The Panama schedule is a 2-2-3 rotation for four crews on 12-hour shifts, run over a 28-day cycle so that the crews' day and night blocks and their weekends line up neatly every four weeks. In practice the Panama, the Pitman and the 2-2-3 are the same shape with different rotation lengths and different names by industry: the Panama name is common in refineries, chemical plants and utilities, the Pitman in policing and hospitals. This page sets out the panama shift schedule day by day, gives a panama schedule example for one crew over four weeks, and shows the hours the panama work schedule works out to and why it takes four crews.
The Panama, laid out
Four crews, two on days and two on nights at any time. Each crew's fortnight is two on, two off, three on, two off, two on, three off. Over 28 days the pattern runs twice, and at the end of the 28 days the day crews and the night crews swap, so that each crew spends four weeks on days and four on nights in an eight-week round. Some plants run the swap every 14 days, which makes the Panama identical to the Pitman; the 28-day swap is what most people mean by the Panama and it is easier on sleep because the night blocks are longer and fewer.
A panama schedule example: Crew A over four weeks
Week one, days: work Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday and Thursday, work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Week two, days: off Monday and Tuesday, work Wednesday and Thursday, off Friday to Sunday. Week three, days: the same as week one. Week four, days: the same as week two. Then Crew A moves to nights for weeks five to eight on the identical shape. In those four weeks Crew A worked fourteen 12-hour shifts, 168 hours, had two full weekends off and worked two, and never worked more than three days running. Crew B ran the same shape on nights; Crews C and D ran the opposite days.
Hours, overtime and the four crews
Fourteen shifts in 28 days is 168 hours, an average of 42 a week, alternating 36-hour and 48-hour weeks. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act overtime is owed on hours over forty in each workweek, so the Panama accrues eight hours of overtime every other week unless the workweek is set to split the working weekend. Covering the clock on 12-hour shifts with each crew working half its days takes four crews exactly; the rotating schedule generator on this site returns that figure and the hours from the pattern's seven days on in fourteen, which is where the Panama and the Pitman are the same worksheet.
Questions people ask about panama schedule
What is the difference between the Panama and the Pitman schedule?
The shape is identical: a four-crew 2-2-3 on 12-hour shifts. The Panama usually swaps day and night crews every 28 days and the Pitman every 14, and the names follow the industry more than the rule.
How many hours is the Panama schedule?
An average of 42 a week, 168 hours in the 28-day cycle, made of alternating 36-hour and 48-hour weeks.
Can the Panama run with three crews?
No. Three crews on 12-hour shifts covering the clock work 56 hours a week each. The Panama's shape needs four crews and the fourth is not optional.