Continental Shift Pattern Calculator (2-2-3)

Continental shift pattern calculator

Also called the 2-2-3 or Panama pattern: two on, two off, three on, then the mirror image. Enter an hourly rate to get average weekly hours, annual hours and gross pay across the full 14-day cycle.

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UK shift patterns built in

Building a continental rota for four teams?

Open the free rota maker with the 2-2-3 cycle already laid out for the next four weeks: four teams, two on 12-hour days and two on nights, so every day and night is covered. Rename each row to a person and see the hours per person and per day as you go. It flags anyone given less than 11 hours' rest between shifts, which is where a fast rotation usually goes wrong. No account needed to build it — sign up to print or download it and the rota comes with you.

Get the rota on staff phones Put a continental rota together

The free rota maker with a 4-on-4-off week: four people on 12-hour day and night shifts, with hours per person and per day

How the 2-2-3 cycle works

A team works two days on, two off, three on — then the next week inverts it: two off, two on, three off. Over 14 days that is seven 12-hour shifts, or 84 hours a fortnight, an average of 42 hours per week and roughly 2,190 hours a year.

The design goal is the weekend. Because the cycle is exactly two weeks long, it locks to the calendar — and every team gets a full three-day weekend every other week, at the same predictable point. That is the single biggest reason it is chosen over 4-on-4-off, which drifts across weekdays and never guarantees a weekend.

Continental, Panama, or 2-2-3?

The names are used loosely and often interchangeably in UK workplaces. In practice:

Panama almost always means the 2-2-3 rotation on 12-hour shifts, as described here.

Continental is sometimes used for 2-2-3, and sometimes for a faster-rotating 8-hour version (2 mornings, 2 afternoons, 2 nights, 2 off) that averages closer to 42 hours across a longer cycle.

2-2-3 is the unambiguous term. If a contract or rota agreement is being drafted, write the actual sequence and shift length rather than the name.

Working Time Regulations: what to watch

Four teams for continuous cover. Two teams on days and two on nights gives unbroken 24/7 cover with no team exceeding a 42-hour average. Running it with three teams pushes the average to 56 hours and requires signed opt-outs.

Rotating day/night variants. Where teams swap between days and nights, the changeover should run forwards (days → nights) rather than backwards. Night workers keep the 8-hour average limit and the right to a free health assessment.

The three-shift run. Thirty-six hours across three days is the heaviest stretch in the cycle. Where the work is safety-critical, this is the block a fatigue risk assessment should focus on.

Holiday entitlement on a 2-2-3 rota

The 14-day cycle makes leave slightly easier than six- or eight-day patterns, because a fortnight always contains exactly seven shifts. It is still safer to deduct in hours: 5.6 weeks of statutory leave at a 42-hour average is 235.2 hours, and hours-based deduction means a worker who books the heavy three-shift stretch is treated the same as one who books the light week. The pro rata holiday calculator covers part-time and mid-year variants.