On-Call Burnout

Physical and emotional exhaustion caused by frequent sleep interruption, excessive alerts, and the stress of maintaining high availability.

On-Call Burnout

Physical and emotional exhaustion caused by frequent sleep interruption, excessive alerts, and the stress of maintaining high availability.

The Silent Team Killer

Burnout isn't just "being tired." It is a state of chronic stress that leads to detachment and cynicism. In on-call, it comes from the Uncertainty ("Will I sleep tonight?").
Signs: Cynicism, slower response times, dreading the rotation.

ExTeam Burnout Recovery

"8-person team had 3 engineers quit in 6 months due to on-call burnout. New manager implemented: reduced alert noise by 70%, added comp time (1.5x), limited rotation to 1 week per month. 12 months later: 0 turnover, 45% better response times."

Impact

Turnover eliminated, $180K saved in recruiting costs

Resolution

Treated burnout as system reliability issue, not personal failure

Why On-Call Burnout Matters

The #1 cause of turnover in SRE/DevOps teams.

Burned out engineers make more mistakes, causing more incidents.

Common Pitfalls

Treating burnout as personal weakness

Burnout is a system design issue, not a personal failure. If multiple people are burning out, the system is broken, not the people.

Ignoring burnout signs until people quit

Track burnout indicators: alert noise, rotation frequency, time off. Conduct regular retros and act on feedback before people leave.

Related Terms

Sustainable On-Call Alert Fatigue

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the early signs of on-call burnout?

Early signs include dreading your on-call week, feeling cynical about alerts, slower response times, irritability with team members, and physical symptoms like insomnia or fatigue.

How do I prevent on-call burnout?

Reduce alert noise (only actionable alerts), ensure fair rotations, provide compensation, limit rotation frequency, and support time off. Treat burnout as a system reliability issue.

What should I do if I am experiencing on-call burnout?

Talk to your manager immediately. Take time off if needed. Burnout is a health issue, not a performance issue. Good teams will support you. Consider reducing on-call frequency temporarily.

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Industry benchmarks, On-Call Burnout trends, and insights from 25+ engineering teams.

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