Remote and hybrid working is leading to a rethink in crisis leadership, as traditional models struggle to address the risks of managing incidents across distributed teams, according to Databarracks.

With 63% of staff in the UK now working remotely or in hybrid roles, crisis teams are increasingly required to manage incidents from home settings, often with limited visibility of staff well-being and fragmented communication.

Databarracks says this challenge extends beyond fully remote organisations, as cyber attacks, extreme weather and infrastructure failures can push office-based teams into remote working with little warning. Its latest Data Health Check survey found that 85% of organisations have business continuity plans, but many fail to reflect the realities of leading a crisis across dispersed teams.

Chris Butler, resilience director at Databarracks, commented: “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.”

Databarracks is highlighting the importance of realistic training and testing, warning that panic can spread quickly among isolated teams without calm and focused leadership. Clear communication, distributed workloads and attention to staff well-being are all critical in sustaining response efforts during prolonged incidents.

The company also recommends “blame-free” post-incident reviews, using lessons learned to strengthen future responses and rebuild trust.

“The ultimate goal is a crisis-ready culture. Our data shows that 77% 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,” Butler added.

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