{"id":4759,"date":"2026-01-15T14:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:41:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/?p=4759"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:55:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T10:25:34","slug":"getting-started-with-oncall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started with on-call"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Setting up on-call is simpler than it looks. It mostly comes down to a handful of clear decisions about your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide walks you through those decisions. <strong>You\u2019ll learn who to add in your rotation, how long shifts should last, when to hand off, and whether you need 24\/7 coverage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end, you\u2019d set up your first <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/oncall-schedules-everything-you-need-to-know\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/oncall-schedules-everything-you-need-to-know\/\">on-call schedule<\/a> and move from ad-hoc firefighting to an organized <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/incident-response-for-devops-sres-and-it-teams\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/incident-response-for-devops-sres-and-it-teams\/\">incident response<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Table of contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<nav aria-label=\"Table of Contents\" class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents\"><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#some-common-questions-before-you-set-up-on-call\">Common questions before setting up on-call<\/a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#when-should-you-start-on-call\">When should you start on-call?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#what-needs-to-be-in-place-before-you-set-up-on-call\">What needs to be in place before you set up on-call?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#do-you-need-an-on-call-tool-or-is-a-spreadsheet-fine\">Do you need an on-call tool, or is a spreadsheet fine?<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#setting-up-your-first-on-call-schedule\">Setting up your first on-call schedule<\/a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#who-should-be-in-the-on-call-rotation\">Who should be in the on-call rotation?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#which-on-call-rotation-should-you-pick\">Which on-call rotation should you pick?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#when-should-you-do-handoffs\">When should you schedule on-call handoffs?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#do-you-need-24-7-on-call-coverage\">Do you need 24\/7 on-call coverage?<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#a-few-other-scenarios-to-consider\">A few other scenarios to consider<\/a><ol><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#should-you-add-new-team-members-to-the-on-call-rotation\">Should you add new team members to the on-call rotation?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#how-do-you-handle-an-on-call-team-spread-across-different-time-zones\">How do you handle an on-call team spread across different time zones?<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#how-do-you-avoid-scheduling-conflicts-with-on-call\">How do you avoid scheduling conflicts with on-call?<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#you-re-ready\">You\u2019re all set!<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"wp-block-table-of-contents__entry\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/#faqs\">FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"some-common-questions-before-you-set-up-on-call\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common questions before setting up on-call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These three questions come up for almost everyone starting out. Let\u2019s settle them now so you can move forward with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"when-should-you-start-on-call\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should you start on-call?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can start when you have at least one other person willing to share the on-call responsibility with you. You don\u2019t need a bigger team, higher incident volume, or more infrastructure. Two people rotating is usually enough to get going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-needs-to-be-in-place-before-you-set-up-on-call\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What needs to be in place before you set up on-call?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just two things: people willing to rotate, and systems that send alerts when something breaks. You don\u2019t need perfect documentation or formal policies yet. Those come later as you learn what works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"do-you-need-an-on-call-tool-or-is-a-spreadsheet-fine\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you need an on-call tool, or is a spreadsheet fine?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"some-common-questions-before-you-set-up-on-call\">Spreadsheets work fine when you\u2019re starting out. You can set up a simple schedule, assign shifts, and run it for a few weeks. <strong>You\u2019ll probably know it\u2019s time to upgrade when managing the spreadsheet becomes a hassle.<\/strong> For example, people go on vacation and you\u2019re manually shuffling shifts, someone asks&nbsp;<em>\u201cwait, who\u2019s on-call today?\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;for the third time this week, or you need critical alerts to reach people through phone calls instead of just Slack messages. Once you hit such pain points, adopting a dedicated on-call tool makes life easier for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-ee856660 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-midnight-gradient-background has-background has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"http:\/\/app.spike.sh\/signup\">Try spike&#8217;s on-call free for 14 days<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"setting-up-your-first-on-call-schedule\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting up your first on-call schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now let\u2019s walk through the decisions you\u2019ll make when setting up your first on-call schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"who-should-be-in-the-on-call-rotation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who should be in the on-call rotation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Include people who are willing and have enough knowledge about the service. They don\u2019t need to be experts. Even if they can just <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/triage\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/triage\/\">triage<\/a> and handle common issues, that\u2019s usually enough to get things running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, don\u2019t wait for the perfect team composition. You can always add more people to the rotation as your team grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"which-on-call-rotation-should-you-pick\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which on-call rotation should you pick?