Have you ever had a job that required you to be on "standby"?

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Hopefully everyone that's still paid hourly is getting compensation to be On Call when they need you.


I had a civil service job (salary) that paid nothing for being on standby...Technically, I could have refused it, but that would've created a lot of animosity at work which I didn't want...

Understandable.

When I did field service it was $800 per month to have a 'beeper' and get called at 2 AM.

Some things could wait till 8 AM..... other stuff needed to be checked within a hour.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted by grampi
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Hopefully everyone that's still paid hourly is getting compensation to be On Call when they need you.


I had a civil service job (salary) that paid nothing for being on standby...Technically, I could have refused it, but that would've created a lot of animosity at work which I didn't want...

In my case, other than the time I worked for a software company and provided customer support, nope.

No option to refuse either.

Most places offered "comp time" to make up for being called in, but it was at manager's discretion and never a 1:1 transaction.

 

[javacontour]

We were salaried (with call out pay and standby pay) before some labor relations case with IBM (IIRC) was settled that ruled that Field Service Engineers who largely "touch" the hardware are to be hourly, not salary.

Before we went hourly, it was kinda like both, we got paid a fixed amount for a call out regardless if it was 10 minutes or 10 hours. My manager was cool and would give comp time, so it really was no big deal

But we went hourly. Some folks complained, saying they had college degrees and working hourly was an insult. The larger paychecks seemed to counter the initial complaints. It wasn't life changing money, but it was better than a kick in the teeth.

Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Hopefully everyone that's still paid hourly is getting compensation to be On Call when they need you.

 

[nomas]

Before I retired I was a Substation Foreman for a power company . Every 6th week I was Duty Foreman . When problems arose or personnel were needed for work outside of normal hours , I got the phone call . Then it was my job to go down the call out list and find people to respond . If contractors or special equipment was needed that was on me too . We had a Nuclear Plant in our service area along with a ton of industrial customers like chemical plants and refineries . Last count was about 150 substations that the Duty Foreman was responsible for . Needless to say my stress level went through the roof when it was my turn in the barrel . Yeah , the money was great but that's one part of the job I DO NOT miss .

 

[Ws6]

So one of the duties of my job is to be on "standby" or "oncall" once every 6 weeks or so. You are not allowed to leave the county, you must always be reachable by your cell phone or pager they provide and you must respond immediately. I use the terms oncall and standby interchangeably here, although I feel it is actually standby since you basically have to go in immediately when they call.

Minimum callout is 2 hours, you get paid time and a half for your calls and double time on sundays. A call can be as little as 15 minutes, and I have had them last almost 10 hours, it depends. You get a company vehicle to drive while oncall but this is inconsequential to me since I live close to work, it doesn't really save me much.

The standby pay for being oncall independent of any calls you get is about 2 bucks an hour which is much better than the .50c an hour it was 10 years ago.

To say it is intrusive on your life is an understatement. So many holidays, birthdays, and christmasses I have been oncall. For example today I am on standby and its a beautiful day, however I cant enjoy it. I just want the week to be over with so I can get my life back.

I posted about leaving my job several years ago on here and a few months later my father was diagnosed with cancer and it was horrendous and consumed me. I was glad my employer was flexible at that time. Overall I like my job, except for one dum dum that I have to deal with constantly.

I guess Im just curious if anyone else has been oncall and hates it as much as I do. There are many reasons I wish to leave my job and the standby is near the top of the list. I sleep poorly while oncall, It puts me in a bad mood usually. You cant do anything, whenever you try to get to doing something, BAM the phone rings.

I also tell myself that I should just deal with it and shut up, but when something makes you so unhappy its hard to ignore it. Many of the other guys hate it as well, some tolerate it better.

Yes.

-Accessible, supposed to be on-site in -No alcohol of course.
-Must have phone on you and 100% attentive.
-$2/hr is my pay, as well, and there is no bonus/etc. for being called in.

I am rarely on call, but it IS in my job description. I do set my own schedule, though, and people know where I live. I have been on call 1-2 times per year, roughly, because I am about the last person they would put on call due to my location and scheduling as is. I work most holidays, etc. anyways, celebrating only one a year, typically, and often working on or just ignoring my birthday. I don't care about that stuff, so it's no big deal, but some people do.

