In IT and other high-pressure industries, ensuring 24/7 support is crucial for maintaining system reliability, addressing critical incidents, and minimizing downtime. On-call management plays a key role in this process, helping teams respond swiftly to emergencies while balancing workload distribution fairly among employees.

However, managing on-call schedules effectively requires more than just assigning shifts—it demands thoughtful planning, equitable responsibility-sharing, and the right tools to streamline operations. Without a well-structured approach, on-call duties can lead to burnout, low morale, and inefficiencies that ultimately impact both employees and business performance.

This article will guide you through the essential steps to setting up an effective on-call rotation, including best practices for scheduling, defining clear policies, and leveraging modern tools to optimize the process. 

What Is On-Call Management: Meaning and Features

In this section, we’ll explore the fundamental concepts of on-call management, including its core components, operational principles, and essential features. Understanding these basics is crucial for building an effective on-call system that serves both your organization and team members.

What is on call management?

On-call management is the process of organizing and coordinating personnel who are responsible for responding to incidents outside of regular working hours. It ensures that businesses can maintain continuity, address urgent issues promptly, and minimize disruptions that could affect customers or internal operations.

This practice is particularly crucial for IT teams, help desks, healthcare facilities, and emergency services—industries where system failures, security breaches, or critical patient needs can arise at any time. By implementing an effective on-call system, organizations can reduce downtime, enhance customer satisfaction, and safeguard their operations against unexpected failures.

Principles of on-call management

On-call management is essential for organizations that need to provide continuous support and rapid incident resolution. To be effective, it must be based on several key principles that ensure smooth operations, fair workload distribution, and clear communication.

1. Continuous availability

One of the primary goals of on-call management is to ensure that designated personnel are always reachable in case of urgent issues. This requires a well-structured system where on-call employees are aware of their responsibilities, have access to the necessary tools, and can respond promptly when needed.

• Organizations often use on-call management software to automate alerts and notifications, ensuring that the right person is contacted immediately when an incident occurs.
• Backup plans should be in place in case the primary on-call specialist is unavailable.
• Clear response time expectations help maintain service reliability and minimize downtime.

Without continuous availability, critical issues can go unresolved, leading to operational disruptions, financial losses, and customer dissatisfaction.

2. Fair workload distribution

To prevent employee burnout and maintain team morale, on-call duties should be distributed fairly among team members. If the same individuals are always responsible for handling issues outside of regular hours, it can lead to exhaustion and decreased productivity.

• Implementing an on-call rotation system ensures that responsibilities are shared equally.
• Organizations can offer compensation, time-off policies, or incentives to recognize the additional workload of on-call employees.
• Workload balancing tools can help track the number of incidents handled by each team member and adjust schedules accordingly.

A fair distribution of on-call shifts ensures that employees remain engaged, motivated, and capable of handling emergencies effectively.

3. Clear communication

Effective on-call management relies on well-defined communication protocols that outline how incidents should be reported, escalated, and resolved.

• Employees must know how to report an issue, whether through a ticketing system, direct contact, or automated alerts.
• Escalation procedures should be in place for situations that require higher-level intervention.
• Teams should establish clear handover processes to ensure that unresolved issues are seamlessly passed to the next shift without confusion.

Miscommunication can lead to delayed responses, unresolved incidents, and operational inefficiencies. A structured approach to communication ensures that issues are handled quickly and effectively.

4. Efficient incident handling

A well-defined process for receiving, assessing, and resolving issues is critical to minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity. Organizations should establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling different types of incidents.

• Categorizing and prioritizing incidents helps teams focus on the most critical issues first.
• Providing access to troubleshooting resources (such as knowledge bases, playbooks, or past incident reports) can speed up resolution times.
• Regular training and post-incident reviews help teams continuously improve their incident response strategies.

By streamlining incident handling, organizations can reduce response times, prevent recurring issues, and enhance overall service reliability.

👉 What is an example of call management? An example of on-call management can be seen in IT support teams that provide 24/7 incident resolution. A company may implement an on-call rotation where different engineers are assigned to be available outside regular working hours to handle urgent system failures or cybersecurity threats. Using an on-call scheduling tool, such as Virto Calendar App, the team can automate shift assignments, send alerts, and integrate schedules with Outlook or Microsoft Teams to ensure seamless communication. 

How the on call process works

On-call management follows a structured process to ensure that incidents are addressed efficiently and operations remain uninterrupted. A typical on-call workflow consists of the following steps:

1. Incident occurs: An unexpected issue arises, such as a system failure, security breach, customer request, or emergency situation that requires immediate attention. These incidents can happen at any time, especially outside of regular business hours.
   
2. Request is logged

• The issue is reported through an automated alert system, customer service platform, help desk, or monitoring tool.
• Ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, Jira, or Zendesk help track and categorize incidents.
• Some systems include AI-driven monitoring that detects anomalies and automatically generates alerts.

3. On-call specialist responds

• The on-call team member receives a notification via SMS, email, push notifications, or phone calls.
• They assess the severity of the issue and determine the appropriate course of action.
• If the problem is beyond their expertise, they escalate the issue to a higher-tier specialist or manager.

4. Incident resolution

• The on-call specialist investigates, diagnoses, and resolves the issue using predefined troubleshooting steps.
• If necessary, they collaborate with other team members to deploy fixes, restore services, or implement workarounds.
• Internal documentation is updated to record the resolution process for future reference.

