Security guard rota template for 24/7 cover

Four guards, 12-hour days and nights, one guard on every shift and nobody over 48 hours a week. Download it free, no sign-up.

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The 16-day pattern

D is a day shift (07:00 to 19:00), N a night shift (19:00 to 07:00) and O a day off. Read down any column: there is always one D and one N, so the post is never left empty and nobody is double-booked.

Guard	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
Guard A	D	D	D	D	O	O	O	O	N	N	N	N	O	O	O	O
Guard B	N	N	N	N	O	O	O	O	D	D	D	D	O	O	O	O
Guard C	O	O	O	O	N	N	N	N	O	O	O	O	D	D	D	D
Guard D	O	O	O	O	D	D	D	D	O	O	O	O	N	N	N	N

Each guard works 8 shifts of 12 hours every 16 days: 96 hours, or 42 hours a week on average.

How many guards for 24/7 cover?

A post covered around the clock needs 24 × 7 = 168 hours a week. Divide by the average hours you want each guard to work, then round up and allow for holiday.

Pattern	Guards per post	Average hours each	Why
12-hour shifts, 4 on 4 off	4	42	The pattern in this template. Fewest handovers.
8-hour shifts (earlies, lates, nights)	5	33.6	168 hours a week across 5 guards leaves room for holiday and sickness.
12-hour shifts with a relief guard	5	33.6	A fifth guard covers holiday so nobody picks up extra 12-hour shifts.

The rules a security rota has to meet

48 hours on average This pattern averages 42 hours a week. Extra cover shifts can push a guard past 48, which needs a signed opt-out.
Health assessments for nights Guards who regularly work nights must be offered a free health assessment before they start and at regular intervals. Security work is exempt from the usual night limit of 8 hours in 24.
Breaks, or compensatory rest The default is a 20-minute break on shifts over 6 hours. On a single-guard post that cannot stop, security work can give compensatory rest of the same length instead.
Rest between shifts The four days off between the day block and the night block keep the switch well clear of the usual 11 hours of daily rest.

More on the rules in UK rota laws for employers and common UK shift patterns.

When the spreadsheet stops being enough

WagePilot runs the same rota across every site you guard. Guards clock in at the post on their own phones, with location checked at that moment, or scan a QR code at the gatehouse. The live board shows who is on at every post, so a guard who has not clocked in is plain to see.

WagePilot for security firms

Clock-in checked against each post
QR clock-in for gatehouses with poor signal
Rotas published to guards’ phones
Audited timesheets for client billing and payroll

Security rota: common questions

How many security guards do I need for 24/7 cover?

One post staffed around the clock needs 168 hours of cover a week. With 12-hour shifts on a 4-on-4-off pattern that is four guards averaging 42 hours each. Plan for a fifth guard, or a relief pool, to cover holiday and sickness without pushing anyone into extra shifts.

What is a 4 on 4 off shift pattern?

Each guard works four 12-hour shifts, then has four days off. In this template the working blocks alternate between days (07:00 to 19:00) and nights (19:00 to 07:00), so a guard works 4 days, 4 off, 4 nights, 4 off, and the cycle repeats every 16 days.

Are 12-hour shifts legal in the UK?

Yes. The 48-hour weekly average still applies unless a guard has signed an opt-out, and guards who regularly work nights must be offered a free health assessment. Security and surveillance work is an exception to the night-work limit of 8 hours in 24, and where a guard cannot take the usual 20-minute break, 11 hours’ daily rest or weekly rest, they must get compensatory rest of the same length instead.

Does the template work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The dates, hours and cover checks keep working. Change the start date and the whole 32-day grid moves with it.

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