Reducing Fatigue for On-Call SWEs with AI, Mentorship, & More with Dr. Sally Wabha

In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, recorded live at All Things Open in Raleigh, NC, hosts Rob Ocel and Danny Thompson sit down with Dr. Sally Wahba, Principal Software Engineer at Splunk. Dr. Wahba shares her experience tackling on-call burnout, offering insights into reducing fatigue through better observability, automation, and thoughtful team practices.

The conversation also touches on mentorship and growth in the tech industry, including practical advice for junior engineers navigating the transition from academics to professional roles and tips for companies to better support new talent.

Chapters

00:00:13 - Introduction to Marketing This Dot

00:01:00 - Asking for Help Effectively

00:02:21 - Reducing On-Call Fatigue

00:04:42 - Observability Best Practices

00:07:07 - Balancing Alerts and On-Call Efficiency

00:09:30 - The Role of On-Call in Modern Engineering

00:11:29 - Insights from the Grace Hopper Celebration

00:13:56 - Mentorship and Team Dynamics

00:16:14 - Rapid Changes in Technology and Adaptation

00:18:39 - Automation, Observability, and Debugging Challenges

00:21:04 - Addressing the Talent Gap and Junior Engineer Growth

00:24:00 - Closing Thoughts and Where to Learn More

Follow Dr. Sally Wahba on Social Media

Twitter: https://x.com/sallyky

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/sallywahba/

Sponsored by This Dot: thisdot.co