A hackathon, by definition, is a group of individuals convening to solve problems collectively and within a short, defined period of time. All teams are asked to address and take into consideration issues surrounding diversity and inclusion and how they might factor into your solution for the topic you are working on. Interested members are encouraged to register to participate in the experience and select which topic they would most like to tackle from the following:
1. Space Utilization &Metrics
Corporate real estate (CRE) metrics have traditionally focused on cost and efficiency. Yet an organization’s most valuable resource is its people. Will COVID-19 reverse the trend of reducing square footage per employee and shift the focus from space-centric measurements to human-centric measurements? Or will companies place greater priority on reducing expenses? Further, will the significant business disruptions and prolonged uncertainty ushered in by COVID-19 bring transformational change in companies’ leasing strategies?
Challenge: Develop key forecasts and recommendations for corporate real estate professionals as they address how the pandemic will impact space utilization and metrics going forward.
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2. Distributed Work
With government-issued orders to shelter in place across the globe – and corporations shutting offices – employees have been sent home. We are now conducting a worldwide experiment in remote working. What will this experiment reveal? Will it transform workplace strategy? Will companies that were reluctant to embrace remote work before now see it as a viable option? Or will employees be eager to return to their workplaces and be in the physical space with their colleagues again? Will the employer see greater value in one over the other and what may prevail? And will it result in corporations using less traditional real estate?
Challenge: Develop key forecasts and recommendations for corporate real estate professionals as they address how the pandemic will impact where we work going forward.
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3. Workplace Wellbeing
Given the catastrophic loss of life from COVID-19, will wellbeing no longer be a ‘nice-to-have’ and instead become a ‘must-have’? What new protocols around wellbeing, mindfulness and enhancing health and safety should be introduced into the workplace? What becomes of our willingness to be in common spaces, and will people and companies be reluctant to use coworking spaces and shared office settings as part of their real estate and workplace needs? Will this be the end of benching and other solutions without partitions (e.g., protection) from others around us? What steps should be taken in the event of a COVID-19 recurrence?
Challenge: Develop forecasts and key recommendations for corporate real estate professionals that address these challenges and respond to wellbeing in the workplace going forward.
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4. The Autonomous Workplace
It is more crucial than ever to leverage the power of technology to ensure health and safety in the workplace. Already, automation is filling some of the gaps. But when the risks of COVID-19 diminish, will automation have replaced some jobs for good? The answer is likely complicated and differs by industry. Will COVID-19 be the catalyst for more rapid development of the autonomous workplace, where we truly leverage the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the internet of things (IoT)?
Challenge: Develop forecasts and key recommendations for corporate real estate professionals that address these challenges and the role of technology going forward.
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5. Environment and Climate Change
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6. Manufacturing & Industrial
With COVID-19 first becoming a serious challenge in China – “the world’s factory” – companies around the globe were faced with closure or reduced operations due to lack of raw materials and manufactured goods. Will the crisis prompt manufacturing companies to carry out a top-to-bottom review of their global supply chains with an eye toward reducing risks? Will manufacturing return to areas that lost factories to lower-cost production sites? Will regulatory and competitive environments shift, opening up new production opportunities in countries that have been off the radar? Will countries and locations with better overall pandemic readiness make the shortlist for the next new factory, even if they’re less competitive on costs? And will governments begin to offer new financial incentives to attract industrial jobs and investments as they see opportunities to capture projects that might have previously gone offshore and enable a more stable, controllable supply chain?
Challenge: Develop forecasts and key recommendations for corporate real estate professionals that address how the pandemic will impact the supply chain, stockpiles, and manufacturing going forward.
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