Use on-call schedules to map your coverage needs and determine who receives a notification when an incident triggers. When an incident impacts a service, notifications go to the user on the service’s associated escalation policy.

📘

Required User Permissions

If you have one of the following roles, you can create, edit, and delete on-call schedules:

• User
• Manager base roles and team roles
  • Manager team roles can only manage schedules associated with their team.
• Admin/Global Admin
• Account Owner

Create a Basic Schedule

A basic shift-based schedule consists of at least one rotation. However, you should have multiple rotations to ensure there are no gaps in the schedule. Each rotation defines the time window during which a user is on call. You can use multiple rotations to create different schedule arrangements and view your on-call coverage at a glance.

📘

Note

Free plans are limited to one schedule.

To create a shift-based schedule in the web app:

1. Navigate to People Schedules.
2. Click + Create Shift-Based Schedule.
3. Enter the following schedule details and click Continue:

4. Click + Create Rotation.
5. Configure the following rotation settings in the modal:

🚧

Adding Users

You can add all users, except Limited and Full Stakeholders, to schedules. If someone does not appear in the dropdown, Admin users or higher can add users to the account.

6. Click Create Rotation.
7. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for additional rotations.
8. Click Save Schedule.

👍

Connect a Schedule to a Service

Important: You must connect the schedule to a service via an escalation policy. After you associate a schedule with an escalation policy, on-call users receive notifications about incidents on any service(s) that use the escalation policy.

Once you create an escalation policy, follow the instructions in Connect a Schedule to a Service via Escalation Policy.

---

Edit Schedules

Review the Edit Schedules article for more information.

Shifts and Overrides

Within Edit Schedules, you can find content on manual adjustments such as:

• Custom Shifts: Create one-off changes to an existing rotation that differ from the recurring pattern.
• Overrides: View, create, or delete manual one-time adjustments (such as vacations or shift swaps).

📘

Note

Need help deciding? Learn when to pick an override versus a custom shift based on whether you are replacing an existing responder or adding extra coverage to your schedule.

Schedule Settings Overview

To access a rotation's configuration settings:

1. For the desired schedule, select and click Edit.

Rotation Name

When naming your rotation, choose a clear, descriptive name that helps you easily identify it in the schedule. A good naming convention helps distinguish between multiple rotations, especially when managing complex or overlapping shifts.

For example: Support - Weekday AM (PST)

Time Zone

When you create a new schedule, it is set to the account-level time zone by default. Follow the instructions in Change the Schedule-Level Time Zone if you want your schedule to have a different time zone than the account.

Rotation Types

Rotation types determine how frequently responsibilities change.

• You can set the rotation type to Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
• For example, Hourly is useful for eight-hour shift coverage, while a Monthly rotation can work better for lower-urgency situations where a single individual remains on call for longer periods.

Schedule Restrictions

When creating a rotation, you can set the following:

• Active Days of the Week: This option creates uniform shifts for every day of the week and determines the days the rotation is active. You can select either specific days when you are on call or a range that starts on one day at a specific time and ends on another day at a specific time.
• Active Times of Day: This defines the window during which a responder is on call. You can set the time window for specific days here.

📘

Note

If you select Day range in Active days of the week, this field remains hidden.

Shift Assignment Type

Select Handoff and rotate to next member to set a handoff time when on-call responsibilities rotate. You can configure this rotation to occur at a set frequency.

If you select All members are on-call for each shift, all members assigned to the rotation are on call simultaneously.

Rotation Start and End

• Rotation starts defines when the rotation must begin — either immediately or at a specific date and time in the future.
• Rotation ends specifies when the rotation must conclude. You can configure it to continue indefinitely or specify an exact end date and time.

FAQ

Can I create an open schedule with unassigned rotations/shifts?

Yes. You can create an "open" schedule by using a template or building a custom schedule without assigning team members to the rotations.

Once you share the blank schedule with unassigned rotations, team members choose their commitment level. They click on the unassigned rotation and select:

• Override: To claim a single, one-time shift.
• Edit Rotation: To join the rotation for its entire duration.

If there is no rotation to insert themselves into, they create a shift.

💡

Tip

After your team finishes signing up, check the schedule for any remaining unassigned shifts to ensure you have 100% coverage.

Can I create a future schedule to prepare for team changes or new hires?

Yes. This feature allows you to prepare for team changes — such as a new hire starting next month — without disrupting the current live on-call rotation.

1. Navigate to the schedule where you want to create a future rotation.
2. On the rotation card, select the menu and click Edit.
3. From the Updates take effect dropdown, select On a specific date and choose a date.
4. Add the new team member to the Members list.
5. Click Update Rotation.
6. Click Save Schedule.

📘

Note

The system generates a pending update card indicating when these changes take effect. Once the chosen date passes, the update card disappears, and the member automatically integrates into the rotation.