The 14x14 shift: two weeks on site, two weeks home
Fourteen days on and fourteen off. It's the pattern of large-scale mining and remote sites, where the journey makes it pointless to travel back and forth every few days.
- Days worked a year
- 183
- Days off a year
- 182
- Full weekends off
- 26
- Longest break
- 14 days
- Sundays worked
- 26
Worked out over a full year on this pattern, counting from 1 January. The figures shift a little depending where in the cycle you start.
How it works
The cycle is twenty-eight days and fits into four exact weeks, so it's very predictable: if you start on a Tuesday, you'll always start on a Tuesday. The hard part isn't knowing when you work, it's organising life around blocks that long.
The good part
Two solid weeks at home is a different thing entirely: enough for a long trip, for a project, for actually being present. And half the year off, with the bonus that the cycle never drifts.
The hard part
Fourteen days away is fourteen days of everything happening without you. Going back weighs on you too: returning to site after two weeks is harder than after four days. And if something urgent happens at home, you're far away.
Load it and tell me a day you remember: I'll work out your whole calendar, forwards and backwards.
Load the 14x14 patternFrequently asked questions
How many days do I work a year on a 14x14?
About one hundred and eighty-three, half the year. The same as a 4x4 or a 7x7: what changes isn't the amount, it's how it's spread.
Can I combine it with annual leave?
Yes, and it's where marking exceptions in the calendar helps most: booking leave mid-cycle is exactly when counting by hand stops working. You can mark those days without breaking the pattern.
Does a 14x14 need special authorisation?
Normally yes, as an exceptional system. It's worth knowing which resolution covers your roster, because that's where your hours and rest entitlements come from.
General information. Every company and agreement applies these patterns its own way. Always check against your contract, your approved shift system and current legislation.