Industry
On-Call Wellbeing: How to Make On-Call Work Sustainable
On-call keeps systems running and customers happy. But for the people carrying the pager, it can mean broken sleep, cancelled plans and the constant feeling of never quite being off duty.
When on-call isn’t managed well, it’s one of the fastest routes to burnout in tech teams. This guide is for engineering leaders, tech managers and HR teams. It covers how on-call affects wellbeing, what the law says and the practical steps you can take to make on-call fair and sustainable.
On-call and burnout in numbers
A 2026 survey of more than 1,000 site reliability, DevOps and IT operations professionals found that:
Nearly 40% of organisations said more than a quarter of their on-call engineers showed signs of burnout linked to incident management
36% of teams spent five to ten hours every week on incident reports and post-incident reviews
On-call also adds to wider pressures in tech. For more on these, read our guide to tech burnout.
How on-call affects wellbeing
Disrupted sleep
Overnight alerts break up sleep, and even quiet nights can be restless if people are waiting for the phone to go off. Poor sleep affects mood, concentration and decision-making the next day.
Never fully switching off
Being on call means staying near a laptop, avoiding alcohol and planning life around possible alerts. Even if nothing happens, people can’t fully relax.
Alert fatigue
Too many alerts, especially ones that don’t need action, wear people down. Over time, people may start to ignore alerts or feel constantly on edge.
High-pressure incidents
Major incidents mean working fast, under pressure, often in the middle of the night, sometimes with customers and senior leaders watching. That can be stressful and draining.
Unfair rotas
When the same people are always on call, or when experienced engineers get pulled into every incident, the load becomes uneven and resentment can build.
Impact on home life
On-call can mean missing family events, interrupting time with children and partners, and struggling to make plans. That strain can affect relationships as well as wellbeing.
What the law says about on-call time
Whether on-call time counts as working time depends on how much control the employer has over the person’s time. Acas guidance says:
On-call time can count as working time if the worker has to be available to work, whether at the workplace or elsewhere, including at home
Time where the worker can spend it however they choose usually doesn’t count
The more restrictions the employer places on where people must be and how quickly they must respond, the more likely the time is to count
On-call workers who need to be available for work are entitled to the same rest breaks as other workers
Working time affects rest breaks, maximum working hours and pay, including the National Minimum Wage. Make sure your contracts and on-call policies are clear, and take advice if you’re unsure.
Practical steps to make on-call sustainable
Make rotas fair and predictable
Share on-call fairly across the team, and publish rotas well in advance
Make it easy to swap shifts
Avoid putting the same people on call during holidays and key dates every year
Make sure new team members are trained and supported before they join the rota
Give proper rest after incidents
Give time off in lieu after overnight or weekend incidents
Don’t expect people to work a full day after a night of firefighting
Make sure people take their breaks during on-call weeks
Reduce alert noise
Review alerts regularly and remove or tune those that don’t need action Fix recurring issues rather than relying on people to keep responding Make runbooks clear, so responders know what to do
Share the load during incidents
Have clear escalation paths, so no one handles a major incident alone Bring in a second responder for long or complex incidents Rotate incident lead roles
Run blameless post-incident reviews
Focus on what happened and how to prevent it, not who’s to blame Keep reviews short and focused, so they don’t add to workload Recognise the effort of people who responded
Pay and recognise on-call fairly
Be clear about on-call allowances and payment for call-outs Recognise on-call work in performance reviews Thank people who’ve had a tough on-call week
Check in with on-call staff
Managers should check in after difficult on-call weeks and major incidents. Look out for signs of exhaustion, irritability or withdrawal, and make sure people know how to access support.
How an EAP helps on-call teams
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) gives your people confidential support at any time, including in the middle of the night after a difficult incident. With Wisdom Wellbeing, your team can access:
A 24/7 confidential helpline for emotional and practical support
Short-term structured counselling with qualified counsellors
The Wisdom app, with self-help tools, sleep support and wellbeing content
Manager support and guidance on handling difficult conversations
Legal and financial information
For more on supporting tech teams, read our guide to mental health in tech, or find out more about our EAP and wellbeing support for technology companies.
FAQs
Does on-call time count as working time?
It depends on how much control the employer has over the person’s time. Acas guidance says on-call time can count as working time if the worker has to be available to work, but time they can spend however they choose usually doesn’t count.
How can on-call be made fairer?
Share on-call evenly across the team, publish rotas well in advance, make swaps easy, pay on-call allowances fairly and give time off after overnight or weekend incidents.
What is alert fatigue?
Alert fatigue happens when people receive so many alerts, many of which don’t need action, that they become exhausted or start to ignore them. Reviewing and reducing unnecessary alerts helps prevent it.
How can managers support staff after a major incident?
Give them time to rest, hold a blameless post-incident review, check in over the following days and make sure they know how to access confidential support.
Can an EAP help on-call staff?
Yes. An EAP gives on-call staff confidential, 24/7 access to counselling and support, so they can get help whenever they need it, including after a difficult night.
Sources
Acas, Being on call: working time rules
Business Wire, 2026 State of Production Reliability and AI Adoption Report
Wisdom Wellbeing
Wisdom Wellbeing provides clinically led Employee Assistance Programmes to organisations across the UK and Ireland. Specialising in mental health and wellbeing, we publish practical guidance for employees, employers and business owners, including articles written by our counsellors to offer expertise from a clinical perspective. We also write for students at college and university who want to improve and maintain their mental wellbeing.
Support your employees with an EAP
With an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) from Wisdom Wellbeing, we can offer you practical advice and support when it comes to dealing with workplace stress and anxiety issues.
Our EAP service provides guidance and supports your employees with their mental health in the workplace and at home. We can help you create a safe, productive workspace that supports all.
