4 on, 3 off

Also known as a 4-3 shift pattern, this term refers to when staff work four days in a row, then have three days off, for a period of three weeks.

Although staff work fewer days per week, 4-3 shifts are typically 10 hours long rather than eight, so staff still work 40 hours per week. These shift patterns often rotate. For example, an employee’s schedule might look like this:

On week 1, Jeff works the early shift on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.

On week 2, Jeff works the mid shift on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.

On week 3: Jeff works the late shift on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.

In other businesses, working days will also rotate so that staff (or entire teams) eventually have a turn working or resting on the weekends.