How many employees for 24/7 coverage?
One person on duty around the clock is 168 hours a week. How you split them decides how many people you need.
Three 8-hour shifts
21 shifts a week. Five employees work about 34 hours each; four would need about 42 hours each, with overtime.
12-hour shifts
14 shifts a week. Four employees (one per crew) on Pitman, DuPont or 4 on 4 off average 42 hours a week.
Rest between shifts
Shifts rotate forward (day → swing → night) so nobody goes straight from a night to a morning.
Overtime tracked
Hours above 40 per Sunday-to-Saturday week are shown in the summary, per employee.
8-hour or 12-hour shifts?
24/7 schedule examples
Three sample weeks made with the generator. Use the arrows to see them all.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum staff for 24/7?
Four people if they work 12-hour shifts, or about 42 hours each on 8-hour shifts. Five people keep everyone under 40 hours with 8-hour shifts.
Can I add a floater for vacations?
Yes. Add one more employee: on a fixed rotation, people without a crew fill gaps and vacations; with 8-hour shifts, the generator just spreads the shifts.
Can I export it?
Yes: Excel with colors, a printable PDF and a calendar file (.ics) for each employee.
Can I schedule several locations at once?
Yes, in one schedule. In the Shifts step click “I have several locations”: each location gets its own shifts and coverage, and in Team you mark where each person works. Staff fixed to a location only work there; staff who float rotate between locations, never two on the same day and always with their rest between shifts. Fixed rotations like this one keep working: each crew follows its pattern at its own location. You can view, print and export each location separately.