Rotating Roster: What Is It & How Does It Benefit Your Business?

A rotating roster can be a great tool for businesses, keeping your team running smoothly, reducing burnout and maintaining productivity as a result. If you are juggling multiple employees or need to ensure there are staff on hand round the clock, a rotating roster could be just what you need to effectively manage shift patterns. 

This guide will explain exactly what they are, how they work, and how you can set one up for your business.

What is a rotating roster?

A rotating roster is a scheduling system, allowing employees to rotate through different shifts on a regular cycle. It provides more flexibility and variety, so your staff won’t be working the same shifts each week. They’re often preferred by businesses that need staffing 24/7, such as healthcare providers, security services or hospitality venues, ensuring there’s someone working at all hours needed while also distributing the less desirable time slots fairly across the team. 

To learn more about rosters in general and how they can help you manage your staff, we’ve got a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about them.

Difference between rotating rosters and fixed rosters

A fixed roster sees your staff working the same shifts week on week, assigning the same ones to the same people constantly. A rotating roster, on the other hand, changes it up each week, shifting shift times and days on a cycle. For standard business hours, such as Monday-Friday, 9-5, a fixed roster tends to be better suited. However, in 24/7 operations or businesses that require weekend labour, a rotating roster offers more flexibility and fairness in the way shifts are shared out.

Rotating roster example

To illustrate how they work, here’s an example of a rotating roster in practice. In the case of a small 24-hour gym, you may need staff on-site for, say, three different shifts a day. This is how it could break down, cycling weekly through three employees: Person A, Person B, and Person C.

• Week one: Person A (6am-2pm), Person B (2pm-10pm), Person C (10pm-6am)
• Week two: Person B (6am-2pm), Person C (2pm-10pm), Person A (10pm-6am)
• Week three: Person C (6am-2pm), Person A (2pm-10pm), Person B (10pm-6am)

By doing this, employees are able to share the load more fairly and avoid burning out one team member with constant night shifts.

Types of rotating rosters

There are a few different types of rotating rosters, suiting different types of businesses. Here’s a breakdown of the most popular ones:

DuPont shift pattern

This is a rotating shift pattern, involving four teams that rotate through 12-hour shifts on a four-week cycle. The DuPont schedule is commonly used in industries that require round-the-clock staffing, such as hospitals, call centres, or factories, allowing teams to work a mix of day and night shifts. 

There are four shift patterns that they follow over the course of four weeks, adding up to a 42-hour week on average. Each team will start at a different stage, ensuring continuous coverage:  

• Stage one: Four consecutive shifts, followed by three days off. 
• Stage two: Three day shifts, one day off, three night shifts.
• Stage three: Three days off, then four consecutive day shifts.
• Stage four: Seven consecutive days off.

This system allows for extended periods of time off for employees on a regular basis, giving employees a better balance between work and personal life. It also helps to reduce overtime costs thanks to the structured nature of the schedule.

However, the consecutive long shifts can be tiring for the team, and without the right rostering software, it can be hard to manage a DuPont shift pattern due to its complexity.

Pitman shift pattern

In the Pitman shift pattern, employees are once again split into four teams, rotating through 12-hour day shifts, night shifts, and days off. However, the pattern is different to DuPont, following a 2-2 2-2 2-3 pattern, and taking two weeks to complete one cycle. Here’s how the pattern works for one team in a four week cycle:

• Weeks one and two: two day shifts, two days off, three day shifts, two days off, two day shifts, three days off. 
• Weeks three and four: two night shifts, two days off, three night shifts, two days off, two night shifts, three days off.

Once a team has completed the day shift block, they’ll move on to the night shifts – and vice versa. The aim of this pattern is to balance work and rest more efficiently, giving teams predictable days off and a fair distribution of weekend work, aiding their wellbeing and ensuring no one is overburdened.

On the downside, switching between day and night shifts like this can impact employees’ sleep schedules, and businesses may need more employees to ensure consistent coverage while still sticking to the pattern.

Panama Plan or 2–2–3  shift pattern

The Panama Plan is similar to the Pitman pattern, taking two weeks to cycle through and switching between day and night shift periods. However, the pattern is slightly different. In the Panama Plan, each week follows a 2-2-3 structure, with employees split into four teams and cycling through a mix of 12-hour day and night shifts. Here’s how it would work for one team’s schedule:

• Week one: Two day shifts, two days off, three day shifts.
• Week two: Two days off, two day shifts, three days off.
• Week three: Two night shifts, two days off, three night shifts.
• Week four: Two days off, two night shifts, three days off.

