Home › Compare schedules › 7 on 7 off vs 4 on 4 off
7 on 7 off vs 4 on 4 off
Both average forty-two hours. One delivers it as eighty-four hours and then nothing; the other spreads it evenly across every week.
| 7 on 7 off | vs | 4 on 4 off |
|---|---|---|
| The cycle | ||
| 12 hours | Shift length | 12 hours |
| 14 days | Cycle length | 8 or 16 days |
| 42 hours | Average week | 42 hours |
| 84 | Hours in the working week | 42 to 48 |
| 7 | Most shifts in a row | 4 |
| Your week | ||
| Yes | A full week off, every other week | No |
| YesA 14-day cycle repeats | Days off land on the same weekdays | No |
| No | Anything is possible during the working week | YesFour days off after each block |
| Fatigue | ||
| Yes | Seven twelve-hour shifts in a row | No |
| Yes | Fatigue peaks at the end of the block | YesBut four shifts, not seven |
| YesSeven days | Full recovery between blocks | YesFour days |
Concentrated against spread
Seven on seven off is the most concentrated common pattern there is. Eighty-four hours in the working week, then nothing at all. Four on four off spreads the same average across every week of the year.
The working week is gone
That is the honest cost of seven on seven off. During the on block you work, sleep and work again, and very little else happens. On nights it is harder still, because there is no reset until the block ends.
The compensation is a full week, every fortnight, that belongs entirely to you.
Where each one is used
Seven on seven off is standard in EMS, hospitals and remote sites, and turns up in dispatch and corrections. Four on four off is more common in patrol, where an eight-day cycle spreads weekends fairly across crews.
Full detail on each pattern: 7 on 7 off schedule · 4 on 4 off schedule
The shift schedule you actually work
Save whichever one your agency runs and a police shift calendar built by an officer fills the rest of the year in. Everything stays on your phone unless you choose to share it.
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