By Dave Allen
(Photographs courtesy of Lakefront at Keystone)
There have been a lot of changes to our way of life since the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020, and nowhere has that been more evident than in the American workplace. Four years later, more Americans are working from home than ever before (22 million full-time, according to estimates from the Pew Research Center), and many others are working a hybrid schedule where they only have to go into the office one or two days per week. As a result, when the time comes to return to the office full-time, many are choosing not to do so—or are looking elsewhere—making it tough for employers to keep their best workers.
But now the workplace is fighting back. Understanding the post-Covid landscape and the increasing desire among employees to work from home, employers are attempting to lure employees back to the office with amenities and services that help them better balance their work and personal lives. One such place is Lakefront at Keystone, an 830,000 square-foot, amenity-rich office development located in Indianapolis’ Keystone submarket.
Among the many indoor amenities the development offers are a state-of-the-art fitness center, lounge (including café, pool and shuffleboard tables) and childcare services for kids six weeks to 12 years of age, including after-school programs. For the outdoor enthusiast, there’s a floating outdoor lounge, basketball court, workout circuit and jogging path, not to mention a full-size floating island green for golfers who want to practice their wedge game. The 600-square-foot, hourglass-shaped green is part of The Shore outdoor entertainment area which fully opened to employees this past Spring. The sports haven sits on the west side of a 38-acre lake, and in addition to the floating island green, features a putting and chipping green (on dry land), beach volleyball court, two pickleball courts, and free kayak rentals.
The island green sits about 50 yards offshore, and is infilled with 4,000 pounds of sand to help hold and reward good shots from two artificial turf hitting bays.
“I’ve helped manage a number of outdoor landscaping amenities, including Pergolas and hiking trails, but nothing with a sports element to it like this,” says Jeff Humphreys, Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle, an Indianapolis-based third-party management company overseeing the buildout of the amenities at Lakefront at Keystone. “The park has everything you can think of to make it easy for an employee to come to the office and do everything they need to while they’re at the office. It helps to create an environment where people want to go back to work.”
The island green’s developer, Aqua Greens, was first contacted by Lakefront at Keystone’s landlords several years ago, says Aqua Greens owner Matt Gault. They were looking to provide a unique amenity to the park that few others could provide. Gault believes they’ve found it.
“We’ve done island greens for businesses in the past, but this is the first green that would be used at an exclusive office park,” Gault says. “It’s an excellent use of the product, in my opinion. I personally can’t wait to see how well it does at this location. I think it’s going to be extremely well-received.”
The expectation is that with the help of these indoor and outdoor amenities—not to mention the many shops and restaurants within close vicinity of the park—that existing employees will no longer covet the conveniences of working from home. Parents with young children will find it easy and affordable to balance their daycare and after-school activities, and employees will be able to manage their day-to-day activities (grocery shopping, going to the gym or for a long walk or run, grabbing dinner, etc.) without having to set aside time for these things before or after work.
Even the aspiring golfer can now find the time to sharpen their wedge game without leaving the office grounds.
“I’m super excited about this,” says Humphreys, who played college golf at IUPUI (Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis) in Indianapolis. “I can’t wait to fire a few out there myself.”