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A 2-day rotation is a good place to start.<\/strong> This gives people enough time to settle into the responsibility without feeling like they\u2019re constantly switching shifts. If an incident happens on day one of your shift, you\u2019re still around on day two to follow up or handle related issues. You\u2019re not immediately passing it to someone who has to catch up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, with two people rotating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alex is on-call Monday and Tuesday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bilal takes Wednesday and Thursday<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alex takes Friday and Saturday<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the pattern repeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both get clear accountability without being stuck on-call for so long that it starts to feel like a burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"setting-up-your-first-on-call-schedule\">You can always adjust the rotation length later as you see what works for your team, but 2-day shifts are a good starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2006\" height=\"1492\" data-attachment-id=\"4763\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2-06-26-pm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM.png\" data-orig-size=\"2006,1492\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screenshot 2026-01-15 at 2.06.26\u202fPM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-300x223.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-1024x762.png\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM.png\" alt=\"Example of 2-day rotation on Spike\" class=\"wp-image-4763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM.png 2006w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-1024x762.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-768x571.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-1536x1142.png 1536w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-200x150.png?crop=1 200w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-15-at-2.06.26-PM-1200x893.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2006px) 100vw, 2006px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Example of 2-day rotation on <a href=\"http:\/\/spike.sh\" type=\"link\" id=\"spike.sh\">Spike<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If you&#8217;re interested in exploring more on-call rotations, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-oncall-rotation\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/how-to-choose-the-right-oncall-rotation\/\">this guide \u2192<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"when-should-you-do-handoffs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should you schedule on-call handoffs?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A handoff is when one person\u2019s on-call shift ends and the next person\u2019s begins.<\/strong> It usually works best to schedule handoffs during your team\u2019s normal business hours, somewhere between 9 am and 11 am is a good sweet spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scheduling handoffs during the day gives the outgoing person a chance to brief the incoming person when there\u2019s an ongoing incident or something that needs context. They can have a quick chat to pass along important details. When everything\u2019s been quiet, the handoff just happens silently and automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, it\u2019s probably best to avoid scheduling handoffs in the middle of the night for anyone on your team. That\u2019s a recipe for resentment and burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>To learn how to make handoffs smoother, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/oncall-handoff-best-practices\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/blog\/oncall-handoff-best-practices\/\">this guide \u2192<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"do-you-need-24-7-on-call-coverage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do you need 24\/7 on-call coverage?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It usually depends on how critical your alerts are. If you&#8217;re dealing with issues that can&#8217;t wait (things like payment failures, service outages, or security incidents), 24\/7 coverage is probably your best bet. <strong>Having someone on-call around the clock helps make sure you don&#8217;t miss alerts that could impact customers or revenue.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"when-should-you-do-handoffs\">That said, if most of your alerts can wait until morning without causing real problems, business hours coverage might work just fine for now. You can always expand to 24\/7 coverage later as your needs change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"a-few-other-scenarios-to-consider\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few other scenarios to consider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While setting up your on-call, you might come across the following scenarios that need a bit of extra thought. Here\u2019s how to handle them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"should-you-add-new-team-members-to-the-on-call-rotation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should you add new team members to the on-call rotation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, it often helps to bring them into the rotation within their first month. Consider pairing them with a Subject Matter Expert (SME), where the new person