14 on 14 off Shift Pattern

By Kieran - Founder

An intensive 28-day cycle providing 14 consecutive working days followed by 14 consecutive days of rest, perfect for remote and offshore operations.

Fact sheet

Name	14 on 14 off
Family	14 on 14 off
Applicability	24/7 continuous coverage
Employees required	4
Shift length	12 hours
Pattern length	28 days
Pattern	`DDDDDDDDDDDDDD--------------`
Pros	Massive blocks of free time (a 2-week vacation every month) Zero commute during work blocks as workers usually live on-site High predictability for planning life and trips months in advance
Cons	Severe physical and mental fatigue from working 14 days straight Deep isolation from family and friends for half the year Post-rotation recovery slump adjusting back to normal life

When and Why is it Used?

This pattern is the gold standard for Fly-In, Fly-Out (FIFO) operations and remote work environments. Transporting workers to remote locations (like offshore oil rigs or isolated mining sites) is expensive and time-consuming. Keeping workers on-site for 14 days straight maximizes the value of that travel.

What kind of coverage does it provide?

It provides continuous, uninterrupted 24/7 coverage for operations that cannot afford to shut down. Shifts are almost universally 12 hours long to maximize productivity while workers are already isolated at the site.

Generate the shift rota

We have 2 distinct tools for generating a 14 on 14 off shift rota:

Team rota generator - Create a full team rota using the 14 on 14 off pattern
Personal calendar generator - Visualise your own personal schedule with our interactive calendar

Generate for a team

Create a full team shift rota based on the 14 on 14 off pattern.

Generate for an individual

{{ name }} Shift Pattern Visualisation & Calculator

Our calendar tool makes it easy to create a yearly shift schedule based on the {{ name }} pattern. Simply enter your details, and the tool will quickly generate a clear and tidy rota calendar for you.

It will also calculate how many weekends you'll be working, the total hours worked, and display everything in a neat, easy-to-read rota sheet. Use this for for planning and staying organised with your shift schedule.

Pattern Request custom shift pattern

Start of Week

Start date

Define custom pattern

Shift length

Hours

Shifts

{{ month.name }}
{{ dayName.substring(0,3) }}
{{ day.date }}

Turn on 'Background graphics' in the print dialog for colours to show.

Hours & wage calculator

Here's a helpful calculator to work out how many hours you would work per week, month or year in the {{ name }} shift pattern.

You can also use this calculator to work out your weekly and monthly pay for {{ name }} shift schedule.

Options

Hours per shift

Hourly rate

Results

Results recalculate automatically.

	Hours	Pay
Per week	{{ hoursPerWeek.toLocaleString() }}	${{ wagePerWeek.toLocaleString() }}
Per month	{{ hoursPerMonth.toLocaleString() }}	${{ wagePerMonth.toLocaleString() }}
Per year	{{ hoursPerYear.toLocaleString() }}	${{ wagePerYear.toLocaleString() }}

These values are based on the generated calendar above, therefore the numbers depend heavily on the start date.

Our rota software can do these calculations for you, and more.

Average weekly hours

For a {{ name }} shift pattern, the average weekly working hours is {{ hoursPerWeek.toFixed(1) }} hours.
This assumes you're working {{ hoursPerShift }}-hour shifts.

Average yearly hours

Assuming {{ hoursPerShift }}-hour shifts, your hours per year will be {{ hoursPerYear }} hours using the {{ name }} schedule.

You can use the calculator above to work out your hours for other variations of {{ name }} rota pattern.

How many weekends?

With the {{ name }} shift pattern, you will work at least one day on {{ calendar.weekends.worked }} weekends, of a total of {{ calendar.weekends.total }} weekends in the above calendar year.

So you would work {{ Math.floor(calendar.weekends.worked / calendar.weekends.total * 100) }}% of weekends with the {{ name }} pattern.

Industries

The 14 on 14 off shift pattern is commonly used in the following industries:

Oil & Gas
Mining
Maritime
Emergency Medical (Remote)

How many employees are required?

To achieve full 24/7 continuous coverage, you need 4 employees (or 4 distinct crews) per position. Two crews cover day and night shifts on-site for 14 days, while the other two crews are back home resting. If the site only operates during the day (12-hour coverage), only 2 employees/crews are required.

Alternative: If working 14 straight days is too grueling for your team, many operations consider a 7 on, 7 off rotation as a less fatiguing compromise.

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