> or shall we say the world relies on some people not having [...]?
It does rely on that. Supply and demand works that way. Eventually the offered price is enough to change some minds. I'll change mine at about $3k/hour-on-call.
Sounds like you’re being a facetious but there are plenty of companies that do pay you if you do end up getting paged. Not for being scheduled on call. Plenty of companies also do 12 hour shifts during the day if you’re on call and have SREs handle the rest for the most part.
There are companies that compensate you for all on call hours.
Being paid only if you are paged is not appropriate compensation for interrupting your personal life: having your laptop, reliable internet, cellular coverage, being available on x minutes notice.
It does rely on that. Supply and demand works that way. Eventually the offered price is enough to change some minds. I'll change mine at about $3k/hour-on-call.