5. System returns to normal operations

• Once the issue is resolved, systems are tested to ensure stability.
• The resolution is documented, and any necessary follow-up actions (such as preventive measures or further analysis) are scheduled.
• If the incident was customer-facing, support teams may follow up with affected users to provide updates or reassurance.

By following a structured on-call process, organizations can ensure that incidents are handled efficiently, downtime is minimized, and critical issues do not escalate into major disruptions.

What does on call manager mean? 

An on-call manager is responsible for overseeing the scheduling, coordination, and effectiveness of on-call processes. Their key tasks include:

• Creating and maintaining on-call schedules to ensure proper coverage.
• Managing incoming requests and assigning them to the appropriate personnel.
• Ensuring timely incident resolution by coordinating team efforts and escalating issues when necessary.
• Monitoring performance and optimizing on-call procedures to improve efficiency and reduce response times.

Components of on-call management 

To implement an efficient on-call system, several essential components must be in place:

1. On-call schedule: The on-call schedule outlines when each team member is responsible for handling incidents. It ensures that coverage is continuous and that no single employee is overburdened with excessive on-call duties.
2. On-call rotation: A rotation system is used to fairly distribute on-call responsibilities among team members. This prevents burnout and ensures that employees get sufficient rest between shifts. Common rotation models include weekly, daily, or staggered shifts depending on the organization’s needs.
3. On-call policy: An on-call policy defines the rules and expectations for employees assigned to on-call duties. It typically includes:

• Response time requirements.
• Compensation and incentives for on-call work.
• Escalation procedures for unresolved incidents.
• Guidelines for handling different types of emergencies.

4. On call systems (management tools): Organizations leverage on-call management tools to streamline scheduling, automate incident alerts, and improve response efficiency. Popular tools include:

• PagerDuty: Automates alerts and escalation workflows.
• Opsgenie: Provides scheduling and real-time incident tracking.
• VictorOps (Splunk On-Call): Enables collaboration and rapid incident response.
• ServiceNow: Integrates IT service management with on-call scheduling.

Advantages and disadvantages

While on-call management offers several benefits, such as improved service availability and reduced downtime, it also presents challenges, including employee stress and scheduling difficulties. Below, we explore the key advantages and disadvantages of on-call management.

Advantages of on-call management

Let’s cover the benefits of on-call management first:

✅ Increased availability of employees in critical situations: On-call management ensures that there is always someone available to address urgent issues, even outside of regular working hours. This is particularly important for IT teams, healthcare professionals, and emergency services, where immediate action is required to prevent serious consequences.

✅ Improved customer service: With designated on-call personnel, businesses can provide faster response times to customer inquiries and technical issues, leading to higher customer satisfaction and trust. Having a structured on-call system ensures that clients receive support when they need it most, enhancing the company’s reputation.

✅ Less downtime of systems and services: By having a well-organized on-call team, organizations can quickly detect, diagnose, and resolve system failures or security incidents. This minimizes business disruptions, protects revenue streams, and ensures continuous service delivery. Proactive monitoring tools combined with on-call management can further reduce downtime by enabling early issue detection.

Disadvantages of on-call management

However, as mentioned, on-call is not without its pitfalls:

❌ Stress and overload of employees: Being on-call can be stressful, particularly if employees frequently receive alerts during their off-hours. Constant interruptions and sleep disturbances can lead to burnout, decreased job satisfaction, and reduced overall productivity.

❌ Health risks due to frequent on-call duties: Irregular working hours and disrupted sleep patterns can negatively impact employees’ physical and mental health. Studies show that lack of rest and high stress levels can contribute to long-term health issues, including fatigue, anxiety, and cardiovascular problems.

❌ Problems with scheduling if the system is not automated: Manually managing on-call schedules can be complex and error-prone, leading to coverage gaps, unfair workload distribution, and employee dissatisfaction. Without proper scheduling tools, companies may struggle to balance shifts effectively, making it difficult to ensure fair and efficient on-call rotations.

Balancing the pros and cons

To maximize the benefits of on-call management while mitigating its downsides, organizations should:

• Implement fair rotation systems to prevent employee overload.
• Offer compensation or time-off benefits for on-call duties.
• Use automated scheduling tools to streamline shift management.
• Provide mental health support and wellness programs to help employees manage stress.

By taking a structured and employee-friendly approach, businesses can ensure that on-call management remains effective, sustainable, and fair for all involved. 

We’ll also cover more tips and recommendations on effective on-call management in later sections.

On-Call Rotation: How Does It Work?

In this section, we will explore the fundamentals of on-call rotation, different rotation strategies, and the steps needed to create a structured and efficient system.

What does it mean on call rotation?

On-call rotation is a system for distributing on-call duties among team members in a structured and fair manner. By rotating responsibilities, organizations ensure that no single employee is overburdened with after-hours incident response, while still maintaining 24/7 availability for critical issues.

Real-life examples of on-call rotation in action

• IT operations teams: A software company assigns on-call responsibilities to different engineers on a weekly rotation to ensure that no single person is always responsible for handling after-hours incidents.
• Healthcare professionals: Hospitals use shift-based on-call schedules to ensure that doctors and nurses are available for emergencies while preventing exhaustion.
• Customer support centers: A global customer service team follows a geographical rotation, where teams in different time zones handle after-hours support for other regions.

Common on-call rotation strategies

Organizations use different on-call rotation models based on their industry, team size, and workload. Below are some of the most common strategies, along with their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Time-based rotation: Employees take turns being on call for a specified period, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.

