There is often a temptation to stretch on-call shifts to a month or longer, especially when incident volume is low. The logic seems sound. If the phone rarely rings, it feels unnecessary to hand off on-call duties every week.
But looking strictly at incident volume often misses the human side of the equation. Being on-call isn’t just about answering pages. It is also a state of mind. Even when it is quiet, simply being on-call could create fatigue of its own.
The invisible weight of being ready
You might go thirty days without a single incident. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you were resting. Somewhere in your mind, a switch is usually flipped on. You are likely cautious about where you go. You might worry about how far you are from your laptop. You could even find yourself sleeping with one eye open.
This constant state of readiness can be exhausting. It is often easier to handle a busy week than to survive a silent and anxious month. The uncertainty itself often creates fatigue.
The problem with long breaks
The other downside of a monthly rotation is the length of time you spend off-call. If you have a team of six and you rotate monthly, you are away from on-call duties for five months at a time.
On-call is a bit like a muscle that needs regular use to stay sharp. When you return after a long gap, you might find that everything feels different.
Systems have probably changed, new features have been deployed, or the nature of common incidents has evolved. You essentially have to re-learn the context every time your shift comes around.
What to do instead?
If you have low incident volume, it is usually better to stick to a weekly rotation.
This creates a predictable rhythm. A week is generally long enough to get settled. It is also short enough that the end is always in sight. It often helps the team stay in touch with systems regularly to be confident rather than rusty.
By keeping rotations shorter, you help make sure that when an incident does trigger, the responder is fresh and ready to act.
FAQs
Can we stick to monthly rotations if we schedule regular knowledge syncs?
While frequent knowledge syncs are helpful, relying on them to bridge a five-month gap can be tricky. It often adds unnecessary process overhead. Rotating more frequently is usually the more efficient way to keep everyone’s knowledge fresh without filling the calendar with extra catch-up sessions.
How does rotation length affect incident response?
Shorter rotations help keep the team familiar with the current state of the system. When you are on-call more frequently, you are less likely to be surprised by recent deployments or new patterns in incidents.