The following document was created from the MTAS electronic library known as MORe (www.mtas.tennessee.edu/more). This online library is maintained daily by MTAS staff and seeks to represent the most current information regarding issues relative to Tennessee municipal government.

We hope this information will be useful to you; reference to it will assist you with many of the questions that will arise in your tenure with municipal government. However, the Tennessee Code Annotated and other relevant laws or regulations should always be consulted before any action is taken based upon the contents of this document.

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or comments regarding this information or any other MORe material.

The University of Tennessee
Municipal Technical Advisory Service
1610 University Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37921-6741
865-974-0411 phone
865-974-0423 fax
www.mtas.tennessee.edu

Twelve-hour Shifts

Reference Number:

MTAS-1201

In the most prevalent 12-hour shift schedule officers work four days, followed by four days off. Obviously, the eight-day cycle of work days and off days does not correspond to a seven-day week. In any given one-week work period, the number of hours scheduled, let alone the number of hours actually worked, will fluctuate between 48 hours and 36 hours. For a one-week work period, the 48 hour weeks create five hours of overtime pay (five hours in excess of the 43 hour overtime threshold). Even with a two-week work period the schedule will create fluctuations in the number of hours scheduled to be worked from one work period to another. As you can see from the following table, a four-week work period provides a consistent number of hours scheduled for each work period. The 168 hours scheduled for each four-week work period is less than the 171 hours overtime threshold for a four-week work period.

SUN	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	Hours
Work	Work	Work	Work				48
	Work	Work	Work	Work			48
		Work	Work	Work	Work		48	168 Hours
			Work	Work	Work	Work	48
				Work	Work	Work	36
Work					Work	Work	36
Work	Work					Work	36
Work	Work	Work					36

Schedule then repeats.