12 hour shifts means that you work only half of the days of the year. 12 hour shifts often add an extra burden to management, because you can not ask for double shifts. B uilding in rest breaks, and educating staff on alertness strategies and sleep is very important. S ick pay - absenteeism on a 12 hour shift costs the company 12 hours of coverage. A day off sick will translate into a day and a half off sick.
C onsider the cost of handover both in monitory terms and business terms.
There are only 2 handovers per 24 hours in a 12 hour roster. If handover is 30 mins the total is 7 hours per week per person for a 12 hour roster compared to 10.5 hours per week, per person. T he best roster is the one that staff support. A ll rosters need to consider staff needs, health and safety requirements and business needs.