✅ Pros:

• Simple to implement.
• Ensures equal workload distribution.

❌ Cons:

• May lead to burnout if shifts are too frequent or long.
• Can be ineffective if high-priority incidents occur during a specific shift repeatedly.

2. Task-based rotation: Each on-call employee is assigned specific types of incidents, tasks, or systems they are responsible for handling.

✅ Pros:

• Leverages team members’ specialized skills.
• Reduces the risk of inexperienced employees handling complex incidents.

❌ Cons:

• Can lead to unequal distribution of workload if certain tasks generate more alerts than others.
• May create dependencies on specific employees.

3. Department or team-based rotation: Instead of assigning on-call duties to individuals, entire departments or teams share the responsibility and triage incidents internally.

✅ Pros:

• Allows for collaborative problem-solving.
• Reduces the burden on individual employees.

❌ Cons:

• Can lead to confusion and delays if responsibilities are unclear.
• Requires strong team coordination.

4. High-emergency rotation: Employees are only called in for critical or high-severity incidents.

✅ Pros:

• Reduces unnecessary alerts and interruptions.
• Employees experience less fatigue compared to regular on-call shifts.

❌ Cons:

• Requires clear criteria for defining emergencies.
• May lead to delays if lower-priority issues escalate.

5. Hybrid models: A combination of different rotation models, such as alternating day and night shifts, mixing time- and task-based rotations, or splitting responsibilities between primary and backup on-call staff.

✅ Pros:

• Provides flexibility and customization based on team needs.
• Balances workload effectively.

❌ Cons:

• Requires careful planning and coordination to avoid confusion.
• More complex to manage compared to simpler rotation models.

How to create an on-call rotation

A well-structured on-call rotation is essential for maintaining 24/7 service availability while ensuring fair workload distribution among employees. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an effective on-call rotation that balances business needs with employee well-being.

1. Determine rotation requirements

Before setting up an on-call rotation, it’s important to assess the specific needs of your business. Consider the following factors:

• How frequently do incidents occur?
  • If incidents are rare, a simple weekly rotation may be sufficient.
  • If incidents are frequent, you may need shorter shifts or multiple on-call staff at a time.
• What level of coverage is required?
  • Do you need 24/7 coverage, or just after-hours and weekends?
  • Are holiday shifts necessary? If so, how will they be distributed fairly?
• How many employees are available for on-call duty?
  • A larger team allows for longer rotations and reduced individual burden.
  • A small team may require creative scheduling solutions to prevent exhaustion.
• Are different levels of expertise needed for different types of incidents?
  • If incidents vary in complexity, consider a tiered on-call system where junior staff handle basic issues and escalate complex cases to senior engineers.

By answering these questions, you’ll have a clear understanding of your on-call needs, helping you build a system that effectively supports both the business and employees.

2. Choose an appropriate rotation model

Once you understand your organization’s requirements, choose a rotation strategy that fits your team’s size, workload, and industry. Since we’ve already discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each model, this section will focus on their ideal use cases and provide examples.

✅ Time-based rotation (daily, weekly, or monthly shifts)

• Best for: Small to mid-sized teams with a steady flow of incidents.
• Example: Each employee is on-call for one week at a time, then rotates to the next person.

✅ Task-based rotation

• Best for: Teams with varied expertise, where different employees handle different types of issues.
• Example: One person handles network-related issues, another handles database problems, and another focuses on customer support escalations.

✅ Department-based rotation

• Best for: Large organizations where incidents are best handled by specific teams rather than individuals.
• Example: Instead of assigning on-call duties to individuals, entire teams rotate responsibility every week.

✅ High-emergency rotation

• Best for: Companies where only critical system failures require immediate attention.
• Example: Employees are only called in for mission-critical issues, while routine problems wait until normal business hours.

✅ Hybrid models

• Best for: Organizations that need a customized approach to balance workload, expertise, and availability.
• Example: A primary on-call engineer handles routine alerts, while a backup engineer is available for escalations.

Choosing the right model ensures that on-call duties are fairly distributed, efficiently managed, and aligned with business needs.

3. Optimize the schedule

Creating an on-call rotation is not just about assigning shifts—it’s about ensuring fairness and efficiency. Follow these best practices to optimize your schedule:

• Avoid overloading employees.
  • If someone is on-call too frequently, they risk burnout.
  • Use data from past incidents to determine the ideal shift length.
• Balance weekends, holidays, and night shifts.
  • Make sure shifts are evenly distributed among all employees.
  • Provide extra compensation or time off for employees who work on holidays.
• Plan for backup coverage.
  • If the primary on-call employee is unavailable due to illness or emergencies, a backup rotation system should be in place.
• Account for different time zones (if applicable).
  • If your company operates globally, schedule shifts based on regional availability to prevent employees from working at inconvenient hours.

Scheduling should be predictable and transparent, so employees know what to expect and can plan accordingly.

4. Use automation tools

Manually managing on-call schedules can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Using on-call management tools helps to:

✅ Automate shift scheduling based on pre-set rules.
✅ Send instant notifications when an incident occurs.
✅ Track response times and workload distribution. 

✅ Escalate unresolved issues to the next person in line.

Although we previously touched on some tools in an earlier section, here’s a quick recap of a few key ones:

🔹 PagerDuty: Automates alerts, escalations, and integrations with monitoring tools.
🔹 Opsgenie: Provides real-time incident tracking and customizable notification settings.
🔹 VictorOps (Splunk On-Call): Offers collaboration features for team-based incident resolution.
🔹 ServiceNow: Integrates on call scheduling with IT service management.

