Why is having a good office chair important?
An office chair is a critical part of the workplace experience. It’s a place to do your best work, and it’s where you sit most of the time. In this guide I’ll explain what makes good chairs, and why having one matters.
There are many kinds of office chairs out there. You can find ergonomic models that adjust to your body, adjustable height models for tall people, or conventional office chairs with padded seats and arms for comfort.
These are all fine choices, but some are better than others at delivering an ergonomic experience — think of your favourite chair as being like a lover: too much pressure on the back or arm can be painful; too little pressure can be uncomfortable and lead to back pain.
If you’re just starting your career in a corporate environment, you might have to choose between ergonomic models that adjust to your body and conventional ones with padded seats and arms; so choose carefully.
But if you’re an experienced professional in a more casual workspace — say in an open office — then it’s not so much that you need to change as much: there aren’t as many options for adjustments like armrests or reclining mechanisms, so choosing the right chair isn’t nearly as important — at least not in comparison to how comfortable it is to sit in it.
What to look for when choosing an office chair
A good office chair can make all the difference between a productive and enjoyable working environment, and one that is often painful to sit in. While most of us have known chairs with back support and other ergonomic features, the number of people who have actually sat on chairs without these amenities has been surprisingly low.
If you are sitting in your chair for an extended period of time, you may find that it is hard to relax while seated. It isn’t so much that you need a chair with more padding or support than most chairs we see on the market, but rather that you should be comfortable sitting in your chair for a long period of time.
The benefits of choosing the right office chair for you include:
Cushions
Cushions allow users to sit at the proper height for varying purposes such as typing or walking about during their work day. Some cushions come with built-in pillows, however others (like those from Reclining Office Chairs) will require a separate pillow as well as your own back support if you are not already used to sitting upright like this.
In general, some cushions are more comfortable than others depending on their shape and materials used (like polyurethane versus memory foam). Some models also come with weight distribution settings so that users can adjust how much weight they want on one side or both sides of their body depending on how they sit at their desk.
Intelligent backrests
Intelligent backrests (such as those made by Broan or Alpo) take advantage of your body’s natural tendencies to be relaxed while sitting in a chair, especially if you are using them as a regular work station rather than just standing up while reading/listening/working from an angle.
These features can make sitting easier by providing greater support and better posture throughout one’s day rather than just when doing longer activities like reading/writing/working from an angle.
They also help reduce stress on the neck by making sure that your head does not rest directly on them when lying down flat; this allows for better circulation between the brain and lower limbs which reduces stiffness in muscles and joints throughout the body which leads to less fatigue overall over time (this is why reclining office chairs are so popular).
Office chairs with good lumbar support
Many hours of your life have been spent sitting at your computer, and you might not be happy about a chair that makes you feel like you’re sitting on the toilet. There is, however, a type of office chair that should not be avoided because they may result in some unpleasant sensations. This guide will help you pick the right one for your situation and body type.
Most office chairs are shaped like a U-shaped bar stool, where the back end is somewhat flattened and the front end curved to allow users to sit comfortably without feeling like they’re falling off their seat or leaning forward excessively.
It’s important to note that this form is simply one of many possible shapes; some chairs are designed so that they can actually be turned into any shape, from a straight up-and-down couch to an upside down pyramid with its legs facing down.
It all comes down to comfort: cushioning will help keep users from fatiguing their legs, but it also needs to be in a way that allows them to sit upright without straining their neck muscles or feeling like their head is going to fall backwards at any given moment. If the chair doesn’t provide enough support and the user has some problems with balance (or even falls completely off), then it won’t matter how comfortable it feels on paper.
The best office chairs have certain metrics in common: they should have adjustable lumbar support (not just backrest adjustment), they should also provide ample leg space so that users don’t experience pain when bending over or twisting around when sitting at a computer (this doesn’t even include laptops!), and they should be sturdy enough so that users aren’t constantly having their arms fall out of place while typing or using small desk accessories.
Also keep in mind: while there are several different types of lumbar support available on the market today, there are two types which are used most often: contoured foam pads and torsion springs – both of which serve the same purpose of helping alleviate lower back pain.
These sorts of lumbar support pads tend to fit more snugly but more loosely than regular foam pads, so if you’re going for “comfort” over “support”, then you might want this type instead – although I would still recommend getting both if you can afford them. If you’re going for “support” over “comfort”, then check out memory foam padding instead.
