How the 2-2-3 rotation works
Each crew works two shifts, has two days off, works three shifts, has two days off, works two shifts and then has three days off. That 14-day block repeats, so every other weekend is a three-day weekend from Friday to Sunday.
In the rotating version shown here, a crew works its first 14-day block on day shifts and the next 14-day block on nights, so the full cycle is 28 days. Two crews are on days and two on nights at any time, and on each day exactly one crew is working each shift.
Some employers keep crews on fixed days or fixed nights instead of rotating. That fixed version is usually called the Pitman schedule; the on and off days are identical.
| Day | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew A | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | ||||||||||||||
| Crew B | D | D | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | D | D | D | D | D | ||||||||||||||
| Crew C | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | ||||||||||||||
| Crew D | N | N | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | N | N | N | N | N |
- Cycle length
- 28 days
- Work/rest blocks
- 2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-3-2-2-3
- Shift length
- 12 hours
- Average week
- 42 hours
Pros
- Never more than three shifts in a row.
- Every other weekend is a three-day weekend.
- Coverage is 24/7 with only four crews.
Cons
- 12-hour shifts are long, especially on nights.
- Switching between days and nights every two weeks makes sleep harder to keep regular.
- Hours swing between a long week and a short week, which complicates childcare and overtime.
Make your own shift calendar
Print the calendar above for your crew, or open it in the builder: every shift of 2027 is added as a colored event (amber for days, indigo for nights) next to anything already on your calendar. Add birthdays and appointments, pick a theme and export a PDF of one month or all twelve. In the builder and the PDF, shifts show as colored dots on each date.
Open crew D in the builder2-2-3 Shift Schedule FAQ
How many hours a week is the 2-2-3 schedule?
42 hours on average. Crews work 12-hour shifts, and over each 28-day cycle half the days are worked, but individual weeks run longer or shorter than the average.
How many shifts does a crew work in 2027?
With the cycle starting on January 4, 2027, crew A works 182 shifts in 2027 (2,184 hours) and has 183 days off. Other crews and start dates land within a day or two of that.
Is the 2-2-3 schedule the same as the Pitman or Panama schedule?
They share the same 14-day pattern of work and rest days. The names are used loosely, but "2-2-3" and "Panama" usually describe crews that rotate between days and nights, while "Pitman" usually means crews stay on fixed days or fixed nights. Check which version your employer uses.
Do you get overtime on a 2-2-3 schedule?
Often, in the US. Hourly workers earn overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, and a 2-2-3 rotation alternates between weeks above and below 40 hours, so the long weeks usually include some overtime. The exact amount depends on which day your employer starts the workweek.
How do I line the calendar up with my real rota?
Pick your crew, then set the cycle start to a date when crew A began the first day of the pattern. If you only know your own days, change the start date until the calendar matches your next few shifts.