The typical office worker will spend 70% of their time sitting down. If the average working week is 37.5 hours, that’s almost 26.5 hours a week on a chair. Or just under 6,500 hours per year. To put that in perspective, it means office workers (and we should note these words are being typed while sitting down) spend more time on their chair every year than…well, pretty much everything. 

What does this all mean? It means you don’t need a normal chair. You need the perfect chair. A chair that’s so synchronized and in-tune with your needs that you have a pet name for it and chain it to your desk so no-one can steal it when you’re on leave.  

Ok, so maybe you don’t take it that far. But you get the point – you deserve a good chair. Flippancy aside, a good chair is important because it will impact your posture, will probably impact your overall health and well-being, and will certainly have some sort of bearing on your productivity. So how do you make sure the chair is right for you? It starts by ignoring chairs completely and looking at yourself.

What does an office chair need to do for you?

The perfect chair for you is not the perfect chair for the person sitting next to you. So selecting an office chair begins with a quick self-review and making a mental note of what you really need. Not what you want (that’ll come later) but what you really need. For example, most office chairs are designed for heights between 5ft and 6ft 2 inches. If you’re outside this height range then a normal office chair won’t work for you. Similarly, chairs are typically designed for people up to 120kgs. Uses outside this limit may benefit from a different chair that has a sturdier construction, with a wider seat base.

Essentially, office chairs are designed for the largest possible target group. If your body dimensions sit outside of these parameters then you’ll probably find a normal office chair to be uncomfortable. This is why when choosing a chair you should start with looking at yourself and what you really need.

We should note, this isn’t only about physical characteristics. If you carry an old sporting injury, suffer from a bad back, or have bad posture, then seeking a chair to alleviate any symptoms is critical. We all carry all sorts of physical ailments, which is why we (Supplies Web) carry all sorts of chairs.

What you’re really looking for is a chair that adapts to you. If you need to adapt how you sit to the chair you’re sitting on, it’s the wrong chair.

Office Chair Ergonomics

Checking the description, features and benefits of an office chair can be confusing.  Indeed, read some descriptions and inclusions of the humble office chair and you’d get the impression it was designed by NASA. In reality, that’s not too far from the truth and it has taken repeated studies by people in white lab coats to advance chair design. This is especially true when it comes to ergonomics, otherwise known as Human Factors Engineering. That’s right, engineering!

Ergonomics is critical for chair comfort and these are the features to look for, and why:

1. Adjustable Lumbar Support. Look for height and depth adjustability so the lumber support fits the natural curvature of your spine, preventing slouching and reducing back strain.
2. Seat Depth Adjustment. The ideal seat depth allows for between 2 to 4 fingers of space between the edge of the seat and back of your knees. This means the seat is supporting your thighs but doesn’t hamper circulation by pressing on the back of your knees.
3. Adjustable Armrests. A basic armrest should allow for height and width adjustment while more advanced chairs include depth and pivot adjustment. The aim is for the armrests to take the strain off your shoulders and neck, helping to relieve upper body tension. 
4. Seat Height Adjustment. That lever under the chair is your friend. Use it to adjust the seat height so your fleet can rest flat on the floor, with knees at 90% degrees. This will maintain a proper posture and help support you better. 
5. Recline and Tilt Lock. It’s not all about perfect posture. Sometimes you need to recline back and stare at the wall, especially creative types (note to the boss: we’re being creative, not sleeping). There’s also a more serious benefit of a chair’s ability to recline as tweaking the angle of recline during the day can be used to reduce pressure on your spinal discs.

The purpose of all the above is to make sure the chair supports and moves with you. Here’s another way to look at it – if you buy a suit off the rack, there’s probably a few concessions necessary and it might fit. But it won’t fit perfectly. The perfect office chair for you has enough ergonomic features to tailor the chair to you, like a tailor can with a custom suit. It makes for a much more comfortable result.

Office Chair Fabrics & Materials

Once you’ve worked out what features you need to keep you comfortable, it’s time to start looking at the choice of fabric and materials. Each has advantages and disadvantages:

1. Mesh. Available in a wide variety of colours, mesh is great for airflow and the ability to mold to your body, making it perfect for gym bunnies who are still a few degrees warmer after the daily lunchtime grind. However, there’s less cushioning and it can sag over time.
2. Fabric. Soft, comfortable, and full of seemingly endless designs and patterns, a fabric chair is for the fashionistas who want to make a statement. Fabric chairs can also be more traditional and muted though. The downside is they’re harder to clean than other options. 
3. Leather (or synthetic). These are chairs that scream ‘I’m the boss’. They’re durable, easy to clean, and feel great to sit on. Unless it’s really warm in which case their lack of breathability can make them feel a bit sticky and icky. 

We know what you’re thinking at this point. With all these options, why are there so many plastic chairs available? Well, not all chairs need to be made for someone sitting on them for extended periods. Some provide temporary relief from standing and that’s all they need to do. Others need to be easy to clean and sturdy, like in fast food restaurants where durability is prioritised over comfort for obvious reasons.

Those chairs are for other purposes though. The office chair is for you and we’re pretty sure you deserve one that keeps you supported, comfortable, and productive. In fact, the right office chair will actually increase productivity and reduce absenteeism. That might sound like a stretch but it’s not. Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that the office chair, as part of a well-designed workstation, can increase worker productivity by up to 17.7%.

In other words, the right chair will pay for itself.