 

[Dave Hess]

$300 base per week if no calls.... just for the responsibility.

4 hours paid min for each dispatch call even if it takes 10 minutes to resolve the problem.

 

[dareo]

This thread makes me appreciate my set schedule, even if it does expand to a 12 hour 6 day work week for about 12 weeks a year. When I shut down shop and leave it all just waits patiently until the next morning for me to get back. Some random family event during peak times? Forget it, I can’t go.

 

[john_pifer]

When I first got my A&P license, I worked for an OCMP (on-call maintenance provider) at MEM (Memphis Int’l Airport).

It was OK, but I could be called out at any time that I wasn’t working my job at Auto Zone, which was usually 9-5 or 11-9, etc.

I lived about 20 miles from the airport.

I remember a couple of times where I got called out in the middle of the night, fixed whatever the problem was, drove home, and, no sooner than I put my head down and fell back asleep, the phone would ring again. I’d head back to the airport to fix the next jet, and hope I was able to get home and steal a nap before work the next morning.

It was OK; I was grateful for the experience I was able to put on my resume so that I didn’t have to start out at the bottom at my current A&P gig, which is a heavy maintenance/overhaul operation in Nashville.

Nice thing about the place where I am now is that I rarely get called in. Typically, when I’m off, I’m off. And we get New Years, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas off, paid holidays.

Of course, if I were to move into management, that would change - I’d be on the hook 24/7 -

Much respect for you guys who work all the holidays and miss kids’ and wives’ birthdays, school events, etc.

 

[OppositeLocK]

I was on call 24/7 365 days/year(except when on vacation) from August 1986-June 2008. Most things could be handled over the phone but sometimes I had to travel to sign a search warrant, criminal warrant, etc. Then there were the Mental Inquest Warrants, Domestic Violence Petitions, and Emergency Child Custody Petitions- which were almost always filed late on Fridays in order to screw with an ex-spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend or family member.

You were a judge?

 

[JustinH]

There was a guy at a previous employer who was hourly IT for a Police Department.

He would leave at 5pm and they would call him in at 6 for "emergencies" very routinely.

We would get to bill 2 hours for each call out. He would nab an additional $30k-$40k in salary per year in OT. It would tick the assistant director off that a technician would make the same as he does.

But the guy literally had no life and could barely go to Costco or the grocery store without someone calling him needing something.

The brass solved the overtime problem by having a college kid work evenings 5 days a week.

 

[MCompact]

You were a judge?

Yes. I actually served until 2014, but as a special(substitute) judge. I traveled all over the state, but I was no longer on call.

 

[OppositeLocK]

Yes. I actually served until 2014, but as a special(substitute) judge. I traveled all over the state, but I was no longer on call.

That's really awesome. I think you guys are the pillars of our society, and I have all the respect in the world for you.

 

[MCompact]

That's really awesome. I think you guys are the pillars of our society, and I have all the respect in the world for you.

Thanks for the kind words. It was a job that I enjoyed, but it was what I did and not who I was.

 

[Ws6]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a job that I enjoyed, but it was what I did and not who I was.

THANKYOU! No kidding. People identify too much with how they pay their bills, IMO. My job is my source of income. Not any sort of identity, thank god!

 

[Okcafe]

Yes, Im active duty

 

[ATex7239]

Do not miss being on-call. I enjoy having my personal time being unbothered. I was in the “tolerated it” category. The extra money was nice, but money isn’t everything.

 

[Skeet6]

I've been "on call" since about 1987. Yes, even as supervisor (still on call because I share duties with my techs) - I am surely looking forward to retirement in a few years.
Mike B

 

[RooflessVW]

On call 24/7 every other week.

 

[Passport1]

A long time ago when I was in the USCG sometimes my ship was designated as the available SAR (search&rescue) asset. That meant that the ship had to be prepared to get underway for a case in <three hours. The crew was required to call in frequently to find out if we had to set sail. No cell phones back then. It basically made a weekend hell.

 

[PandaBear]

Once, and I hate it. They put me oncall when I was working almost all nighter already and there's no exception for no reason. After considering that is unpaid I just decided to switch job.