Choosing the right office chair can impact your life tremendously. Just think that you’ll spend the better part of your days glued to the office chair you choose. It might not seem important, but choosing the wrong office chair can result in detrimental consequences for you, your productivity and your health. Choose wrong and you will suffer all sorts of health issues like backaches, take more days off work, low efficiency, and large medical bills. “Not only is important to find the right office chair to park yourself every day, but it is also important to be working in an area that allows you space to be the most productive,” stated Ben Tejes, Co-Founder and CEO of Ascend.
With the amount of time we all spend sitting in our office chairs, it’s important we choose an office chair that is well-designed, safe, and comfortable. The first modern office chairs like the Eames office chair set the bases of ergonomics that all office furniture will follow afterward. The good news is that there are hundreds of ergonomic office chairs that follow this design. The bad news is that you have to choose between hundreds of office chairs.
That’s where we come in.
In this article, we’ll explore all the features of the Eames office chair, a classic office chair that’s remained popular since 1958, to help you determine which office chair is best for you.
In addition to avoiding a great number of health-related issues, which should be of enough relevance, there are more benefits to having a good office chair. Research has shown that users who are happier are also more productive and help make a work environment healthier, more positive. In terms of performance and productivity, having the best office chair can reduce the number of breaks you need to take due to being uncomfortable. You still need to take breaks regularly, though.
If you’re a business owner, and you’re wondering why you should invest in choosing the best office chair for you, here are a few more reasons:
- Creating a more productive office environment: Furnishing your office with ergonomic office chairs will encourage more effective teamwork. Team members sitting in an office chair like the Eames office chair will be able to focus more easily without any distractions from discomfort.
- Encouraging Good Posture: When you’re sitting in an office chair that was poorly designed, you’ll be slouching and sitting in awkward positions in no time, trying to find a way to be more comfortable. Poor posture not only contributes to poor health but also affects your office culture and team members. The best office chairs will encourage better posture in your team and reduce health costs. Another thing you can use for improving the posture and increasing comfort (especially during prolonged periods of sitting) is ergonomic seat cushions. You can find them available for all sorts of purposes (driving, wheelchair, office chair, traveling etc) and materials (memory foam, cooling gel etc). Read more about them and find the best one for yourself.
- Rewarding Your Team: Studies show that 86% of office workers say their office chair makes the uncomfortable, and over half wish they could change for a better chair. Your staff wants to feel comfortable and happier at work. One way you can reward your staff and show them how much you appreciate them is making their health a priority. Investing in a good and comfortable office chair shows you, and the company, care.
What To Look For In An Office Chair?
Now that you’ve decided to invest in a good office chair, there are a number of features that every great office chair like the Eames office chair should have. Most people ask these questions about office chairs features, including:
What’s the right seat height in an office chair?
Steven at Chairthrone recommends that the right seat height in an office chair will depend on your height, or at least of the person using the chair. A seat height that goes from 16 to 21 inches off the floor should work for almost everyone. Seat height is something that should be easy to adjust in any office chair. This setting allows you to keep your feet flat on the floor, your thighs horizontal and your arms even with the height of the desk or table in front of you.
Most office chairs control their height relative to the floor with pneumatic seat height adjustment feature, like the Eames office chair. Properly adjusted, the right seat height will provide you with optimal, balanced support for your lower back, your buttocks, and thighs. This posture will also improve the blood circulation to your feet and relieve all the pressure points behind your knees.
Are seat width and depth important?
Yes, the seat width and depth of an office chair are certainly important for your comfort. Any office chair seat should have enough width and depth to support anybody comfortably. The standard width for an office chair ranges from about 17 to 20 inches wide. The seat depth (that is, the measure from the front to the back of the seat) also needs to be large enough so that you can sit with your back against the backrest of your office chair with 2 to 4 inches between the back of your knees and the seat of the chair, approximately. If any of these two are lacking, you’ll end up feeling like you’re hanging from your chair, definitely uncomfortable.
Properly adjusted, the seat depth of your office chair will provide you more back support and distribute your body weight evenly across the seat. This way, all the pressure will be alleviated at the ischial tuberosities (that’s where your pelvis contacts the seat) as well as at the knee joints.
Why do you need lumbar support?
Lumbar support, or lower back support, is crucial in a good office chair. Your lumbar spine has an inward curve that flattens when you’re sitting for long periods without the proper support, especially when you’re slouching. Not having the right lumbar support also weakens the structures in your lower spine. The best office chairs have a lumbar adjustment feature so you can get the proper fit and support for that inward curve of your lower back and keep a good, healthy posture for hours.
What’s the right backrest for an office chair?
The backrest of your office chair should be able to support the natural curve of your spine paying special attention to provide the right proper support to your lumbar region. To do this, the backrest of your office chair should be about 12 to 19 inches wide.
In cases where the seat and backrest are together as one piece, like in the Eames office chair, this backrest should be adjustable in the angles that go forward and backward, especially with a locking mechanism that prevents the backrest from going too far backward once you’ve determined the right angle.
What’s the best seat material?
Your office chair should be made of a material with enough padding so you can sit comfortably for extended periods of time. Having a back and seat made of a material that breathes is more preferable to a harder surface. The Eames office chair, for example, has a heat embossed unique design that is three times more durable and offers a superior airflow.
What’s Next
Hopefully, finding the best office chair for you should be easier now that you’ve read this guide. The most important thing to remember is that the best office chair is comfortable and prevents any strain and injury while encouraging good posture. That way, you’ll be on the right track to having a happy, healthy, and productive workday.
Do you have a favorite office chair you want to share? Any other feature that is important for you? Let us and other readers know using the comments below!