takes the <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/primary-responder\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/primary-responder\/\">primary responder<\/a> role and the SME acts as <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/backup-responder\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/backup-responder\/\">backup<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, when an incident comes in, the new person gets alerted first. They triage it and try a quick fix. When they\u2019re stuck after 10-15 minutes&nbsp;<em>(and it\u2019s completely okay to be stuck)<\/em>, they <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/escalate\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/escalate\/\">escalate<\/a> to the SME. This way, new folks get hands-on learning with the safety net of backup ready when they need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-do-you-handle-an-on-call-team-spread-across-different-time-zones\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do you handle an on-call team spread across different time zones?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider using the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/F-Qz6hejCco?si=6UlNZv7rQzHHK5W8\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/F-Qz6hejCco?si=6UlNZv7rQzHHK5W8\">follow-the-sun model<\/a>, where on-call responsibility follows daylight hours across the globe.<\/strong> For example, your Asia team handles incidents during their workday, then hands off to Europe, and then to the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This protects everyone\u2019s sleep and personal time. No one gets paged at 3 am, and incidents always land during someone\u2019s business hours. The follow-the-sun model works well if you have enough people distributed across time zones to make the handoffs smooth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"993\" height=\"803\" data-attachment-id=\"4764\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/getting-started-with-oncall\/sun-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1.webp\" data-orig-size=\"993,803\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"sun\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1-300x243.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1.webp\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1.webp\" alt=\"Example of follow-the-sun on-call schedule on Spike\" class=\"wp-image-4764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1.webp 993w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1-300x243.webp 300w, https:\/\/blog.spike.sh\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/sun-1-768x621.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Example of follow-the-sun on-call schedule on <a href=\"http:\/\/spike.sh\" type=\"link\" id=\"spike.sh\">Spike<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-do-you-avoid-scheduling-conflicts-with-on-call\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do you avoid scheduling conflicts with on-call?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are a few practical steps you can take to avoid scheduling conflicts with on-call. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Syncing your on-call schedule directly to your personal calendar. This makes it easier to see shifts alongside your personal commitments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deciding how your team handles shift swaps. This could be posting in Slack, sending an email, or using your on-call tool\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/oncall-override\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/spike.sh\/glossary\/oncall-override\/\">override<\/a> feature.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Checking the upcoming month&#8217;s schedule during your regular team meetings. A quick two-minute review often catches those holidays or events that everyone forgot to block out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"you-re-ready\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">You\u2019re all set!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hooray! You\u2019ve got everything you need to set up your first on-call schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can keep things simple to begin with: just two people rotating for 2 days at a time with 24\/7 coverage. And consider adding complexity only when you really need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important thing is just getting started. <strong>Having an on-call system gives your team clear accountability and removes the panic of&nbsp;<em>\u201cwho handles this?\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;when something breaks.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"you-re-ready\">Go ahead and run your first rotation, see what works, and adjust as you learn. Good luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"how-long-does-it-take-to-set-up-an-on-call-schedule\"><strong>How long does it take to set up an on-call schedule?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About 30 minutes if you\u2019re using a spreadsheet, but it usually takes only about 5 minutes with <a href=\"http:\/\/spike.sh\" type=\"link\" id=\"spike.sh\">Spike<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are the different types of on-call rotations?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Weekly rotation:<\/strong>&nbsp;One person is on-call for a full week. It\u2019s quite simple and works well when your alert volume is low.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Daily rotation:<\/strong>&nbsp;A different person is on-call each day. This often works better for teams dealing with frequent alerts, as it prevents anyone from having a week full of 3 AM calls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custom rotation:<\/strong>&nbsp;You can get a bit creative here. For example, two people split weekdays while a third covers the weekend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to handle public holidays?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"faqs\">Most teams typically decide in advance whether they will have on-call at all on those days, and if yes, they rotate holiday duty so it\u2019s shared fairly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide helps you make key decisions while setting up your first on-call schedule: who to include, which rotation to pick, when to hand off shifts, and whether you need 24\/7 coverage. 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