Using these tools ensures that alerts reach the right people at the right time, reducing response delays and improving efficiency.

5. Establish clear communication and on-call policies

Having a well-defined on-call policy helps employees understand their responsibilities and ensures a consistent approach to incident management. Your policy should include:

📌 Response time expectations—How quickly should employees acknowledge an alert? (e.g., within 5 minutes).
📌 Escalation procedures—What should employees do if they can’t resolve an issue?
📌 Compensation policies—Will employees receive extra pay, time off, or other incentives for on-call duties?
📌 Handover process—How should outgoing on-call employees transition responsibilities to the next person?
📌 Tools and resources—Ensure employees know how to use on-call management software effectively.

Clear communication ensures that everyone knows their role and expectations, reducing confusion and improving response efficiency.

6. Evaluate performance and continuously improve

Once your on-call rotation is in place, it’s important to assess its effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.

🔍 Gather employee feedback.

• Are employees comfortable with the current rotation?
• Do they feel overworked or unsupported?

📊 Monitor response times and incidents.

• How quickly are issues being resolved?
• Are certain shifts receiving more incidents than others?

📅 Adjust schedules based on trends.

• If certain shifts consistently experience a high volume of incidents, consider adding more on-call staff during peak hours.
• If employees report burnout, explore reducing shift lengths or increasing rotation frequency.

Fine-tuning your on-call system over time helps streamline emergency response, maintain team energy, and deliver better service outcomes.

Recommendations and tips: What is the best practice for on call rotation?

In this section, we’ll explore best practices for managing on-call rotations, along with practical tips to optimize scheduling, workload distribution, and employee satisfaction.

1. Establish clear rules and policies: One of the most critical aspects of on-call management is setting clear expectations. Employees should know:

✅ When they are on-call—Ensure employees are notified well in advance about their shifts to allow for personal planning.
✅ What their responsibilities are—Define expectations for response times, escalation processes, and issue resolution.
✅ How they will be compensated—Whether it’s extra pay, time off, or bonuses, on-call work should be fairly rewarded.
✅ How to escalate issues— Have a clear escalation hierarchy for complex incidents, ensuring employees know whom to contact if they need help.

💡 Tip: Document all policies in an on-call handbook and provide training sessions to ensure clarity.

2. Distribute the workload evenly: Overloading specific employees while others have fewer responsibilities creates unfairness and burnout. To prevent this:

✅ Use a fair rotation schedule—Rotate shifts evenly among all eligible team members.
✅ Track on-call incidents—Keep records of who handles the most incidents and adjust schedules if necessary.
✅ Consider tiered support—Have junior team members handle basic issues, escalating complex cases to senior staff.

💡 Example: Google’s Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) teams implement a follow-the-sun model, where on-call duties are distributed across global teams to prevent fatigue.

3. Ensure regular breaks and recovery time: Continuous on-call shifts without sufficient breaks can negatively impact mental and physical health. To avoid this:

✅ Limit consecutive on-call shifts—Avoid scheduling employees for back-to-back shifts.
✅ Provide recovery time—Offer compensatory time off after intense on-call periods.
✅ Monitor employee well-being— Regularly check in with employees to ensure they are not feeling overwhelmed.

💡 Example: Netflix’s engineering teams implement a “no burnout” policy, ensuring engineers receive adequate time off after demanding on-call rotations.

4. Automate on call scheduling: Manually managing on-call schedules can be time-consuming and error-prone. Automation tools can:

✅ Reduce administrative workload—Automatically assign shifts based on predefined rules.
✅ Minimize scheduling conflicts—Prevent double-booking or missing coverage.
✅ Enable real-time alerting—Ensure incidents reach the right person instantly.

As mentioned, PagerDuty, Rootly, and Zenduty, among other tools, help teams automate on-call rotation and management. 

💡 Tip: Choose a tool that integrates with your monitoring systems to streamline alerts and reduce manual intervention.

5. Set up a backup system for emergencies: On-call employees may occasionally be unavailable due to emergencies or technical issues. A backup plan ensures that incidents are always covered.

✅ Assign secondary on-call personnel—Have a backup employee in case the primary on-call staff is unreachable.
✅ Enable automated escalations—If an alert is not acknowledged within a specific time frame, escalate it automatically.
✅ Use a shared knowledge base—Ensure all team members have access to documentation for troubleshooting.

💡 Example: Amazon Web Services (AWS) uses an escalation-based on-call model, where unresolved incidents are automatically escalated to higher-level engineers.

6. Provide training and incident reviews: Effective incident handling requires ongoing learning and process improvement.

✅ Conduct post-incident reviews—Discuss what went well and what could be improved.
✅ Train employees on tools and best practices— Provide hands-on training for new hires and regular refreshers for experienced team members.
✅ Keep documentation up to date— Maintain a centralized knowledge base with troubleshooting guides and past incident reports.

💡 Tip: Spotify’s DevOps teams conduct blameless post-mortems after incidents to analyze root causes and improve future responses.

On-Call Schedule: Creation and Examples

In this section, we’ll explore how to create an on-call schedule, real-world examples, and the differences between an on-call schedule and an on-call rotation schedule.

What is an on-call schedule?

An on-call schedule is a predefined timetable that assigns specific employees to be available for handling incidents outside of regular working hours. It ensures that there is always someone ready to respond to urgent issues, whether in IT, healthcare, customer service, or other industries.