As with the Pitman shift pattern, this plan helps to give employees a healthy work-life balance while ensuring consistent coverage, making it a popular choice of rotating roster for industries like healthcare, manufacturing, or transportation. 

The plan has the same downsides as the Pitman structure, though, needing enough employees to cover all the shifts and requiring them to switch between day and night shift schedules fairly regularly.

The benefits of rotating rosters

No matter which pattern you choose, whether it’s a 7-day rotating roster or one of the structures listed above, they all have some key benefits for both employers and employees:

• Fair shift distribution: The team is able to share the load of weekend, night and public holiday shifts.
• Reduced burnout: Regular days off and limited consecutive shifts avoid overloading team members.
• Improved flexibility: Employees aren’t locked into the same shifts every week, giving them more flexibility in their weekly plans.
• Enhanced productivity: Changing shifts mean employees maintain motivation, as they are less likely to feel stagnant.
• 24/7 coverage: Businesses can ensure that there’s round-the-clock staffing if they operate beyond 9-5.

The challenges of rotating rosters

While there are plenty of benefits to rotating rosters, they don’t come without their challenges. Here’s what to watch out for, and how best to overcome these problems: 

• Fatigue from long shifts: Many of these models include 12-hour shifts, which can tire out employees when consecutive. 
• Tip: Avoid this by offering adequate rest between consecutive shifts, perhaps using the DuPont, Pitman, or Panama plan to find a good balance.
• Employee dissatisfaction: Asking employees to work inconsistent hours may be a source of frustration, as they can’t plan ahead.
• Tip: Avoid this by ensuring you communicate schedules in advance, allowing employees to have an input or maintaining a regular, predictable pattern.
• Added administration: It can be difficult to manage complex schedules manually, especially when implementing a new shift pattern.
• Tip: Avoid this by using rostering software that will automate and streamline the process, taking the organisation out of your hands
• Miscommunications: if managed poorly, there’s a risk of employees being confused about the pattern, leading to missed shifts and communication breakdowns.
• Tip: Avoid this with clear and consistent internal communication, giving plenty of notice if there are changes to the schedule.

How do you set up a rotating roster?

There are only a few steps to set up a rotating roster, from defining the shifts you actually need covered, to adjusting the schedule once it’s implemented any problems arise. Here’s how to create an effective shift roster for your team:

1. Define shift patterns: Identify the shifts that need covering, determining their optimal lengths and times based on your business hours (i.e. a 16-hour office day may be broken up into two 8-hour shifts).
2. Pinpoint staffing needs: Consider how many employees you need for each shift, ensuring adequate skill distribution across the teams you put together.
3. Choose a rotation pattern: Consider which shift pattern would work best for your team, taking into account employee preference.
4. Implement the chosen roster: A rostering software such as the one from Quickbooks can automate the process and help you manage the schedule effectively.
5. Monitor and adjust:  Once all employees are aware of the roster and have access to it, review it regularly to identify any improvements that could be made.

How rotating rosters affect payroll

Rotating rosters can add complexity to the payroll process, with different shifts incurring different pay rates. Morning, afternoon, or night shifts may require overtime or shift penalties, adding extra variables to an employee’s pay in a given period. Accounting software can simplify this for you, automatically calculating these variables, accurately tracking shift start and end times, and ensuring compliance with employment laws. Read our payroll guide for more information on the process.

Legal considerations for rotating rosters in Australia

Australia has strict employment laws to ensure employee wellbeing. Businesses must comply with mandated maximum weekly hours, rest breaks, overtime, and roster notice periods as set out in the Fair Work Act. With the right software, this is easy to do: to avoid legal pitfalls and employees being overworked, accounting software like QuickBooks can ensure compliance with these laws, tracking time accurately so you can clearly see your employees’ shift activity.

How can rotating rosters be optimised?

If you’re implementing a rotating roster into your business, there are a few things you can optimise to make sure it’s as effective as possible:

• Reduce manual errors by using an automation tool for rostering and payrolls
• Allow adequate rest between shifts in compliance with the Fair Work Act
• Use accounting software to track patterns, see analytics and improve scheduling
• Open communication with staff and adjust according to their feedback

These optimisations will help you manage your team’s workload, ensuring an even and fair spread of shifts. Read our tips on managing workload for more help on this.

Track employee time with Quickbooks

A well-run rotating roster can be extremely effective, but it relies heavily on accurate time tracking and shift visibility. QuickBooks’ time tracking software will automate the process for you, tracking hours worked, monitoring shift attendance, syncing with payrolls, and ensuring compliance with working laws.

FAQs on Rolling Rosters