The 2-3-2 Schedule: Rotation, Examples & Template

Q: How many hours is the 2-3-2 schedule?

An average of 42 hours a week on 12-hour shifts — seven shifts per fortnight, alternating 36-hour and 48-hour weeks.

The 2-3-2 schedule is a 12-hour shift pattern repeating every 14 days: 2 on, 3 off, 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off. Four teams (two on days, two on nights) cover a 24/7 operation, everyone averages 42 hours a week — and a 3-day break arrives in the first half of every fortnight.

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	Off	Day	Day	Off	Off	Day	Day	Day	Off	Off
Team B	Off	Off	Day	Day	Day	Off	Off	Day	Day	Off	Off	Off	Day	Day
Team C	Night	Night	Off	Off	Off	Night	Night	Off	Off	Night	Night	Night	Off	Off
Team D	Off	Off	Night	Night	Night	Off	Off	Night	Night	Off	Off	Off	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

If the cadence feels familiar, it should: the 2-3-2 is the same 14-day wheel as the 2-2-3 (Panama), entered at a different point. Where the 2-2-3 telling starts with the weekend block, the 2-3-2 telling starts midweek — which is exactly how crews experience it when their team's anchor day lands there. Same wheel, different seat.

What teams notice in the 2-3-2 seat: a 3-day break lands early in the fortnight and a 3-shift work block lands late, so the fortnight has a 'gentle start, working finish' shape. As with every member of the family, no run exceeds three consecutive 12-hour shifts and every other weekend ends up free once the wheel is anchored to the calendar.

Who uses it

Police & dispatch centres — crews on the 2-2-3 wheel whose anchor lands midweek
Hospitals & 24/7 clinical units — short runs cap fatigue in high-attention work
Continuous manufacturing — four-crew 12-hour coverage with even weekend sharing
Security operations — simple fortnight that staff memorise quickly

Pros & Cons

Pros

Never more than 3 consecutive shifts
A guaranteed 3-day break every fortnight
Every other weekend off once anchored to the calendar
42-hour average with only 7 work days per fortnight

Cons

12-hour shifts dominate the work days
The 2-on chops make some people feel they never settle into a rhythm
Alternating 36/48-hour weeks complicate overtime accounting
Needs four full crews to run 24/7

Variations & alternatives

2-2-3 (Panama) schedule Pitman schedule 2-2-3-2-2-3 cadence 3-2-2 schedule

Free template download

Download the pre-built rotation calendar, ready to print or edit. No email required.

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Build this schedule in Tommy

Set the rotation once and Tommy fills the weeks ahead — shift swaps, leave and coverage gaps handled in one place, with your team always seeing the latest version.

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Frequently asked questions

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

They are the same 14-day wheel started at different points. A crew whose anchor day lands midweek experiences the wheel as 2-3-2; a crew anchored at the weekend block experiences 2-2-3.

How many hours is the 2-3-2 schedule?

An average of 42 hours a week on 12-hour shifts — seven shifts per fortnight, alternating 36-hour and 48-hour weeks.

Does the 2-3-2 give weekends off?

Every other weekend, like the rest of its family — the 14-day wheel anchors to the calendar week, so the 3-day blocks land on the same days each fortnight.

How many teams does it need?

Four: two trading the day shift, two trading nights. Rotating day/night variants exist exactly as for the Panama.