Office chairs with adjustable seat height
We’re going to be covering the very small but equally important issue of whether or not you should buy an office chair with lumbar support, or other features that you may need in your chair.
We want to be very clear on this point: Lumbar support is a feature that should always be considered when spending money on an office chair. In fact, we recommend it as absolutely essential in any ergonomics discussion.
You can buy backless chairs without lumbar support (which isn’t so bad if only occasionally), but they are generally more expensive than some models with lumbar support (such as our chair), and might put too much stress on your back when sitting all day long (because if there isn’t any back support then there isn’t anything supporting your weight…).
So what kind of seat should be included with a good ergonomics discussion? It should be adjustable – meaning that its height can be changed independently from its width. It shouldn’t feel like a rocker (where one leg bottoms out) because even though both legs start out at roughly the same height, they quickly get too far apart once the user sits upright on their feet; leading to discomfort in both legs after long periods of sitting (which will become even more pronounced when sitting for hours).
The seat should also stay comfortable under prolonged use – which means that users won’t sit down in order to rest their arms or have them hang out of their tops as they work from their desk; which again leads to discomfort after extended periods of use (especially during long days spent attending meetings).
Office chairs with adjustable armrests
If you are going to buy an office chair, it is important that you choose one that includes adjustable armrests. These are very useful for people who sit in front of computers for long periods of time and need to be supported from the side or back when the chair is tilted or reclined.
In addition, many office chairs have a built-in lumbar support that helps keep your back from sagging when you are sitting for long periods of time. If you want to work from home or on the road, having a good ergonomic chair can really help you do your job more efficiently.
Other features to consider in an office chair
I would say that office chairs aren’t as important as people think and I would also say that there are many different kinds of chairs. There are full and half body office chairs, which is basically a large chair with a back. There are rocker seats, which seat one person at a time. And there are lumbar support chairs, which seat two people at once. There are also a whole bunch of other kinds of seats to consider (like the kind you find in airports or waiting rooms).
I have been working with my team for several months now on an office design and seating project. We have come up with our own set of criteria to help us pick out the most suitable chair for our needs, but we didn’t want to spend all day on answering questions about the compatibility of each chair with other products and the like because it would be very impractical for us to do so.
Here is how we came up with our list:
– Fit: If you can sit comfortably in this seat, then it should be ideal for your needs
– Comfort: If your back or lower back hurts after sitting in this chair for an extended period of time (and not just from using your computer or standing at a desk), then it should be uncomfortable
– Weight: This weighs more than two people without any additional equipment so it is probably not suitable for very heavy users
– Adjustability: Not all chairs come with adjustable mechanisms (or at least none that we have seen) so this will make sure you can adjust the position (for example you can roll forward or backward) if need be
Note that we are not saying that every single chair will suit everyone perfectly but we’re trying to make sure that each chair has certain characteristics that they should meet in order to be reasonably suited to a particular use case.
Obviously the more features each furniture piece has, the more expensive it will become but we were aiming for things like “Fit” rather than “Only one person can sit comfortably in this seat” since there really isn’t any need to have both “Fit” and “Comfort” quite yet; however having said that, there are certainly some parts of an office where comfort is paramount!
Conclusion
How to be choosing an office chair for you.
Office chairs are the most important thing you’ll buy for your workplace. You need to be able to sit comfortably for long periods of time, but not only that: you also need a chair that is sturdy enough to accommodate your weight, and one that is stylish enough not to look out of place in a corporate office environment.
As a general rule, you want chairs with an ergonomic structure, which will distribute your weight more evenly over the entire chair and keep you from leaning forward or backward while sitting. It should also allow you to maintain good posture throughout the day.
This guide will help you tell whether a chair has the following qualities:
- Comfort: Does it take pressure off your back? Will it hurt if your knees go too far forward or backward? Will it be easy for you to bend at the hips?
- Stability: Do parts of the seat move freely when you do any kind of activity? Is it easy to find your best position in different positions? As another example, does one side of the seat tilt slightly forward or backward (in relation to its back)?
- Style: Can the chair have a distinctive design (whether in form or function)? Does it look good in your workspace? If it’s functional but looks stylish, maybe it just needs some minor tweaks. And if it looks nice too — well then, that’s all we can say!