Oh $#!+, I Forgot I Was On-Call
Blog post from PagerDuty
Forgetting about being on-call is a common experience, as evidenced by a survey revealing that over 80% of participants have done so, often when away from the office and engaged in personal activities. The text offers various real-life scenarios and advice on how to handle unexpected alerts while on-call, such as being reminded by friends while out for a drink, buying movie tickets, gaming at home, or attending a concert. It suggests practical solutions like preparing an on-call emergency backpack, contacting a secondary person in the escalation policy, and quickly escalating incidents to ensure prompt handling. The emphasis is on remaining flexible and responsible, while also acknowledging the occasional need to negotiate shift coverage with teammates.