A continental shift pattern rotates a person through earlies, lates and nights in short blocks, typically two or three of each, with days off between, so that everyone shares the nights and nobody is on them permanently. It is the classic manufacturing rota, and it is where the words continental shift, panama shift and double day shift start being used for patterns that are related but not the same. This page reads them as arithmetic: what each pattern gives a person in hours over its cycle, how many teams each needs to cover the clock, and how to cost any of them on the free rota sheet on this site before the rota is written.
The continental pattern, and what it gives a person
A common continental shift runs two earlies, two lates, two nights and two off, on eight hour shifts, across four teams. Over its eight day cycle a person works six shifts, 48 hours, which is the same 42 hour weekly average as four on four off but with far more changes of shift. That is the pattern's trade: the nights are shared and the blocks off are short. The change from a late into an early is where the 11 hours of rest GOV.UK sets between working days is at risk, and a continental rota has to be checked for it at every turn of the cycle.
The Panama shift pattern and the double day shift, compared
The Panama shift pattern is a 12 hour rotation over a two week cycle, two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off, which gives every other weekend off in full and averages 42 hours a week across its four teams. The double day shift pattern is two teams alternating earlies and lates, usually a week of each, with no nights at all, and it is the simplest rotation there is: two shifts a day, two teams, 40 hours a week each on eight hour shifts. Which fits is decided by whether the business runs at night; if it does not, the double day pattern is cheaper to run and easier to publish.
Costing any of them on the free sheet
Every pattern reduces to shifts a day, hours a shift, people a shift and days open, and that is what the work rota template on this site takes. Three eight hour shifts a day across seven days with two people a shift is 42 shifts and 336 rota hours; at £12.71 an hour that is £4,270.56 a week, and across twelve people it is 28 hours a head with 20 hours of headroom under the weekly average. Change the pattern's shape and the sheet returns the new hours, cost and gap against contracts before anyone is told their rotation.
Questions people ask about continental shift pattern
What is the difference between a continental shift and 4 on 4 off?
Both average 42 hours a week on four teams. Four on four off uses 12 hour shifts and long blocks; the continental uses eight hour shifts and rotates earlies, lates and nights in short blocks so the nights are shared.
How many teams does a Panama shift pattern need?
Four: two on days and two on nights, each alternating two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off over a fourteen day cycle. Every person gets every other weekend off in full.
Is a double day shift pattern a rotating pattern?
Yes, the simplest one: two teams swapping between earlies and lates, usually weekly, with no nights. It is the pattern to use when the business does not run overnight.