On Call

What is on call?

On Call is the name of The Register's weekly column featuring tales from readers who are designated as being "On Call" - meaning they are required to handle support or service calls outside of normal working hours. For example, staff may be on call to provide support over the weekend, and are required to carry the tools needed to provide support and ensure they are in a condition to do so (which means staying sober!). Organizations usually create rosters so that someone is always on call to provide support. Those rosters are created so that organizations can handle emergencies.

The On Call column features stories of our readers being asked to deal with weird, tricky, or baffling problems or requests for help when they were on call. The column always welcomes new contributions - email our team via oncall@theregister.com if you want to contribute a tale.