💡 Example: A hospital may have a rotating on-call schedule for doctors, ensuring that at least one specialist is available 24/7 for emergencies.

How to create an on-call schedule

Creating an effective on-call schedule involves balancing business needs with employee well-being. Below are the key steps:

1. Determine who will be part of the on-call pool

• Identify which employees or teams will participate in on-call duties.
• Ensure employees have the necessary skills and training to handle incidents.
• Consider tiered support models, where junior employees handle minor issues and escalate complex cases to senior staff.

2. Set the duration of on-call shifts

• Decide on shift lengths based on workload and industry standards.
• Common on-call durations include:
  • Weekly shifts (common in IT and engineering).
  • Daily shifts (used in healthcare and emergency services).
  • Weekend or holiday rotations for extended coverage.

💡 Tip: Avoid excessively long shifts to prevent exhaustion and burnout.

3. Consider employee preferences and availability

• Allow employees to express shift preferences when possible.
• Rotate shifts fairly to prevent one person from always covering weekends or holidays.
• Account for time zones if the team is distributed globally.

4. Use tools to automate scheduling: Manually managing an on-call schedule is time-consuming and error-prone. Instead, leverage on-call management tools to streamline the process like Virto Calendar App, PagerDuty, Opsgenie, VictorOps, and others we’ve discussed previously.

5. Create flexible schedules to minimize stress

• Implement backup personnel to cover for unexpected unavailability.
• Allow employees to swap shifts when needed.

6. Establish clear rules and communication

• Clearly define response time expectations (e.g., must acknowledge alerts within 5 minutes).
• Provide a centralized incident management system for tracking alerts.
• Regularly review and adjust schedules based on incident trends and employee feedback.

💡 Best Practice: Hold monthly reviews of the on-call schedule to make necessary adjustments.

👉 So, how does a call schedule work? An on-call schedule assigns specific employees or teams to be available during designated shifts. When an incident occurs, the scheduled on-call employee receives an alert. If they do not respond within the set timeframe, the issue escalates to a backup employee. The assigned employee then works to resolve the issue or, if necessary, escalates it to a more experienced staff member. A well-structured on-call schedule helps minimize downtime and ensures efficient incident resolution.

On-call schedules use cases

Different industries have unique operational needs, requiring customized on-call schedules to ensure continuous support while balancing employee workload. Below are real-world examples of how various industries implement on-call scheduling effectively.

1. IT and software engineering

💻 Example: A SaaS Company’s DevOps Team

In the IT sector, system reliability and uptime are critical, making an on-call schedule essential for incident response.

How it works:

• A primary on-call engineer is responsible for handling low-to-medium priority incidents, such as server warnings or non-critical bugs.
• A secondary on-call engineer is assigned to handle escalations for major system failures or security breaches.
• On-call shifts typically rotate weekly, ensuring equal workload distribution among engineers.

✅ Best practice: To prevent alert fatigue, many IT teams use automated monitoring tools like Datadog, New Relic, or Prometheus to filter unnecessary alerts and escalate only critical issues.

2. Healthcare and emergency services

🏥 Example: A Hospital’s on-call system

In healthcare, patient care continuity is a top priority, requiring a structured on-call system to handle emergencies.

How it works:

• Doctors and nurses follow a daily or weekly rotation to ensure 24/7 emergency care.
• Specialists (e.g., cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists) are on call only for critical cases that require their expertise.
• Scheduling must comply with labor laws and hospital policies to prevent staff exhaustion and ensure high-quality care.

✅ Best practice: Hospitals use electronic scheduling systems (e.g., QGenda, Kronos, or AMiON) to optimize shift planning and ensure fair workload distribution.

3. Customer support and call centers

📞 Example: A global customer service team

Customer support teams must maintain round-the-clock availability, especially in industries like e-commerce, telecommunications, and software support.

How it works:

• On-call duties are divided by region to ensure 24/7 coverage without requiring employees to work overnight in their local time zones.
• A tiered escalation system ensures that:
  • Frontline agents handle basic customer inquiries.
  • Senior support agents manage complex issues.
  • Technical support engineers are on call for critical system failures.
• AI-powered chatbots and self-service portals handle lower-priority issues, reducing human workload.

✅ Best practice: Many global companies use a “follow-the-sun” scheduling model, where shifts rotate between teams in different time zones, ensuring continuous support without overworking employees.

4. Manufacturing and industrial operations

🏭 Example: A factory’s maintenance team

Manufacturing plants require on-call maintenance teams to handle equipment failures and emergency repairs to prevent costly production downtime.

How it works:

• Technicians rotate weekly to handle on-call duties for equipment malfunctions.
• Emergency response teams are on call only for critical system failures that could halt production.
• Automated monitoring systems (IoT-based sensors) notify the on-call team of potential machinery issues before a breakdown occurs.

✅ Best practice: Factories use predictive maintenance tools (e.g., Siemens MindSphere, IBM Maximo, or GE Digital’s Predix) to analyze equipment performance and minimize emergency call-outs.

What is an example of an on-call schedule?

Below is an example of a healthcare on-call schedule in tabular format. It ensures that a physician and a nurse are always available for emergency cases, with specialists available depending on the department.

