The ultimate guide to on-call schedules

On-call schedules are crucial for businesses operating around the clock to handle urgent situations and ensure business continuity. They distribute operational responsibility evenly, preventing employee burnout and improving team morale. There are various types of on-call schedules, including single person rotations, pairing up, primary and shadow configurations, follow-the-sun, and complex rotations. To create an effective on-call schedule, be clear about the need for it, do your homework on likely impact, determine compensation, decide who's in and out, choose the right configuration, and implement it using a great on-call tool. Best practices for managing on-call shifts include proactively factoring in vacation time, using overrides liberally, and monitoring work-life balance.