of cadence
Alternating 36/48 weeks complicate overtime thresholds
Choosing the wrong variant (fixed vs rotating) for your team culture causes churn
Needs four full crews; tight headcounts break it

Variations & alternatives

2-2-3 (Panama) schedule Pitman schedule DuPont schedule 4 on 4 off Alternate weekends off

Free template download

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Frequently asked questions

Is 2-2-3-2-2-3 the same as the Panama schedule?

The Panama is the rotating implementation of this cadence (crews alternate days/nights fortnightly). The cadence itself is broader — Pitman uses the identical calendar with fixed crews.

Why do the 3-day blocks always include the weekend?

Because 14 days divides evenly into the week, the cadence stays anchored: started on a Monday, both 3-day blocks (one on, one off) land Friday-Sunday, forever.

What hours does 2-2-3-2-2-3 average?

42 hours a week on 12-hour shifts: a 3-shift (36 h) week alternating with a 4-shift (48 h) week.

Can it run on 8-hour shifts?

The calendar works, but the average drops to 28 hours — that's why the cadence is almost exclusively a 12-hour pattern.

What should we decide before adopting it?

One question above all: fixed crews or rotating? Fixed gives stable sleep but permanent night teams; rotating shares the nights but moves everyone's sleep fortnightly. Survey the team — this single choice drives most satisfaction outcomes.