Employees schedule their lives around their work shifts. It goes without saying that shift patterns can have a major impact on workers’ lifestyles, work predictability, and overall happiness.
They can also affect employees’ health. For example, research shows that night shift workers have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease since their natural circadian rhythms get disrupted — not to mention the sleep deprivation. Meanwhile, alternating shift schedules can lead to callouts, overtime, burnout, and potential health problems.
That’s just part of why effective schedule management is crucial to running a shift-based business. Of course, it’s essential to find the right balance between employee and business needs. Let’s break down the advantages and disadvantages of different working shift patterns to help you decide what’s best for your workplace.
Simple Breakdown of Common Working Shift Patterns
Here are some of the most common shift patterns, along with their pros and cons.
Fixed shifts
Fixed shifts are any shifts that have a set schedule — think the typical 9 to 5. For shift-based businesses, it’s common for these shifts to be 8 or 12 hours. However, retail and food services can have shorter fixed shifts since they tend to have workers who work fewer overall hours.
Pros and cons of fixed shifts
Pros | Cons |
Predictable schedules for staff | Depending on the schedule, it could limit an employee’s social life |
Easy to set up | May lead to over- or understaffing |
Can potentially create 24/7 coverage | Need enough employees to achieve 24/7 coverage |
Fewer scheduling conflicts | May be difficult for part-timers or those who need more flexibility |
Split shifts
A split shift is when a person has two different shifts on the same day. They may have a shift in the morning and then another one in the evening.
Pros and cons of split shifts
Pros | Cons |
Flexible for part-time employees | Multiple commutes |
Potentially increased productivity with longer rest breaks | Can disrupt work-life balance |
Can ensure all-day coverage | Some employees may not be able or willing to separate shifts |
Help address busy times | Difficult to schedule |
Night shifts
Also known as graveyard shifts, these shifts involve working overnight. They’re common in the healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality industries and can be incorporated into a variety of shift patterns, including fixed or rotating shifts.
Pros and cons of night shifts
Pros | Cons |
Lighter commutes and, in some cases, workloads for employees | Disrupt sleep patterns and may contribute to health problems |
Help create 24/7 coverage | Potentially more fatigued, less productive employees |
Usually require fewer employees | May be harder to find people willing to work these shifts |
Can address customer or business needs outside traditional hours | Often more costly |
Rotating shifts
These shifts rotate in day and time, so there’s never a set schedule. They’re common for businesses that need 24/7 coverage or have numerous employees with different schedules. A rotating shift example would be someone working Monday through Thursday one week and then Friday through Sunday the next.
Pros and cons of rotating shifts
Pros | Cons |
Can get coverage without overworking employees | Can create gaps in coverage |
Spreads out less desirable shifts | Can be difficult to schedule |
Can adjust for busy and slow times | Inconsistency and unpredictability can be stressful |
Can work around both part-time and full-time workers | Difficult to plan around, depending on how often the shifts rotate |
Flextime shifts
Flextime shifts let employees pick their work hours — within reason. This can happen when there are numerous employees, so there is always coverage, or in businesses or roles where work does not need to be completed at a specific time.
Pros and cons of flextime shifts
Pros | Cons |
Better work-life balance for staff | More complex to schedule and manage |
Improved employee satisfaction | Can create gaps in coverage |
Increased productivity as people choose the times when they work best | Can disrupt work processes that require collaboration or team cohesion |
Compressed shifts
Compressed shifts involve working longer shifts and fewer days. For example, an employee might have 10-hour shifts but only work four days.
Pros and cons of compressed shifts
Pros | Cons |
Longer rest periods and better work-life balance | Potential employee fatigue and burnout from long shifts |
Reduced commuting | May be harder to use for more physical jobs |
Easy to schedule | May not work well for businesses that need 24/7 coverage |
4-on-4 shifts
This is when an employee works for four days and has four days off. Employees with this shift pattern typically work 12-hour shifts.
