How the 4 on 4 off pattern works

The roster

One row per team, one column per day of the cycle. The cycle then repeats.

Shifts per 16-day cycle

How the 16 day cycle works

Use a day shift from 7 am to 7 pm and a night shift from 7 pm to 7 am. Team A reads DDDDOOOONNNNOOOO: four days on, four off, four nights on, four off. Teams B, C and D run the same string starting four, eight and twelve days later. Because the four teams are spaced four days apart, every date has exactly one team on days and one on nights, with the other two resting. The blocks are equal, so anyone can work out their next set of shifts from a single date. Some sites split it into fixed day and night crews instead of rotating both.

• D is the day shift, 7 am to 7 pm.
• N is the night shift, 7 pm to 7 am.
• O is a rest day; rests come in blocks of four.
• Four teams offset by four days each keep cover full.

Hours per week worked out

Each team works eight shifts in the 16 day cycle: four days and four nights. Eight shifts of 12 hours is 96 hours over 16 days. Sixteen days is 16 divided by 7, about 2.29 weeks, so 96 hours works out to 42 hours a week on average. The 12 hour shift again runs past the eight hour ordinary day, so the extra hours are overtime at twice the ordinary wage rate with consent. Confirm your state rule on daily hours and set the overtime multipliers before the first cycle.

Who the pattern suits

The four day break is the draw. It lets staff take a short trip, study or hold a second commitment without leave, which suits younger workers and those who live far from the site. The cost is four straight 12 hour shifts, which is heavy near the end of a night block. It works well for security, warehousing and plants with steady, physical but not high concentration work. Women may work the night block with their consent and the safety conditions the government sets. Keep at least a clear day between a night block and the next day block.

Pros

• Four straight days off in every 16 day cycle.
• Even blocks make the roster very easy to read.
• Four teams cover a full round the clock site.
• Average of 42 hours a week stays under 48.

Cons

• Four 12 hour shifts in a row are tiring.
• The last night of a block is the hardest.
• Long blocks off can feel disconnected from the team.
• Hours beyond eight a day add overtime cost.

Set it up in ZeniaHR

1. In the shift catalogue set up the 12 hour day and night shifts with code, timings, break, full and half day hours, grace, and the night flag with a colour.
2. Build a rotation template with a 16 day cycle holding four day shifts, four offs, four night shifts and four offs, and offset the four teams by four days.
3. Assign in bulk over up to 92 days and use the day grid to check one day team and one night team show on each date.
4. Set the overtime policy to count hours beyond full day hours with multipliers at or above twice the ordinary rate for working days, weekly offs and holidays.
5. Give each employee a personal weekly off only if a team member needs a fixed rest day; otherwise let the rotation template drive the offs.
6. Turn on the late and missed punch out alerts so a supervisor is told when a 12 hour shift does not close on the biometric or app.

Frequently asked questions