jourhavande

Jourhavande is a Swedish term used as both adjective and noun to describe a person who is on duty or on call, typically outside normal office hours. It is commonly attached to professions that require availability for emergencies or urgent matters, such as healthcare, law enforcement, and public administration.

The word is a compound of jour (from French, referring to a shift or a day of duty) and havande (the present participle of hava, having). The phrase signals the person who has the current duty period and is therefore responsible for handling urgent matters and being the point of contact during that time. The concept arises from rotating work schedules in services that must remain available around the clock.

Usage typically appears in phrases like jourhavande läkare (on-call doctor), jourhavande sjuksköterska (on-call nurse), jourhavande polis (on-call police officer), or jourhavande åklagare (on-call prosecutor). The term indicates both availability and authority to make or direct urgent decisions, or to coordinate escalation when regular staff are not present.

Relation to other terms: jourhavande is not identical to vakthavande (on guard or on watch). Jourhavande emphasizes a scheduled on-call duty, while vakthavande more broadly refers to being on duty for guarding or supervising activities. In practice, the two may overlap depending on organizational convention.

See also: on-call, on-duty, vakthavande.