Pros and cons of 4-on-4 shifts
Pros | Cons |
Can provide 24/7 coverage | Potential for employee fatigue and burnout |
More days off and rest time | Doesn’t work as well for part-timers |
Can be a predictable schedule for managers and staff | Can be challenging for employees to plan their days and responsibilities around |
On-call shifts
In this case, in addition to scheduled hours, employees get called in to work certain shifts as needed. This is a common shift pattern in the healthcare industry.
Pros and cons of on-call shifts
Pros | Cons |
Work-life balance for employees | Can’t reliably plan around work |
Save businesses money by right-sizing workers on the clock for shifts | Can add complexity to scheduling |
Best shift patterns for various priorities
As you can see, there’s no clear-cut answer to which shift pattern is “the best.” However, some working shift patterns might make more sense than others depending on your organisation’s needs and goals. Finding the “best” option means balancing your business needs with those of your employees.
Employee wellness
If you’re focusing on employee wellness, flextime or compressed shift patterns are often the best choices. One allows employees to choose when they work (within reason), while the other offers more recovery time.
Both options offer the better work-life balance that many shift industry employees are looking for.
Labour law compliance
With the right tools and precautions, technically, any shift pattern can comply with labour laws. For example, Deputy's compliance hub offers educational resources and tools to help ensure compliance. Our scheduling tool will also consider labour laws when creating shifts.
However, if labour law compliance has been a challenge for your business, fixed shifts might help. Having consistent shifts that start and end at the same time each day makes it easier to ensure staff take their breaks and there are no compliance issues with shift scheduling.
Learn everything you need to know about FMLA regulations to stay compliant.
Flexibility
If flexibility is your goal, flextime shifts are clearly the way to go. The schedule flexibility they offer can be highly desirable for employees and work well for businesses that have numerous employees with different schedules and needs.
Perception of fairness among staff
Shift fairness is extremely important for businesses — especially when there are less desirable shifts like overnights (looking at you, healthcare and hospitality).
Using a rotating shift schedule is the best way to create a sense of fairness if your business requires around-the-clock coverage. It will ensure each staff member gets their share of preferred and “unwanted” shifts and everyone is treated equally.
Cross-coverage availability
To ensure cross-coverage in case a no-call, no-show occurs, the best shift patterns to fill in potential gaps are rotating and split shifts. Rotating shifts help ensure 24/7 coverage. Split shifts can offer workers more flexibility and can cover mornings, afternoons, and evenings.
Consistent customer experience
To achieve a consistent positive customer experience, you need enough staff on the floor. Being understaffed will negatively impact customer service as employees try to do multiple jobs. Your staff also needs to be trained properly.
The best shift patterns for this concern are fixed, 4-on-4, or compressed shifts. These shifts make it easy to schedule and train employees, keep everyone on the same page, and foster team cohesion. They also create consistent patterns for employees as well as customers, who can count on consistent and reliable service.
Cost control
The best shift patterns for cost control can be split shiftsand on-call shifts. Split shifts are shorter and can be strategically placed during the busy times of day — which prevents overstaffing during slower times or having to pay for overtime. Likewise, on-call shifts help companies save money by only having workers come in when they’re really needed.
See how Ace Hardware became more strategic with its shift scheduling.
Managerial work required
If you’re looking for shift patterns that require very little effort from managers, fixed shifts are the way to go. Once the shifts are established, they’ll need very little change — except for the occasional illness or vacation.
However, compressed shifts could also be a great shift pattern that requires little effort once set up. Plus, they offer good rest periods, which makes employees happier.
Learn how Deputy helped reduce managerial scheduling work for UNTUCKit.
What’s the best shift rotation schedule for your workplace?
To find the “best” working shift pattern for your business, you need to do three things: Identify the needs of your customers and business, talk to your staff about their preferences, and review past data to see what has worked and what hasn’t. From there, you can narrow down a pattern that works for both your business and employees.
Deputy’s features can help you solve this mystery. Our pulse surveys make checking in with employees easy, and our scheduling software can look at the past and future of your business to accurately predict your scheduling needs.
Why not try Deputy for free and see its capabilities for yourself?
