On Call

These responsibilities remain with the designated person until the next Friday team call when they are reassigned or, in rare cases, renewed. Any issues that arise during your on-call period should be logged in the On Call Log.

An on-call period runs from Friday to Friday (7 days) and no team member should be left on call for more than 14 days. Ideally, the rota should switch every week. All team members receive an immediate ‘4 hour’ overtime log simply for being on call, and any issues logged during on call will be addressed as either additional overtime or flex/TOIL.

Expectations for OnCall 

1. Check the support desk (_support in Slack) hourly
2. Respond to any incoming items immediately if they are ‘High Priority’ or ‘Critical’
3. Take initiative on any ‘Low’ or ‘Normal’ priority items and reply back and triage accordingly for next day review
4. Ensure you have your mobile number switched in the VirtualLandline app (see 1Password) and have it on and not on silent at all times
5. Slack Notifications: Ensure you have Slack installed on your phone and configured so that the support channel sends notifications. Adjust your Slack settings to receive notifications 24/7. In addition, install the Freshdesk app and log in.

Types of Issue / Priority

Issues can generally be broken down into the following categories when reported: 

• High Priority / Critical:
  • If an issue of this nature is reported you will receive either a call or an email to support marked as high priority / critical in the subject line
  • These must be processed immediately and a reply sent to indicate that the issue is logged and being looked into
• Normal or Low Priority:
  • Any other issues are to be managed and triaged ready for review and pickup in the next Standup
    Use your discretion with these issues, if you can fix or change something quickly go ahead

Logging

On Call Log (2025):
Verify that your name and the correct dates are present. Copy the “OC-01” type reference from the ID column here for use in the Overtime Log.

After your on-call period, add your overtime hours to the Overtime Log. The on-call hours have a baseline of 4, and you may add additional hours if you need to resolve something outside of normal hours.

See: Managing Overtime

Support Phone System

Phone System (VirtualLandline):
Log into VirtualLandline using the password stored in 1Password, then click the provided link. You will see the field for the "on call engineer" number; change this to your work phone (or your normal mobile if you do not have one). Be sure to include your appropriate country code.

Testing the Number:
Test the system by calling 0114 400 0305 from a different phone, if available.

Handling Leave and Reassignments

You cannot be on call if you are away. If you have planned leave, become sick, or require unplanned leave while on call, you must reassign the on-call rota to another team member.

Escalation Procedures

If you need help, try to delay the issue with the client by explaining the situation and stating that you are working on the problem but require additional assistance. Keeping the client informed can sometimes be more important than immediately fixing the problem.

Server/Hosting Issues:
Contact WPEngine or other web hosting provider support using the accounts stored in 1Password.

External Apps/Tools Issues:
If you cannot perform a fix due to an external app or tool (e.g. HubSpot, DeployHQ, Canto, WPML), contact the relevant service provider’s support team.

Code/Specific Issues:
If the problem involves code that needs fixing or rewriting, especially if you were not involved in the coding or it falls outside your specialisation, contact the lead engineer or another engineer for assistance.

Getting Escalated Help

If other team members need to jump in during working hours, gather detailed notes and log them in the Support Desk or on GitHub before contacting the relevant team member. Use the related Slack channel to @ping the team member (they should have notifications disabled if it is out of hours).

Triage any new tickets and add them to the ‘New Items’ list on the Team Dashboard. Leave any additional notes in Slack to ensure a smooth transition. Once the issue is handed over for review, you can stand down as the primary support, but you must remain involved in QA and testing. Finally, inform the client via the support desk that the issue has been handed over to the appropriate team member.