On-Call
Being the designated person who gets paged when systems break, including at 3 AM. Compensated in some companies, character-building in others. The pager's weight is invisible on org charts.
Heard in the wild
“I'm on-call this week, so I'm one page away from ruining dinner.”
Tone check: Technical
Sustainable on-call needs rotation, comp, and quiet systems. Two of three is burnout on a schedule.