Date	On-Call Physician	On-Call Nurse	Specialist On-Call
Monday	Dr. Alice Carter	Nurse Ben Lee	Cardiologist (Dr. Smith)
Tuesday	Dr. John Miller	Nurse Emma Wilson	Neurologist (Dr. Patel)
Wednesday	Dr. Sarah Adams	Nurse Liam Johnson	Orthopedic Surgeon (Dr. Chen)
Thursday	Dr. David Clark	Nurse Ava Thomas	General Surgeon (Dr. Garcia)
Friday	Dr. Emily White	Nurse Noah Martinez	Pediatrician (Dr. Brown)
Saturday	Dr. William Scott	Nurse Olivia Davis	Trauma Specialist (Dr. Kim)
Sunday	Dr. Rachel Green	Nurse Ethan Walker	Cardiologist (Dr. Smith)

👉What is on call support? On-call support refers to a system where designated employees are available outside of regular working hours to handle urgent tasks, incidents, or emergencies. This is common in industries like IT, healthcare, and customer service, where immediate response is crucial to maintaining operations. Employees assigned to on-call support may receive alerts via phone, email, or messaging platforms and are expected to respond within a set timeframe. A well-structured on-call support system ensures business continuity while balancing employee workload.

On-call schedule vs. on-call rotation schedule

While both on-call schedules and on-call rotation schedules ensure continuous coverage for critical tasks, they differ in structure and implementation. An on-call schedule simply defines who is responsible for being available at a given time, whereas an on call rotation schedule ensures that these responsibilities are fairly distributed among team members over time. Let’s explore what an on-call rotation schedule is, how it works, and summarize the difference between the two. 

👉 What is an on call scheduler? An on-call scheduler is a system or tool used to automate the assignment and management of on-call shifts. It allows managers to create shift rotations, approve employee requests, and ensure proper coverage for emergencies and critical support needs. Advanced on-call schedulers, like Virto Calendar App, integrate with existing workplace tools, send automated notifications, and enable employees to swap shifts with approval. This automation reduces administrative workload, minimizes scheduling errors, and ensures a fair and efficient on-call management process.

What is an on-call rotation schedule?

An on-call rotation schedule is a specific type of on-call schedule that ensures all team members take turns being on call. It prevents overburdening specific employees and ensures fair distribution of responsibilities.

Here are key differences between the on-call schedule and the on-call rotation schedule for easy reference:

Feature	On-Call Schedule	On-Call Rotation Schedule
Definition	Defines who is on call at specific times	Ensures employees take turns being on call
Flexibility	Can be fixed or variable	Always rotates among team members
Fairness	May lead to workload imbalance if not managed properly	Ensures fair distribution of on-call duties
Use Case	Used in small teams or specialized roles	Used in large teams where workload must be shared

On-Call Policy: Why Is It Needed and How to Create It?

An on-call policy is a structured set of guidelines that outline expectations, responsibilities, and compensation for employees scheduled to be on call. A well-defined policy ensures fairness, consistency, and transparency in managing on-call duties, helping companies maintain productivity while preventing employee burnout.

In this section, we’ll explore why an on call policy is essential, how to formulate one, and the key elements that should be included to create an effective and employee-friendly oncall management process.

What’s an on-call policy?

An on-call policy is a formal document that defines:

✅ Who is required to be on call and how often.

✅ What their responsibilities are while on call.

✅ How they will be compensated for their availability.

✅ What the response time expectations are for handling incidents.

✅ How the escalation process works for unresolved issues.

Why is an on-call policy important?

1. Ensures fairness—Prevents certain employees from being overburdened while others have fewer on-call duties.
2. Improves employee satisfaction—Clearly defined compensation and break periods help reduce frustration and burnout.
3. Enhances operational efficiency—A structured process ensures that incidents are handled promptly and escalations are managed properly.
4. Ensures legal compliance—Helps organizations align with labor laws regarding overtime, compensatory rest, and fair work schedules.

Without a structured on call policy, employees may face unpredictable workloads, unfair compensation, and unclear expectations, leading to lower morale and higher turnover rates.

How to formulate an on-call policy

Creating an effective on-call policy requires careful planning and input from both management and employees. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Define clear rules for on-call expectations

• Specify who is required to participate in on-call shifts.
• Define response time requirements (e.g., must acknowledge alerts within 5-10 minutes).
• Establish incident escalation procedures if an issue cannot be resolved by the primary on-call employee.

2. Outline compensation for on-call work: Compensation is a crucial element of any on-call policy. Organizations can offer:

• Flat-rate pay—Employees receive a fixed amount for being on call, even if no incidents occur.
• Hourly pay—Employees are paid a higher rate only when they actively respond to an incident.
• Time-off compensation—Employees are given additional days off to recover from on-call duties.
• Bonuses or incentives—Some companies offer extra incentives for on-call work, such as gift cards or performance bonuses.

💡 Impact on employee motivation: Offering competitive compensation and fair rest periods makes employees more willing to participate in on-call shifts, improving overall satisfaction.

3. Set guidelines for frequency of on-call shifts

• Determine how often employees will be on call (e.g., weekly, biweekly, or monthly rotations).
• Ensure even distribution of on-call duties to prevent burnout.
• Consider allowing voluntary swaps between employees when needed.

4. Establish incident escalation procedures

• Define the first level of response (primary on-call employee).
• Set a backup escalation path (secondary on-call or senior engineer).
• Specify when to escalate issues to leadership or external vendors.

5. Provide time off and recovery periods

• Ensure employees receive adequate rest between on-call shifts.
• Offer compensatory time off after intense on-call periods.
• Monitor employee well-being and adjust schedules if needed.

