Case Study: Two‑Shift On‑Call Scheduling to Reduce SRE Burnout
We partnered with a mid-size SaaS company to test a two-shift on-call model. The results: better coverage, fewer escalations, and measurable wellbeing improvements.
Case Study: Two‑Shift On‑Call Scheduling to Reduce SRE Burnout
Hook: On-call rotations are a double-edged sword. A carefully structured two-shift model can preserve service coverage while protecting team wellbeing — and we have the data to prove it.
Background
A SaaS platform with 60 engineers faced rising attrition due to irregular on-call patterns. We piloted a two-shift schedule over 12 weeks and measured MTTR, escalation counts and self-reported wellbeing.
Design Principles
- Shorter shifts to reduce continuous sleep disruption
- Overlap windows for handoffs with clear playbooks
- Dedicated async documentation time for knowledge transfer
Operational Details
The two-shift model split coverage into an early and late shift with a structured handoff. Handovers used templates and a lightweight incident log. We borrowed scheduling lessons from broadcast case work — see a similar scheduling case study in a different domain at Case Study: Two-Shift Show Scheduling to Maximize Live Coverage and Host Wellbeing.
Outcomes (12 Weeks)
- MTTR decreased by 18% compared to the previous quarter
- Escalation volume fell by 22%
- Self-reported burnout symptoms dropped by 28% on weekly surveys
Why It Worked
Key success factors were predictable handoffs, dedicated overlap, and explicit on-call return-to-work policies. We also integrated restorative practices for on-call teammates — short yoga or light routines, as recommended in wellness pieces such as Restorative Practices for Creatives.
Implementation Checklist
- Create a 4-week pilot and baseline your metrics.
- Establish a handoff template and incident mini-retros.
- Schedule overlap windows and designate a small escalation team.
- Offer a wellbeing budget (therapy, light practices) during pilot.
Common Risks & Mitigations
Risk: knowledge gaps across shifts. Mitigation: short handoff recordings and a searchable incident index. Risk: shift envy or perceived unfairness. Mitigation: transparent scheduling rules and rotation fairness checks.
“Design for human rhythms — predictable schedules give engineers back control and improve performance.”
Cross-Industry Lessons
Scheduling experiments in other sectors, like radio and hospitality, show similar wellbeing benefits when shifts are predictable and overlaps are explicit — see the radio scheduling case study referenced earlier (Two-Shift Show Scheduling).
Conclusions
Two-shift on-call models can reduce burnout and improve incident response when implemented with structured handoffs, overlap windows and wellbeing support. Pilot, measure, adapt.
Recommended Reading
Related Topics
Maya Singh
Senior Food Systems Editor
Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.
