If you have to cover 24 hours with 8 people 40hpw rotating shifts...is it possible?

7 days x 3 shifts = 21 shifts need covered

8 people x 5 shifts = 40 shifts available

That gives you 19 shifts where you can have two people, so first pick out which 2 shifts will only have one person (as supervisor, you may end up covering that shift when someone calls off) Alternativlely, are there some shifts that may need 3 people due to more activity then?

I worked shift work as a probation officer in a maximum security facility for over 9 years. For about 2 1/2 years, I asked for and got the straight midnight shift (11pm on Sunday night until 7am on Friday morning) That left others to mostly work between 7am - 3pm and 3pm to 11pm shifts. See if anybody in your department is trustworthy enough to work mostly unsupervised for that long, and would want the steadiness of the midnight shift. (I was single then, and played golf almost every morning.)

Monday, Wednesday and Friday day shift was our busiest times and needed more people.

For the last 2 1/2 years that I was there, I was the supervisor. (did not like that)

Make sure nobody is required to work a double shift - that wouldn't be fair, and could result in mistakes. For New Years, I would always request to work from 3pm on the 31st, until 7am on the 1st. By doing this, I was always off for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Also, try to keep the days off in groups of two or more. Don't give them off Tuesday and Friday.

Rotate everyone from shifts 1 through 8.

1 and 2 Day shift, Monday thru Friday

3 Evening, Monday thru Friday

4 Evening, Wednesday thru Sunday

5 Evening Monday and Tuesday, Midnights on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (finish Sunday morning)

6 Midnights Wednesday thru Sunday

7 Midnights Monday and Tuesday, Days Friday thru Sunday

8 Days Monday thru Thursday, and Sunday

BTW - This sets it up so people will be "planning" their sick days or personal business days or whatevr you call them.

Shift #8 will call off on the day shift Sunday, resulting in 3 days off in a row for him, and the shift will still be covered by #7. #3 may call off on Friday evening shift, then again as #4 Wednesday and get six days off in a row. Try to schedule the #3 shift as somebody's vacation week - they could be gone and all the shifts are still covered. And they'll even have off the previous Saturday and Sunday, and the following Monday and Tuesday.

24 7 Rotating Shift Schedule

The schedule you are thinking of is called a "Timken Shift", consisting of four, 2 person crews - A, B, C, D.

A crew works day shift for 7 days then has 1 day off, then rotates to 2nd(middle) shift, working 7 days followed by 2 off, then rotates to night shift working 7 days with 4 days off.

B crew is on the 2nd shift,

C crew is on the midnight shift

D crew is on 4 day weekend.

The schedule is also called a "21 turn" schedule, since it covers 21 days.

one person per shift - 3 (8 hr)shifts per day - 21 (8-hr) shifts per week - divided by 8 people, would be less than 3 shifts per person, and less than 24 hours per week per person.