Selecting The Best Office Chair

Finding the best office chair for your team is quite possibly the most important investment you can make in your office design. On average the American worker spends over 2000 hours per year seated at a desk behind a workstation. Researchers have discovered that a well-made chair can reduce pain and increase focus.

Yet the office chair is often an afterthought, purchased last and beholden to the bottomline. Providing your staff with high-quality office chairs will support posture and increase concentration. The ergonomics of the seated worker play a huge roll in employee satisfaction, productivity — and even profit.

Business owners, managers, office planners, on-site health and safety officers and procurement specialists can apply some smart buying decisions with the right information.

Your Best Office Chair Checklist:

LUMBAR SUPPORT

One of the top complaints of sitting all day at work is back pain. A correctly adjusted office chair with lumbar support helps alleviate this issue. Seek chairs with adjustable support and take the time to educate personnel on how to correctly fit the chair to their posture. There are also models available with customizable firmness control to set the lumbar for sturdier or softer support.

ADJUSTABILITY

In addition to having adjustable lumbar support, the task seating you choose for your office should provide a variety of components that you can easily conform to your body. Everyone is uniquely shaped, so a standard chair height or arm length position may help one person but fail to support another. From seat height to incline to arm positioning, the best office chairs offer a variety of adjustable features that allow employees to customize their chair to meet their physical requirements.

BREATHABILITY & COMFORT

For many employees, the surface fabric may be uncomfortable – some fabrics can generate and hold in too much heat. Selecting a chair that has breathable fabric, such as a mesh back, is a great solution. But while the back of the chair can offer this breathability, the seat must still provide comfort, stability, and balance air flow. The seat needs padding to prevent aches and pains. Some mesh chair designs don’t have the padded seat but are still comfortable to sit in for long periods because of their ergonomic design.

ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics play a central role in most office chair purchase decisions. Studies show that paying attention to how seating fits the body can go a long way toward decreasing repetitive work injuries and even the amount of sick time employees take for head, shoulder, back and arm pain. The easiest way to begin your search is by looking for a chair that is easily adjustable, especially in terms of height (a range of at least 16 inches is recommended) and seat tilt (a range of at least 5 degrees forward and backward is a good starting point).

• Consider whether or not a chair can be easily adjusted while a user is sitting in it
• Consider whether a chair’s seat depth (measurement from back to front) can be adjusted
• Consider a seat back that tilts forward and backward, but understand how this works with the other features of the chair
• Consider adjustable and/or removal armrests

DURABILITY

Office chairs should be a significant investment. If you are outfitting an entire office, be sure to consider overall durability. Chairs are the daily workhorses and if you don’t choose wisely upfront you may be buying chairs far more frequently than you’d prefer. One way to estimate how durable a chair will be is to find out if it meets or exceeds ANSI/BFIMA standards. These standards relate to durability, strength, and stability in these areas: chair base, armrest, seat back, tilt mechanics, casters, foot ring, swivel system and long-term seating impact.

CORPORATE IMAGE

The corporate image today is maintained by far more than signage and a logo. Your workspace persona plays an important role in the perception of your office culture and your brand. Office chairs can say a lot about your business. For instance, high-end, top-designed chairs tell your customers (and employees) that you are a forward-thinking, modern, cutting-edge, luxury brand. More traditional office chairs can speak volumes about the stable, authoritative, classic nature of your business. Leather tends to convey corporate, closed board-room style; mesh and/or aluminum chairs say modern, fresh and contemporary. All components should be following along the design lines of your office and corresponding workstations.

SELECTION & TESTING

Now that you know some of the features you should look for in an office chair, you can more easily narrow down your search and select a few chairs that provide lumbar support, adjustability, comfort, and breathability. Then put them to the test of opinion and actual seating comfort.

Ask for employee feedback. Supply your employees with the list of the chairs you’re considering and ask them what they think of each chair, which they would choose and why. Because your staff will be using these chairs every day, they should have one that suits their specific tasks. Employee feedback doesn’t have to determine your choice, but getting a little insight into individual wants and needs may help you make a more productive selection.

Sit in the chairs yourself. When you’ve narrowed your selection down to a couple of contenders that seem equally beneficial and will meet the needs of your employees, choosing one may become difficult. At this point, test out the chairs by actually sitting in them to experience lumbar support and adjustability and see how easy the seat is to use.

Here are some things to look for when you test the chairs:

• Adjust the back so you’re sitting upright in the chair with your knees a few inches away from the edge
• Plant your feet on the ground
• Your knees should be at 90-degree angles
• Move the arms to a comfortable height
• Make sure adjustments are straightforward
• Is the seat comfortable?
• Can you move around easily
• Does your back feel supported?

Taking the time to assess the needs of your team, research top chairs, and narrow down a strong selection of 2-3 chairs is pivotal to providing the best possible seating outcome in your workspace. Collaborating with your team will yield the best possible solution. Putting your spin on the color is a way to personalize your seating experience and carry your brand story throughout the space. But at the end of the day, comfort is king.

Our office design professionals can work with you at every level of this experience and provide valuable knowledge and optimal solutions to help you make an informed decision. Seating is the most important component to increase productivity and performance in your workspace.

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MEET JULIE SHEAFFER: Julie can provide you with answers and furnishing choices to fit your collaborative workspace needs. Her combined product expertise and application knowledge can help you discover the best seating for your workspace. Contact Julie at 888-910-3769 x129 or julie@officefurniturenow.com. For more inspiration visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!