The 2-2-3 work schedule: how it works, with a full 14-day example

Two days on, two off, three on — then the mirror image the next week. The 2-2-3 schedule (often called the Panama schedule) covers a post 24/7 with four crews on 12-hour shifts. Here is the whole rotation, the hours it gives each week, the overtime it creates under US law, and what the EU, UK and Greek rules require.

Updated: 13 October 2026 365shift

What a 2-2-3 schedule is

Each crew works 12-hour shifts in a 14-day cycle: 2 days on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. A second crew works exactly the days the first one has off, so between them one shift a day is always covered. Two crews do this on days and two on nights — four crews for round-the-clock cover.

Shifts per person: 7 in every 14 days — 84 hours, an average of 42 a week.
Never more than 3 working days in a row, and never more than 3 days off in a row.
Every other week ends with a three-day weekend off (Friday to Sunday).
Over a year: 182.5 shifts, about 2,190 hours.

The full rotation for one post, 24/7

Day shift 07:00–19:00, night shift 19:00–07:00. Crews A and B share the days; crews C and D share the nights in the same way.

Week 1 — A works Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday; B works Wednesday and Thursday.
Week 2 — A works Wednesday and Thursday; B works Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Nights — C follows A’s days and D follows B’s, on the 19:00–07:00 shift.
Week 3 starts the cycle again.

Hours per week: 60, then 24

The average is 42 hours, but the weeks are uneven. Counted Monday to Sunday, crew A has 5 shifts (60 hours) in week 1 and 2 shifts (24 hours) in week 2; crew B the other way round. If your week starts on a different day, the split changes: start it on a Tuesday or Wednesday and the weeks become 48 and 36 hours.

Staffing follows from the 42 hours: one post covered 24/7 needs four people on this pattern, before anyone takes leave or is ill.

Overtime under US law

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires at least one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1)).
Each workweek stands alone: hours cannot be averaged over two or more weeks (29 CFR § 778.104). A 60-hour week therefore carries 20 overtime hours even though the fortnight averages 42.
A workweek is a fixed, recurring 168 hours that may begin on any day and at any hour. Once set it stays fixed; it may be changed only if the change is meant to be permanent and is not designed to evade overtime (29 CFR § 778.105).
With a Monday-to-Sunday workweek, 2-2-3 gives 20 overtime hours per crew member every two weeks; with a workweek that splits the cycle 48/36, it gives 8.
A state or local law that sets a lower maximum workweek still applies (29 U.S.C. § 218(a)) — check your state’s overtime rules too.

EU and UK working-time rules

Daily rest: at least 11 consecutive hours in every 24 (Directive 2003/88/EC, article 3; Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 10). Twelve hours between a 19:00 finish and a 07:00 start passes.
Weekly rest: 24 hours plus the 11 of daily rest in every 7 days, which may be assessed over 14 days (Directive, articles 5 and 16). The two- and three-day breaks in the cycle cover this.
Average week: no more than 48 hours, including overtime, over a reference period of up to four months (Directive, articles 6 and 16); in Great Britain over 17 weeks, unless the worker has agreed in writing to work more (regulation 4). A 60-hour week is allowed when the average stays at 42.
Breaks: a rest break when the working day is longer than six hours (Directive, article 4); in Great Britain at least 20 uninterrupted minutes, away from the workstation (regulation 12). Every 12-hour shift needs one.
Night workers: normal hours must not exceed an average of 8 in every 24 (Directive, article 8; regulation 6). Leaving out the weekly rest days, as the rules require, a night crew works 84 hours over 12 days — an average of 7.
Hazardous or heavy night work: no more than 8 hours in any 24-hour period in which the worker works at night (Directive, article 8(b); regulation 6(7)). A 12-hour night shift is not allowed for that work.

In Greece: 12-hour shifts only for continuous operations

Working hours may not exceed 8 a day and 48 a week (Labour Code, article 187). Going over the daily limit is allowed where the work, by its nature, must run continuously with crews relieving each other, provided the average stays at no more than 48 hours a week (article 201).

The order of the crews must change every week, so that the crew that worked nights one week works days the next (article 201 (α)). Fixed day crews and fixed night crews do not meet this.
Every crew that works on a Sunday must get 24 hours of rest on another day of that week (article 201 (β)).

When 2-2-3 works — and when it doesn’t

Good for: 24/7 posts with steady demand, where people value long weekends and fewer commutes.
Hard on: anyone with fixed childcare hours, and on nights — three 12-hour nights in a row is at the upper limit of the UK Health and Safety Executive’s advice to keep long shifts and night shifts to 2–3 in a row.
The HSE also suggests limiting shifts to 12 hours including overtime — or 8 hours for night shifts and demanding, monotonous, dangerous or safety-critical work — and allowing two nights of full sleep when switching between days and nights.
In the US, budget for the overtime of the long week before choosing the pattern.

Setting it up in 365shift

365shift has no 2-2-3 generator. Build the 14 days once, then repeat them: copy the two weeks together (custom view) and paste them, with or without the same people — or save week 1 and week 2 as two templates and apply them in turn (a template keeps the shifts, not the people).
The minimum-rest rule (11 hours by default) warns on any shift that leaves less rest than that.
The maximum-weekly-hours rule counts Monday to Sunday and blocks shifts above the cap. On 2-2-3 a crew’s long week reaches 60 hours, so a lower cap will block shifts in that week.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 2-2-3 work schedule?

A 14-day cycle of 12-hour shifts: 2 days on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. Two crews alternate on days and two on nights, so four crews cover a post 24/7.

How many hours a week is a 2-2-3 schedule?

An average of 42: 7 twelve-hour shifts every 14 days. Counted Monday to Sunday the weeks are 60 and 24 hours; with a week that starts on Tuesday or Wednesday, 48 and 36.

Does a 2-2-3 schedule mean overtime?

In the US, yes for employees covered by the FLSA’s overtime rule: hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at one and a half times the regular rate, and weeks cannot be averaged (29 U.S.C. § 207; 29 CFR § 778.104). In the EU and Great Britain the limit is an average of 48 hours, which 2-2-3 stays under.

How many employees does a 2-2-3 schedule need?

Four for one post covered 24/7 — two crews on days, two on nights — plus cover for leave and sickness.

Is the 2-2-3 schedule allowed in Greece?

Only where the work must run continuously with crews relieving each other, with an average of no more than 48 hours a week, the crews changing between nights and days every week, and 24 hours of rest on another day for anyone who works a Sunday (Labour Code, articles 187 and 201).

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Sources

The legal references in this guide rely on the official texts below. It is not legal advice; for your case, ask your accountant or lawyer.