Below is the summary of key elements of on-call policies for easy reference

Policy Element	Key Considerations
Frequency of On-Call	Rotate shifts fairly; prevent overloading individuals.
Compensation	Provide fair pay, bonuses, or time-off incentives.
Incident Escalation	Define clear escalation paths for unresolved issues.
Time Off & Recovery	Ensure employees get rest periods between shifts.
Response Time	Set expectations for acknowledging and resolving alerts.
Policy Review	Update policies based on employee feedback and business needs.

How to create an on-call policy

Creating an effective on-call policy requires careful planning, employee involvement, and legal compliance. Below, we break down the process into three essential steps to ensure a fair, transparent, and sustainable on-call management system.

1. Engage employees in the discussion: An effective on-call policy should reflect the needs and concerns of the employees who will be participating in on-call shifts. Engaging employees in the discussion helps increase transparency, improve morale, and reduce resistance to the policy.

How to involve employees:

✅ Conduct surveys or meetings to gather feedback on workload, compensation, and stress levels.
✅ Allow employees to express preferences regarding shift timings, days off, and compensation models.
✅ Identify common challenges such as frequent disruptions, response time pressure, or lack of rest periods.
✅ Encourage open discussions about how on-call duties impact work-life balance.

💡 Why it matters: Employees who feel heard and valued are more likely to accept the policy and remain engaged in their roles.

📌 Example in practice: A software development company might conduct a quarterly on-call feedback session, allowing engineers to share their experiences and suggest adjustments to shift rotations or escalation procedures.

2. Ensure compliance with labor laws: Every country (and sometimes state or industry) has specific labor laws regarding on-call work, overtime pay, and rest periods. Ensuring compliance with these laws protects both the company and employees from legal disputes.

Key compliance steps:

✅ Research local labor laws regarding:

• On-call pay requirements (whether employees should be compensated for being on call, even if they are not called in).
• Overtime regulations (rules about additional pay if an employee is called in for work).
• Mandatory rest periods between on-call shifts.

✅ Consult HR and legal teams to ensure the policy is fair and legally sound.
✅ Define clear distinctions between active vs. standby on-call duties, as some laws treat them differently.
✅ Ensure compliance with industry regulations (e.g., healthcare, IT, emergency services may have additional legal requirements).

💡 Why it matters: Failure to comply with labor laws can lead to penalties, lawsuits, and employee dissatisfaction.

📌 Example in practice: A hospital must follow strict labor laws ensuring that doctors and nurses receive proper rest periods between shifts to comply with healthcare labor standards and protect patient safety.

3. Regularly review and update the policy: An on-call policy should not be static—it must evolve based on employee feedback, workload changes, and industry best practices.

Here’s how to keep the policy relevant:

✅ Schedule an annual review of the policy, considering:

• Employee feedback on stress levels and fairness.
• Changes in business operations (e.g., company growth, new services requiring additional on-call staff).
• Industry best practices to stay competitive and efficient.

✅ Update compensation models based on market trends.
✅ Revise escalation procedures if response times or resolution rates are not optimal.
✅ Adjust shift rotations if certain employees are being overburdened.

💡 Why it matters: A flexible and adaptable on-call policy ensures long-term sustainability while supporting employee well-being and business continuity.

📌 Example in practice: An IT company reviews its on-call policy every six months, analyzing incident frequency, employee stress levels, and compensation competitiveness to make necessary adjustments.

Benefits of Using On-Call Management Tools

Modern on-call management tools help automate scheduling, notifications, and reporting, ensuring that the right person is available when needed. In this section, we’ll explore:

• How on-call management tools improve efficiency.
• The key features of these tools.
• How Virto Calendar App for SharePoint Online & Microsoft 365 simplifies on-call scheduling and communication.

How tools help with on-call management

Organizations use various technologies and platforms to coordinate and track on-call requests and schedules, including:

✅ Corporate calendars (e.g., Outlook, Google Calendar, SharePoint Calendars) – Maintain a centralized view of all on-call shifts.
✅ CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot)—Track customer service or IT support requests that require on-call responses.
✅ Corporate chats (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Slack)—Enable real-time communication for on-call staff.
✅ Collaboration platforms (e.g., SharePoint, Confluence)—Store on-call policies, guidelines, and schedules in a shared space.

Modern on-call management tools simplify the process by automating:

• Schedule creation—Automatically generate and update on-call rosters.
• Notifications & alerts—Send on-call reminders via SMS, email, or push notifications.
• Calendar integration—Sync with Google Calendar, Outlook, and SharePoint for a unified view.
• Reporting & analytics—Track on-call performance, response times, and workload distribution.

So the key benefits of those oncall schedule tools include:

✅ Time savings—Reduces the time spent manually assigning shifts and handling last-minute changes.
✅ Minimization of errors—Avoids scheduling conflicts and missed assignments.
✅ Improved transparency & fairness—Ensures equal distribution of on-call responsibilities among employees.

💡 Example: A global IT support team using an on-call management tool can automatically rotate shifts, ensuring that support engineers across different time zones are fairly scheduled and receive timely alerts.

👉What is an on call calendar? An on-call calendar, like Virto Calendar, is a scheduling tool used to track and manage employees assigned to on-call shifts. It helps teams organize availability, ensuring there is always someone responsible for handling urgent issues at any given time. Integrated with platforms like Outlook, Google Calendar, or SharePoint, an on-call calendar provides real-time visibility, automated reminders, and shift rotation tracking. By streamlining scheduling, it reduces conflicts, prevents miscommunication, and ensures fair shift distribution.

