The Pitman Schedule: Rotation, Examples & Template

Q: How many hours per week is the Pitman schedule?

An average of 42 hours : a 36-hour week (three shifts) alternating with a 48-hour week (four shifts).

The Pitman schedule covers 24/7 operations with four teams on 12-hour shifts: two teams permanently on days, two permanently on nights, each working a repeating fortnight of 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. Everyone averages 42 hours a week and has 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

Pitman takes the popular 2-2-3 cadence and removes the rotation: your team is either a day team or a night team, permanently. Teams A and B trade the day shift back and forth — whenever A is on, B is off — while teams C and D do the same on nights.

Keeping crews fixed is the pattern's whole argument. Night workers keep one consistent sleep schedule instead of re-adjusting every fortnight, and day workers never face a night block at all. The price is permanence: the night crews carry the night burden all year, which is why many sites pair Pitman with a night differential and review crew assignments periodically.

The fortnight itself keeps the 2-2-3's best property: a full Friday-to-Sunday weekend off every second week, and never more than three consecutive shifts.

Who uses it

Hospitals, EMS & dispatch — fixed nights let night-shift specialists keep a stable rhythm
Data centres & NOC teams — 24/7 monitoring with crews who prefer consistency
Manufacturing with stable demand — no rotation means simpler training and handover habits
Corrections & security — one of the most common fixed 12-hour rosters in the sector
Warehousing & fulfilment — day/night split maps cleanly onto pick/replenish operations

Pros & Cons

Pros

Every other weekend off (Fri-Sat-Sun), guaranteed by the cadence
Fixed days or fixed nights — one sleep schedule, no rotation whiplash
Never more than 3 consecutive 12-hour shifts
Simple to run: two day teams, two night teams, one repeating fortnight
Averages 42 h/week with predictable built-in overtime

Cons

Night teams work nights permanently — fairness needs managing (differentials, voluntary assignment, periodic swaps)
Alternating 36/48-hour weeks complicate payroll if overtime starts at 40
12-hour shifts leave little usable time on work days
Recruiting dedicated night crews is harder than rotating everyone
Four equal crews required; absences hit hard at minimum staffing

Variations & alternatives

2-2-3 (Panama) schedule DuPont schedule 4 on 4 off 7 on 7 off Rotating shift schedules

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

What is the difference between Pitman and 2-2-3 (Panama)?

The cadence is identical — 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. The difference is rotation: Panama crews alternate between days and nights fortnight by fortnight, while Pitman crews stay fixed on days or fixed on nights.

How many hours per week is the Pitman schedule?

An average of 42 hours: a 36-hour week (three shifts) alternating with a 48-hour week (four shifts).

Is Pitman better than DuPont?

They solve different problems. Pitman offers stability (fixed shifts, every other weekend off) with no long breaks; DuPont offers a 7-day break every month at the cost of mixed day/night blocks inside the cycle. Teams that value routine usually prefer Pitman; teams that value the monthly week off prefer DuPont.

Does the Pitman schedule include overtime?

Built-in, modest and predictable: in the 48-hour weeks, anything past your overtime threshold (often 40 hours) is overtime every single cycle, so it should be budgeted as standard labour cost, not as an exception.

Can Pitman run with rotation?

Yes — add a day/night swap every 2, 4 or 8 weeks and you get the rotating variants (fortnightly rotation makes it the Panama). The slower the rotation, the more stable sleep schedules stay.