Flexibility is a rare ability, something that everyone must have, and we can’t acquire flexibility because it is something we learn. Also, work ethics is a basic requirement for any employee but it is easier said than done. A quality like flexibility requires a lot of practice and routine, also if business efficiency is in concern then an effort is required to practice certain qualities. Person, schedules, and work ethics can be merge and will result in a quality employee. Businesses don’t become great in a blink of an eye, It is shaped and molded with proper management.

12+ Sample Work Rotation Schedules

What Is a Work Rotation Schedule?

Work can have various shifts to accommodate the need for production. The process of allocating time to all employers is what we called a work rotation schedule. There will be employees working two or three shifts a week depends on the need of the business or company. A work shift is simply the rotation of the employees to maximize their contribution to the production of the businesses. One of the primary goals of this system is to allow companies to work 24/7 or beyond the maximum working hours, another advantage is to give equal opportunity to everyone. In every company, there will be new hires and veterans, in order to achieve a harmonious work environment we need to create a workspace that will let them work together.

Commonly for restaurants, they equally divide the workers into various shifts. For example, the first group will be working on the morning shift then they will be rotated to another shift where they also can experience the peak of the working productions. This type of work system really requires work ethics and flexibility, because you’ll be adjusting your sleep pattern from time to time. Many will not proceed with this kind of system but if the employees are eager to learn new skills then this will be the perfect environment.

Benefits of Rotational Work Schedule

There will be negative sides to everything but if you’ll focus on the positive side it will generate a positive outcome as well. A rotational work schedule will bring out the best in every employee, they’ll learn a lot. It will help them to become flexible, to maximize their potential, and also for the management, it can help them evaluate the strength and weaknesses of their workers. Here are some of the benefits of making a rotational work schedule, check also the samples to have more guides.

Experience: They say experience is the best teacher and indeed it is true, people will learn much easier and faster if they experience the situation firsthand. This is one of the benefits that the rotational work schedule will produce, to equip the employees and management with the experience necessary for the success of the company. The experience they got from working on various shifts rotationally will give them an advantage in their career, as for the management they can learn from the system as well. Work ethics is essential in all fields or careers, and the best way to learn work ethics is by having experience from a tough system. This will always be essential to life no matter what the situation is, it can always be applied.Flexibility: Being flexible is a rare quality that not everyone can acquire, but with the proper schedule system, it can be easily acquired. A rotational work schedule lets you work on different transitions, helps you adjust to things in a short time. During a rotational work schedule, you will ask to work from morning to night shift over a short period of time and that will mold the employees and management. Businesses can work and have a stable run but when the crisis arrives, we need to be flexible to be able to keep the business functional.Maximization: Employees who experience rotational schedules will be given an opportunity to undergo different circumstances. The pressure in work will bring out the best potential of everyone, giving them the drive to excel in the field. For example, in a rotational work schedule, different characteristics of employees will work together from veteran to newly hired. Working with different people with experience will maximize the ability of everyone to work efficiently and thus help the success of the company or business. Most of the companies fall short of bringing out the full potential of everyone and eventually will reflect the production rate of the company. In all fields, the labor force is the most essential component in the market.Management Evaluation: Failing to evaluate will result in stagnant progress, it also means delayed success. One of the benefits of making a rotational work schedule is having an effective evaluation of the system, management, and the employees as well. Evaluation is monitoring and assessing someone’s performance to see if the standards were meet or not. One of the functions of the company’s management is to assess everyone including the higher-ups to ensure quality in the business.

The Types of Rotating Schedules

A rotational work schedule affects everyone, including the routine and special occasions of every employee. To ensure that everyone is given quality time for family, friends, and self, it must be carefully plot. There are various patterns used by successful companies that resulted in a great rotation. One of the examples is the Frequent rotation schedule, it is a schedule that changes week to week. A person may work seven days straight for the morning shift and another straight seven days on the night shift. Another example is the Weekend rotation schedule, In this schedule, employees will have alternate rest days, some will have a rest day on weekend and some will have on weekdays, it will rotate every week so that they can have time for their family, friends, and self as well. There are important rotations as well followed by huge companies. Let’s take a look at some of the primary rotation schedule types.

The Southern Swing – The rotation will have three stages, all employees will work 8 hours for seven days then will have a day off, this will go for the whole 28 days. The southern swing will look like this, the first shift would be seven days work and two days off, the next is seven days of the morning shift and two days off, the third and last phase is seven days of night shifts and three days off. the employees will have seven days straight but they only got 8 hours, it can sometimes be tiring that is why the period of this shift is only for 28 days.

Dupont shift schedule – This is commonly used by companies or businesses that operate 24/7 and need a proper rotation of the employees. The benefit of this method is employees can have a week-long vacation every month. However, they have to work 72 hours in one week and only get one 24-hour break in the middle of the month. They need to work 12 hours and rotate to a different shift, it really requires fast pace adjusting to being able to cope up with the work. The Dupont will work like this, the first week would be four-night shifts and three days off, the second week would be three-day shifts, one day off, and then three-night shifts. The third week would be three days off and four-day shifts. The last week would be a week-long vacation which is the seven days off. This method or pattern can be really tiring but the days off can also be very rewarding.

