Save up to 20% with our Annual plans →
Search
USAAUUKESFRBRTHIN
Get Started
Blog

Panama vs DuPont vs Southern Swing: The 12-Hour Showdown

June 10, 2026Shift Patterns

Ask 'what's the best 12-hour schedule?' in any operations forum and three names dominate the answers: the Panama (2-2-3), the DuPont, and — the ringer, since it's actually an 8-hour pattern — the Southern Swing. All three cover 24/7 with four crews at 42 hours a week. They distribute those hours into completely different lives.

Panama: the 2-2-3 rhythm with fortnightly day/night swaps

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.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Team ADayDayOffOffDayDayDayOffOffDayDayOffOffOffNightNightOffOffNightNightNightOffOffNightNightOffOffOff
Team BOffOffDayDayOffOffOffNightNightOffOffNightNightNightOffOffNightNightOffOffOffDayDayOffOffDayDayDay
Team CNightNightOffOffNightNightNightOffOffNightNightOffOffOffDayDayOffOffDayDayDayOffOffDayDayOffOffOff
Team DOffOffNightNightOffOffOffDayDayOffOffDayDayDayOffOffDayDayOffOffOffNightNightOffOffNightNightNight
Day = Day shiftNight = Night shiftOff = Day off

Southern Swing: week-long blocks rotating forward through the three shifts

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.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSunMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Team ADayDayDayDayDayDayDayOffOffEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningOffOffNightNightNightNightNightNightNightOffOffOff
Team BOffOffEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningOffOffNightNightNightNightNightNightNightOffOffOffDayDayDayDayDayDayDay
Team CEveningEveningOffOffNightNightNightNightNightNightNightOffOffOffDayDayDayDayDayDayDayOffOffEveningEveningEveningEveningEvening
Team DNightNightNightNightOffOffOffDayDayDayDayDayDayDayOffOffEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningEveningOffOffNightNightNight
Day = Day shiftEvening = Evening shiftNight = Night shiftOff = Day off

The three-way table

Panama (2-2-3)DuPontSouthern Swing
Shift length12 h12 h8 h
Cycle28 days28 days28 days
Longest run3 shifts4 shifts7 shifts
Best break3-day weekend, every other week7 days, every cycle3 days, once per cycle
WeekendsEvery other one off, guaranteedDrift through the cycleMostly worked, in some form
Night exposure2-3 nights at a timeUp to 4 nights at a time7 nights, one week in four
Commutes per cycle141421

Verdicts by team

Teams that prize weekends → Panama. The alternating guaranteed Fri-Sun is the single most-cited reason crews vote for it, and the max-3 runs keep fatigue moderate. The honest cost: the 2-on/2-off chop never feels settled.

Teams that prize long breaks → DuPont. Nothing else delivers a week off monthly without using leave. The honest cost: the four-night block and a 72-hour week inside every cycle.

Teams doing heavy physical work → Southern Swing. Eight-hour shifts are its whole argument: by hour eight a steelworker is done; hour twelve isn't safe. The honest costs: seven-shift runs, more commutes, and most weekends touched by work.

If none of the three fits cleanly, the field is wider than the famous names — the pattern library has the full set, and the decision framework narrows it fast.

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.

Get Started

Tommy employee scheduling

Frequently asked questions

What is the best 12-hour shift schedule?
For most teams that vote: the Panama/2-2-3, on the strength of guaranteed alternating weekends and short runs. DuPont wins where the monthly 7-day break dominates preferences.
Is Southern Swing a 12-hour schedule?
No — it's the classic 8-hour, four-crew rotation (a week each of days, evenings, nights). It enters this comparison because it solves the same problem with shorter shifts.
Which has the easiest night shifts?
Panama: never more than three nights consecutively, with a fortnight on days in every cycle. DuPont runs four-night blocks; Southern Swing runs a full week of nights.
Do all three really average the same hours?
Yes — 42 hours a week. That's the four-crew constant (168 hours ÷ 4); the patterns differ in shape, not in total.

More Resources

Five signs your shift rostering software is making your team anxious

Five signs your shift rostering software is making your team anxious

World Health Day: What A Healthy Workplace Looks Like

World Health Day: What A Healthy Workplace Looks Like

How small NDIS providers are growing faster by working smarter

How small NDIS providers are growing faster by working smarter

Get Started

The free scheduling and time tracking app that makes managing your team easy.

Get Started