Whether due to a cyber attack, extreme weather, or infrastructure failure, any team could be forced into remote work at a moment’s notice. According to the backup IT and resilience services company Databarracks’ latest Data Health Check survey, 85 per cent of organisations now have business continuity plans, yet the shift to distributed working introduces new risks that traditional planning often overlooks.
Chris Butler, Resilience Director at Databarracks, says: “Managing a crisis in person is hard enough. Doing it over a screen adds layers of complexity that can quickly derail a response. You lose the situational awareness of a shared office, communication becomes fragmented across too many digital channels and the mental toll on isolated staff is much harder to spot.” The company has outlined seven practices for leading remote teams through disruption:
- Create a remote-ready crisis management plan
Butler: “A plan is the foundation. It must clearly define responsibilities and decision-making authority across remote locations. It should also set out how crises are identified, assessed and escalated, and include pre-approved communication templates to save time and help coordinate responses when pressure is high.”
- Train your teams and exercise your plan
Butler: “A plan only works if the team knows how to find it and how to use it. Everyone should be trained to spot early warning signs of a crisis and escalate them without delay. Training and exercising should include not only primary responders but deputy responders as well – crises don’t wait for the right people to be available. We recommend regular simulations that mirror reality: this means running virtual exercises where facilitators stay in the background with cameras off to maintain realism and ensure the team relies on their remote protocols. Studying from real-life crises in your sector and learning from them is also key.”
- Stay calm and lead with focus
Butler: “Panic is contagious. In the early stages of an incident, leaders must pause. Moving too quickly leads to rushed decisions that often cause more harm than good. Act decisively when needed, but stop for deeper analysis when it matters. Focus on what you know and lead by example through calm and clear communication.”
- Distribute the recovery effort
Butler: “Crisis response is demanding. Incidents typically span multiple shifts, so longer-term planning around people, time and workload is essential. It’s very easy to over-rely on a few key individuals, particularly in technical teams. You have to distribute the load by reassessing and adjusting tasks regularly. For global teams, deliberate scheduling and asynchronous updates help maintain momentum without exhausting staff.”
- Communicate with clarity
Butler: “Without the corridor conversations that happen in an office, information gaps can grow quickly. Organisations need a single source of truth, and establishing a consistent update rhythm is vital. To do this, centralise communication, ensure leadership is visible through team channels and one-to-one conversations, and encourage staff to provide feedback to leadership as the crisis unfolds. It’s also important not to leave wider teams in an information vacuum. Regular updates help reduce uncertainty and anxiety.”
- Look after staff
Butler: “In remote settings, signs of stress are easy to miss. It’s vital to lead with empathy: hold regular, structured check-ins focussed on the person and not just the task and actively maintain morale by being honest with staff and providing reassurance and praise for their work.”
- Reflect and rebuild
Butler: “After the crisis, the focus must shift to improvement. A blame-free post-incident review allows teams to walk through what happened and update their plans and training for next time. It’s then important to recognise everyone’s effort and celebrate the recovery, to build morale, trust and a sense of collective achievement.”
“The ultimate goal is a crisis-ready culture. Our data shows that 77 per cent of organisations feel confident in their ability to respond to a crisis, but that confidence is only justified if you have practised under the conditions you’ll actually face. Resilience isn’t just about technical skills, it’s about leadership, empathy and coordination.”
Databarracks’ Gavin Watt is hosting a 30-minute webinar on leading remote teams through a crisis on Thursday, February 26 from 2pm; you can register at https://www.databarracks.com/events/how-to-lead-remote-teams-through-a-crisis/.
