This is a relatively slow rotating shift pattern that uses 4 teams and three 8-hr shifts to provide 24/7 coverage. Each team rotates through the following sequence every 24 days: 6 day shifts, 2 days off, 6 swing shifts, 2 days off, 6 night shifts, 2 days off.
4 on 4 off is sometimes used with 10-hour shifts but most times we see it used with 12-hour shifts. It depends on a few different things like your payroll cycle, overtime hours, etc. This template runs 8-weeks and requires 2 templates per squad. You only need 2 squads, because with 12-hour shifts, its only day and night shift.
Whether it was the mother or the father who worked these off-shift hours, it still had a negative impact on the family environment and the mental health of those in the household. The researchers concluded that “work in the evenings, nights, and on weekends can make it harder to maintain family ritual, routines, and social activities that are. 'We are a Non-Profit Organization of First Responders focused on providing our brothers and sisters with an exclusive training get-away where we teach proven techniques on managing the stresses associated with our occupations, conduct applied relaxation methods, and enjoy the scenic landscape of the Rocky Mountains at a secluded camp.
Notes:
The above grid shows working and non-working days for each team in one repeat cycle. Day 1 usually starts on a Monday but it can be any day of the week. At the end of the cycle, the entire sequence starts over. Color coded blocks represent assigned shifts (working days) while underlines represent non-working days.- The required shifts and shift lengths are shown in the Shifts column. Shift names, start times, and end times are shown as examples only. They can be changed to match the requirements of your operation.
- The teams required by the plan are shown in the first column. The total working hours for each team over the repeat cycle are shown in the Hours column, assuming one employee per team.
- The last row, Hours, shows the hours worked by all teams in each date range block (leg), assuming one employee per team.
Characteristics | |
| Plan ID | C4TR08-4 |
|---|---|
| Name | 6 On 2 Off Plan |
| Applicability | 24/7 operations |
| Teams Required | 4 |
| Shifts | Day (8-hr), Swing (8-hr), Night (8-hr) |
| Repeat Cycle | 24 days |
| Rotation | Slow, forward rotation from day shift to swing shift to night shift |
| Average Hours per Week | 42 |
| Staffing Fluctuation | Balanced from shift to shift and day to day |
| Pluses |
|
| Minuses |
|
| Common Usage | Popular with 24/7 operations that prefer 8-hr shifts |
| Notes |
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Definitions:
- Plan ID: A code used to uniquely identify the shift plan in Snap Schedule employee scheduling software.
- Name: The name of the shift plan.
- Applicability: The type of operations this shift configuration is designed for.
- Teams Required: The number of teams (crews) required by this plan. A team may consist of one or more employees.
- Shifts: The different shifts used in this shift pattern. For each shift, only the shift description and shift length are shown. The shift start or end time can be adjusted to fit your business operations so long as the shift length stays the same.
- Repeat Cycle: The number of days required for each team to complete its assigned shift sequence in a schedule plan. At the end of each repeat cycle, the team starts the same shift sequence over again.
- Rotation: For rotating shift configurations, a team rotates from one shift to another according to a specific arrangement. In a forward rotation, the team rotates from a shift that starts earlier in the day to a shift that starts later in the day, e.g. Day to Swing to Night. In a backward rotation, the reverse is true. Many studies suggest that forward rotation is better than backward rotation since our body adjusts much better to changes in work shifts from earlier to later. The rotation speed is the speed at which the shifts are rotated. In a 'fast' rotation, a team rotates from one shift to another once every few days or less. In a 'slow' rotation, a team works the same shift for many days or weeks before rotating to another shift.
- Average Hours Per Week: This is the average number of hours worked by each employee per week based on the shift lengths and shift sequences for this plan.
- Staffing Fluctuation: The fluctuation in staffing level as the plan progresses from shift to shift and day to day. A shift configration is 'balanced from shift to shift' if the new shift will be staffed by the same number of employees as the old shift. A shift configuration is 'balanced from day to day' if each day is staffed by the same number of employees. Note that by default, each team contains the same number of employees.
- Pluses: Positive aspects of the shift configuration.
- Minuses: Negative aspects of the shift configuration.
- Common Usage: Typical users of the shift configuration.
7 On 7 Off Shift
When is the last time you spent the night in your lab on the 3rd shift–a month, year… maybe a decade? How many supervisors/managers know exactly what happens on their off shifts? I bring this up because most hospitals require certain staffing levels even if they only see 15-20 labs from ER a night. If this is the case in your facility, you’ve been provided with an excellent opportunity to empower your employees while “doing more with less.” Those duties that are essential but not time sensitive—such as analyzer maintenance, quality control, and batch testing—are well-suited for off shift employees. All it takes is a bit of creative thinking.
When I first started working in my current position, the blood bank was prototypical. We ran all QC on first shift, performed morning duties, and tried to process as many pre-admission testing (PAT surgery) specimens as we could with inpatient specimens mixed in. Second shift was responsible for PAT tests and routine in-patent specimens. With productivity measures putting pressure on staffing, I thought about how I could rotate duties to allow one of the three 2nd shift technologists to leave early and only work a half shift. First, I made 1st shift responsible for all PAT testing. Second shift was to pour off the Types and Screens and first shift would do them in the morning. Second, to account for the increased workload created on first shift I made the second shift responsible for tube-testing QC and 3rd shift responsible for Gel testing QC. When things quieted down in the evening one technologist could leave.
This is just one way to look at your daily operations and think what could be done to increase productivity. This rotation of duties required a few things. First I had to teach the off-shifts how to do the QC. This was not a challenge because they were excited to learn something new. Next I had to assure first shift that the other shifts were able to perform these new duties. This aspect was the most difficult even if it meant making their jobs a little easier! Finally, I needed to monitor the workflow to make sure that this change was effective and helped with productivity, which it did.
Working the occasional off-shift has given me insight into what actually goes on in our lab. It is important as managers/supervisors to know the workflow of your lab 24/7. Working a 2nd or 3rd shift is also an opportunity to connect with staff that for the most part you may only see during a shift change. I would encourage all supervisor/managers to be aware of workflow not just during the 8-12 hours you work but for the entire time your lab processes specimens. Try to spend some time on an off shift and see what really goes bump in the night!
Off Shift Price
-Matthew Herasuta