On Call Structure?

Hi Everyone,

Refrigeration company where I'm working is looking at restructuring the "On Call" roster.

Until now, 1 (and only one) technician is on call per week, with a rotation of 7 weeks. There are approximately 15 technicians in the team, but about 1/2 are excluded from the roster.

With approximately 100 sites, with a very diverse range of refrigeration equipment, often 5 call outs (sometimes 10 or more), how does this compare to other operations.

Any information on what works, what doesn't or even just how other companies structure the roster would be greatly appreciated.

Rookie mistake. Wasn't meant to be posted in "Do you need help using this Message Board"

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by HVACRsaurus

Rookie mistake. Wasn't meant to be posted in "Do you need help using this Message Board"

If a moderator could sort that out? Cheers!

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All sorted now....

A company that I have recently left had about 20 engineers and falling, and you used to be on call 1 in 4 from 08:30-20:30. You were paid £70.00 standby and £25.00 per site attended plus x1.5 an x2 overtime, that was the only good thing left about working there. Originally it was just weekend standby and then they tried to extend it to weekday cover, but much to their suprise there weren't many engineers willing to go out again during the week for no extra standby money.

Some years back I worked for an alarm company where you was on call all the time with no standby payment. The so called manager (there were only him me and the boss there) would ring you up at your house and if you wasn't home, you would get a b0ll0ck1ng for not telling him you were going out. I can tell you now I had b0ll0ck1ngs about twice a week, I worked there for about 3 months when I eventually got a driving ban and lost the job.

Some years prior to that I worked for Wilmott Dixon maintenance in Leeds who operated in the same way with no standby money and about 20 skilled staff (if that's what you could call most of them). When I went to watch football or did other weekend things I never had my pager on or with me, as nobody else did. Again resulting in a b0ll0ck1ng until they offered £100.00 per week standy as nobody would attend any callouts.

I've always found with companies who put engineers on call that there's no national agreement for standby, I think you either ask for what you think is reasonable to give up your free time. Or use the job as a stepping stone until you get a better job elsewhere.

Now that I work for myself fulltime, I only tend to get calls to jobs during the day, but never in the evening, but things might change as the business evolves.

I worked for a large company who has a good callout system. They had two on call, a first call and backup. Another company divided the region in to four zones and one tech per zone was on call. Get paid nearly 200 standby and min 4 hour double time per job. Get paid from the time you leave till you get back home. Get minimum 10 hour break from last job to starting work again.
But as we get older there are more important things to do than going out to unscheduled calls on the weekend or in the middle of the night. The younger ones love the extra money and are willing to help out by doing the roster.
At the end of the day that's why we are allowed to take the vehicles home.

When I was on the road the callout system was the office manager (never the governor as he didn`t want the hassle) would call you. No extra payment apart from the O/T and if you got home early morning or later and said you`d be staring later their reply was "who`s going to pay for this then". My reply was the customer who caled us out. Suprisingly no one wanted the call outs. I`m just glad I`m out of it now and in F/M

Currently do 1 in 7 paid 125gbp per week, plus minimum 4hrs at the relevant o/t rate, only one engineer on call at a time covering the whole of northern england

Yours is good kit that does not breakdown often then James?
No supermarkets then!
Grizzly

Second on call for the supermarket lads and to be honest if I get called out once in a week I've had a busy week Shouldn't have said that I'm on call this week and probably gonna get called out now

48hr average week, salary, 1 week in 5 on nights (2pm - midnight), on call for those nights, midnight - 6am, paid at time and a half for any hours you work. No sleep time, no premium....

Try being on-call 24/7.