Effective on-call management with Virto Calendar App

The Virto Calendar App for SharePoint Online & Microsoft 365 provides a structured, automated approach to organizing on-call shifts, ensuring that teams remain responsive, well-coordinated, and stress-free.

With Virto Calendar App, employees or departments can request on-call shifts for specific days, subject to manager approval, creating a transparent and fair allocation system. This not only improves workforce planning but also enhances overall operational efficiency by ensuring that the right people are available at the right time.

How Virto Calendar App optimizes on-call scheduling

Virto Calendar App offers a suite of powerful features designed to simplify scheduling, improve visibility, and enhance communication:

1. Centralized on-call scheduling

One of the biggest challenges in on-call management is handling multiple calendars from different sources. The Virto Calendar App solves this by allowing teams to overlay multiple calendars—Exchange Online, Outlook, and SharePoint—into a single unified view. This ensures that managers and employees have real-time access to all on-call schedules without switching between different platforms. Additionally, on-call schedules can be integrated with SharePoint lists, meeting rooms, and external calendar sources, ensuring all scheduling data is centralized in one place.

2. Flexible Viewing & Tracking

Employees and managers need different levels of visibility when reviewing on-call schedules. Virto Calendar App provides multiple viewing options, allowing users to switch effortlessly between daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly views. For quick reference, a mini calendar offers a compact overview of upcoming on-call shifts, making it easy for employees to check their assignments and for managers to track coverage gaps.

3. Automated Notifications (if used in conjunction with Virto Alerts & Reminder App)

On-call scheduling requires timely notifications to ensure employees are aware of their upcoming shifts. If used in tandem with Virto Alerts App, Virto Calendar App provides automated email and push notifications, reminding employees about their on-call shifts well in advance.

Additionally, when employees submit on-call shift requests, managers receive instant alerts, prompting them to review and approve requests in a timely manner.

4. Integration with External Calendars

Since many employees rely on different calendar platforms, Virto Calendar App ensures seamless integration with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and iCal feeds. This allows employees to view their on-call shifts alongside personal and professional commitments, reducing scheduling conflicts and improving time management.

5. Color-Coded Categorization

To enhance clarity and organization, Virto Calendar App allows users to assign color codes to different types of on-call shifts, emergency tasks, and scheduled breaks. This feature makes it easy to distinguish between different types of shifts at a glance, ensuring teams remain informed and prepared.

How Virto Calendar App improves communication & efficiency

Beyond scheduling, Virto Calendar App enhances team communication, coordination, and administrative efficiency, making on-call management smoother and more predictable.

🚀 Simplifies on-call request & approval process: With Virto Calendar App, employees can request specific on-call shifts directly within the system, reducing the need for manual coordination via emails or spreadsheets. Managers have a clear overview of all requests, allowing them to approve or modify shifts easily. This eliminates last-minute confusion and scheduling conflicts, ensuring a fair and organized allocation of on-call duties.

🚀 Enhances visibility & coordination: When schedules are scattered across different systems, miscommunication and conflicts arise. Virto Calendar App provides real-time visibility of all on-call shifts, allowing teams to see who is available at any given time. For businesses using Microsoft Teams, the app seamlessly integrates on-call schedules into team channels, helping employees coordinate more effectively. This is especially useful for organizations with multiple departments or remote teams that need instant access to shift information.

🚀 Reduces administrative burden: Manually assigning and updating on-call shifts can be time-consuming and prone to errors. By automating scheduling processes and notifications (if used with other VirtoSoftware apps), Virto Calendar App significantly reduces the workload for managers and HR teams. Additionally, built-in analytics ensures that on-call duties are evenly distributed, preventing overburdening of specific employees and maintaining a balanced work environment.

Real-world application: Virto Calendar App in healthcare

For industries that rely on strict on-call schedules, such as healthcare, the Virto Calendar App provides immense value. For example, a hospital using Virto Calendar App can efficiently schedule doctors and nurses for on-call shifts, ensuring that emergency coverage is always available. The automated scheduling system helps maintain compliance with labor regulations, ensuring that no employee is overworked while also guaranteeing continuous patient care.

Conclusion

By implementing a fair and transparent on-call rotation, organizations can distribute responsibilities evenly, ensuring that no single employee is overburdened. Clear on-call schedules eliminate confusion and reduce last-minute disruptions, while a well-defined on-call policy establishes expectations around response times, compensation, and time-off entitlements. These elements work together to create a structured and predictable system that minimizes stress and enhances team productivity.

Successful on-call management requires careful planning, fair scheduling, and the right set of tools to streamline operations. Without modern solutions, manual scheduling can become complex, error-prone, and time-consuming. Leveraging advanced scheduling tools, such as Virto Calendar App for SharePoint Online & Microsoft 365, can significantly improve efficiency by automating scheduling, integrating multiple calendars, and providing real-time visibility into on-call shifts.

If your organization struggles with on-call scheduling challenges, now is the time to explore a smarter approach. Try Virto Calendar App today and experience a more structured, transparent, and stress-free way to manage on-call responsibilities:

• Schedule a free demo call 
• Install a free trial of the app

For more insights on shift scheduling and on-call management, explore these resources:

• Government Sector Shift Scheduling Solutions
• Government Scheduling Software
• Shift Scheduling Software for Businesses