Office Hack #10 — Grip Ltd’s Big Orange Slide
Envoy is all about making things easier and more fun in the office. In that spirit, we are proud to bring you our new Envoy Office Hacks podcast series. Every week, we deliver the coolest, most ingenious, and just plain fun fixes people have invented to improve efficiency and productivity in their workplace.
Today’s Office Hack is about putting the “play” in “workplay-ce”.
This is Grip Limited’s Big Orange Slide.
Grip Limited is an advertising agency that works with some of the world’s biggest brands, like Honda, Acura, Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Expedia. In the middle of their 3-story office in downtown Toronto, they’ve installed a big bright piece of playground equipment.
The idea came from architect Johnson Chou, who proposed the idea to Grip Limited partner Rich Pryce-Jones almost a decade ago. Though the slide was originally intended as a practical way to get from one floor to another, it’s since become a symbol for the company’s culture.
“The elevator door opens, and people know that they’re not in a traditional place,” Rich explains. “It creates intrigue. It shows a sense of fun. It shows that we’re not an accounting firm or a law firm or a traditional firm.”
It’s not just employees who love the slide.
“We’ve had random people from the street coming here asking if they can take the slide, because they’ve heard of it,” says office manager Irene Karabassis. “And, of course, I say yes.”
How to hack it
Grip Limited worked with architect Johnson Chou to make their playground slide, with an original cost around $9,000. A few years after it was installed, they clad the sides with metal, bringing the total cost closer to $15,000.
If your needs are less particular, there are plenty of plastic slides available on Amazon, ranging in cost from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
Listen & Subscribe
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