Pitman shift schedule

This is known for the “every other weekend off” plan. It consists of four teams rotating different days off each week, They’ll be working 12 hours shifts and may rotate from morning to night shift as well. This kind of method is very effective because employees can have an opportunity for a day off on weekend. This is how the Pitman shift schedule is being plotted.

Team 1: Two-day shifts, two days off, three-day shifts, two days off, two-day shifts, three days off

Team 2: Two-night shifts, two days off, three-night shifts, two days off, two-night shifts, three days off

Team 3: Two days off, two-day shifts, three days off, two-night shifts, two days off, three-night shifts

Team 4: Two days off, two-night shifts, three days off, two-day shifts, two days off, three-day shifts

2-2, 3-2, 2-3 rotating shift schedule

This system is somehow similar to the Pitman shift schedule, this works with four teams as well. This is an alternative pattern to the Pitman, employees will still work 12 hours and change the shift after every two weeks. For example, the first team will work the day shift on the first week and change to the night shift on the second week till the month is done. This will be the sequence of the pattern, for the first week there will be two days shifts, two days off then three days shifts, and all on the morning shifts. the second week would be two days off, two days shifts then three days off. The third week would be two nights shifts, two days off then three nights shifts. Lastly, two days off, two nights shifts then three days off. This applies to a rotation that allows employees to have more time with family and friends.

How to Create a Work Rotation Schedule

A work rotation schedule requires proper planning so that the flow may be effective and to ensure as well that employees were treated accordingly. In every business, the workforce is the main component in the structure of the business and that is why it must be given the most attention as well. A work rotation schedule is a perfect system for industries or companies that operates 24/7, the management as well must understand how to make a work rotation schedule that will also benefit not just the company but also the employee. Here are some tips on how to make a work rotation schedule, you can also download some of the samples to help you in making your own schedule.

Assess your employees

The very first thing to do is to understand and know your employees, assess their strengths and weaknesses so that you will be able to divide the faction accordingly. Every employee has their own characteristics, each strength can contribute to the success of the company. This will be the first step, you can do it by doing profiling to everyone. In doing profiling, you can create an assessment that will test the person’s ethics, logical reasoning, skills, and leadership of the employee. An assessment can also be an observation through research or survey, in this way you’ll be able to know as well the other employee’s opinions or thoughts about a certain person. During the assessment, you will also learn what type of rotational schedule to choose.

Create a team

Dividing employees after having an assessment is the second step in making a rotational work schedule, a team will be depending on what type of rotational schedule you have chosen. In creating a team you can do it using Microsoft excel to keep the records, start with properly allocating the team’s strengths and weaknesses. One thing to consider in creating a team is to not be biased so that every employee can work with their full potential. For example, team A must have a combination of veterans and newbies. you can also assign a team leader to ensure that every move or process will be monitored. A team is not just about being the best in individual skills, it is more about being able to successfully accomplish every task with cooperation.

Assign a shift

Assigning a shift for each team is a crucial task, you may be able to create a great team but if they are not in the right shift then still it can create chaos. Assigning a shift for each team must be carefully thought, you need to know what can be best for employees and for the business as well. The things to consider are the potential of the team and what type of skills they have or they need to acquire. The assigning of a shift can be done on a whiteboard so that everyone can see, or it can also be done digitally and can send a copy to each employee’s account depending on the type of business. Categorize the team then plot the schedule for the whole month, then make sure that the shifts won’t have conflicts with each team.

Monitor and modify

The last step is about constantly monitoring each team, member, and production as well. This is one of the standard procedures so that you can modify the schedules depending on the circumstances. After making a team and assigning shifts, there will always be unprecedented situations, so making quick adjustments will be necessary to cope up with the production standard. To be able to monitor all the members and the team, you can create a worksheet that has all the data with different skill measurements as well. You can inform the team or member who has a low performance and provide sanctions or ultimatum then proceed with adjustments if procedure standards still haven’t been met.

What is a rotating work schedule?

A rotating work schedule is assigning the employees to different shifts then rotate them over a short period of time. For example, employees work the night shift for three days then rotate them into the morning shift for the next three days after two days off.

What is the best rotational schedule?

Ideally, there are different patterns to use like the Pitman or the 3-2-2 shifts, but the most effective rotation is the one that benefits the employees and the business as well.

What is the negative side of rotating schedule?

A rotating schedule might affect the adjustments of the person’s sleeping pattern. It can be a health risk especially for people not used to this kind of work pattern.

A work schedule is vital to every business’s success, this will determine the production rate of the company. The production standard will only be enhanced if the employees work to their full potential. Bringing out the A game of your employee must be part of your objectives as well, and in order to do that, you’ll need to create a work environment that best suits their ability and that can be beneficial to the company too. A rotational work schedule will not only equip the employees with the right skills and abilities, but it will also help them understand the value of working in hectic schedules. The workforce is the foundation of the business.