"On-Call Is Ruining My Life" and Other Tales about Holding the Pager as an SRE

This conference talk explores the emotional and technical aspects of on-call responsibilities for Site Reliability Engineers (SREs). Discover the range of experiences associated with holding the pager, from the anxiety of first shifts to the adrenaline of major outages and the satisfaction of solving complex problems. Speaker Cory Watson shares research findings from surveys and literature reviews, examining different on-call models, emotional impacts, and potential improvements to current practices. Learn about provocative insights that challenge conventional on-call approaches and gain practical experiments to implement in your own organization. The presentation balances technical analysis with human experience considerations, making it relevant for both new and experienced SREs looking to improve their on-call processes and work-life balance.