Rotating Panama
The crew keeps the same 2-2-3 work days but changes between day and night blocks. ShiftFlowr's rotating preset uses four weeks of days followed by four weeks of nights.
Panama 2-2-3 shift pattern
See the 2-2-3 work cycle, understand when days change to nights, then build either a rotating or fixed Panama schedule in ShiftFlowr.
Free on Android · Early access
What is it?
The Panama schedule is built on a repeating 2-2-3 cycle over a 14-day cycle: you work 2 days, take 2 off, work 3, take 2 off, work 2, then take 3 off. On 12-hour shifts that's 7 shifts a fortnight — an average of about 42 hours a week — and it always leaves you every other weekend fully off.
The work/off sequence and the day/night rotation are separate decisions. The 2-2-3 cycle repeats every 14 days. Some employers keep each crew permanently on days or nights; others swap crews after two weeks, four weeks, or a longer block. The visual below uses a common four-week day block followed by a four-week night block.
It is common in manufacturing, utilities, emergency services, nursing, and any 24/7 operation that wants to give workers regular long weekends while keeping consistent cover.
The crew keeps the same 2-2-3 work days but changes between day and night blocks. ShiftFlowr's rotating preset uses four weeks of days followed by four weeks of nights.
The crew follows the same 2-2-3 work/off cycle all year while remaining permanently on days or permanently on nights. This is also a real workplace arrangement.
The 14-day work/off cycle (one crew, one shift block)
That is the 2-2-3 cycle: 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, then 2 off, 2 on, 3 off. It produces 7 shifts every two weeks and every other weekend off. The next visual adds the day/night layer.
One rotating crew · 56-day example
Check your employer's schedule. The day/night swap cadence is not universal. If your crew swaps every two weeks, every few months, or never, use that real roster as your source of truth.
Who uses it?
Paramedics, control room staff, and call handlers frequently run Panama. The regular weekend-off structure makes it easier to plan life around the schedule.
Panama is popular in A&E and critical care units that need 24/7 cover with a consistent day/night split across a small team.
Some UK fire stations run Panama-style shifts as an alternative to the traditional two-twos rota, allowing easier crew rotation.
Chemical plants, utilities, and data centres that need 24/7 staffing with predictable night-shift rotation use Panama for its regularity.
The trade-offs
• Every other weekend fully off — often a 3-day weekend.
• Up to around 182 days off a year, far more than a five-day week.
• Only 7 shifts a fortnight, so fewer commutes.
• A fixed, repeating cycle you can plan life around.
• Long rest blocks between working stretches.
• 12-hour shifts are long and tiring.
• One week of the fortnight is 48 hours (four shifts).
• In a rotating version, changing between days and nights can disrupt sleep.
• You still work some weekends.
• Not ideal if you need the same hours every week.
Build your schedule
The preset starts with the standard 14-day work/off cycle, so you do not have to enter every work date manually.
Choose rotating days and nights or a fixed shift. Then select the date your crew's cycle actually began.
Check the day and night colours month by month, then add the schedule without overwriting shifts already in your calendar.
Once the dates look right, ShiftFlowr can attach the reminders and wake-up alarms you choose for those shifts.
See the fixed-shift setup guide → See the rotating 56-day setup guide →
Common questions
ShiftFlowr builds the 14-day cycle once and fills months in seconds, as far ahead as you need.
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Other shift patterns in ShiftFlowr