How Many Types of Work Shifts Are There?

Usually, most office jobs follow regular business hours, such as the standard 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. However, businesses and organisations that need to operate around the clock rely on shift work to keep operations running smoothly. 

Companies that need 24-hour coverage have a few options when scheduling workers for shift work:

• Eight-hour shifts (a.m., p.m., or overnight) on a fixed or rotating schedule
• Four ten-hour shifts followed by three days off
• Several 12-hour shifts followed by several days off

The different types of shifts

1st shift / Day Shift

Usually in line with traditional working hours: 8 or 9 a.m. until 5 or 6 p.m. Working first shift means employees get a reasonably standard workday, complete with the morning and evening commute, and evenings off. 

2nd shift / Afternoon Shift

Usually runs from around 4 p.m. to midnight. It's the shift that follows right after the first shift. Second shift employees often earn slightly higher pay than first shift workers, because it's not easy to find people who are willing to work late. 

It's also referred to as the swing shift. 

3rd shift / Midnight shift

This shift comes after the second shift. Though hours may differ between employers, the third shift always begins sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight and ends sometime between 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.

Also called the graveyard shift, its biggest perk is the higher pay rate.

Many factories operate at night or around the clock.

Rotating shift

Rotating shifts covers a wide variety of work schedules and implies that shifts change according to a set schedule. These shifts can be either continuous: running 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, or semi-continuous: running 2 or 3 shifts per day with or without weekends.

Fixed shift rotation

A fixed shift rotation has workers that always operate on the same shift. Normally one crew works a day shift, another works an afternoon shift and a third works the night shift.

Split shift

A split shift is a type of shift-work schedule where an employee's workday is split into two or more parts. For instance, an employee may work from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., take a break until 2 p.m. and then return to work until 7 p.m.

Split shifts are popular in industries with peak hours throughout the day, such as the restaurant industry, where workers clock in for the morning or lunch rush, then clock out for the afternoon and then return in time to work for the dinner crowd.

2-2 3-2 2-3 Rotating Shift

The 2-2 3-2 2-3 rotating shift schedule uses 4 teams () and 2 twelve-hour shifts to provide 24/7 coverage. It consists of a 2-week cycle where each team:

• Works 2 consecutive day shifts followed by 2 days off duty.
• Then works 3 consecutive day shifts, followed by 2 days off duty.
• They will then work 2 consecutive day shifts, followed by 3 days off duty. 

An example of the 2-2 3-2 2-3 rotating shift. Credit: Business Management Systems

Usually, companies operate it as a 4-week cycle. It's still the same system but repeated twice in a month. 

In this world that is always on the move, it's no wonder how there are so types of work shifts right now!

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