By: Emad Labib

Have you ever asked yourself how much time you spend in your office chair ?

At 35 hours per week on average, that would be 140 hours per month, and approximately 1,680 hours per year. That is, a surprisingly large portion of your life is spent in an office chair — that is not including the extra time we spend in our home office.

A study has shown that a comfortable, healthy office chair helps avoid the deficiency of the person using that chair and increases productivity as well. Moreover, sitting all day will most likely kill us, according to another study.

Knowing all that, Yaoota has prepared this article for you to guide you to choose the best and most ergonomic office chair for you that you can use at work or home. That includes the importance of owning the right chair, necessary points to look for in a chair, and last but not least, some of the best office chair types, along with their pros and cons. Feel free to order your desired chair online via Yaoota and have it delivered to your doorstep.

*Prices listed in this article are the ones provided at the time of its publication, and are subject to change according to the supply and demand of the market.

Before getting into details, let me tell you about a personal experience that I have witnessed in an organization where I used to work. Some employees always complained from back strain, lumbar spine, and other back pains. When they were checked by the medical insurance doctors, they confirmed that the employees suffer from such injuries as a result of the bad chairs they are sitting in at work, and they advised that the chairs that were used must be replaced by other suitable ones. Especially, some of the employees had to undergo back surgeries, some of them were critical. Given that many of the employees had to have frequent medical leaves and absences, it caused much lost time at work and hence affected the productivity in a negative way.

After that, and since the management was so concerned about the employees’ health, and out of their understanding to the principles of healthy and comfortable seating, they replaced all the company’s old chairs with new medically-recommended ones for all employees. The results were amazing; instead of losing money due to employees’ absence high rate, the company managed to maintain a high level of productivity and the employees’ health at the same time. Not to mention that the new chairs added to the company’s décor as they looked so elegant with prestigious designs.

First of all, we need to know the importance of having a good chair.

A good ergonomic chair has lots of benefits, as it can:

1. Support your back while you sit at your desk and prevent any back strain, which is considered a major right that any employee should have at work.
2. Keep your legs, shoulders, and neck comfortable during work.
3. Reduce fatigue and lessen any discomfort.
4. Maintain blood circulation.
5. Increase productivity by an average of 17%.
6. Lead to a lower rate of absences and errors.

Essential Features to Look For in an Office Chair

Since an office chair is a part of any office’s décor, many of us take it seriously that it must look good in addition to not having any bad health influences on the person using it. Therefore, the design and the ergonomics of the chair are what to be considered before any other factors. In addition to that, the factors below should be taken into consideration:

(1) Adjustability

When buying a chair, it is a key feature for it to be adjustable. Almost all modern chairs have a height and arm adjustment. That helps greatly in providing maximum comfort to the person using the chair. Some other chairs have more adjustability features, like lumbar support, arm height, seat back width and height, and back angle.

(2) Lumbar Support

Supporting the lower back is one of the best advantages of a good chair. However, a better chair is one that always has an adjustable lumbar support. That allows the person using it to fit the chair to their lower back, which is very crucial in preventing back strain.

(3) Height

A chair’s seat height should be easily adjustable. A seat height that is 16 to 21 inches off the floor will work for most people. This allows the user to have his or her feet flat on the floor and arms even with the height of the desk.

(4) Width and Depth

A good office chair should have enough width and depth to support the one sitting in it. 17-20 inches wide is the standard. As for depth (from the front to the back of the seat), it should be enough for the person to sit with his/her back against the backrest of the chair while leaving approximately 2 to 4 inches between the back of the knees and the seat of the chair. Moreover, the forward or backward tilt of the seat should be adjustable.

(5) Size

It is wise to buy a chair that is compatible in size with your office space. Buying bulky chairs will take much space of your office, which will make it difficult for you and other employees to move around.

(6) Wheels

It is highly necessary for the chair to have a wheel base, especially if the office’s floor is covered with carpet. In such a case, there are specific chairs with wheels that are mainly made for carpeted floors.

(7) Swivel

A good chair should easily rotate in order to allow the person to reach different areas of the desk and avoid any arm pain that can be caused by overstretching to reach far objects.

(8) Fabric

Have you ever hated your sitting in a chair because it became too hot and uncomfortable after hours of sitting? If that happened to you, then the chair you sat on was made of material that is not breathable. It is important to consider the chair’s upholstery, as it will affect your comfort if was not good.

Now that we have discussed the necessary features that should be available in an office chair, let’s compare some different types in the table below:

Finally, we should be aware that an office chair should be replaced every five years in order to guarantee its convenience. Now that you’re aware of the best way to buy an office chair, go buy the one suiting your needs, then sit back and relax.

Check out Office Chairs here.

*Some items may be currently out of stock, but they will be available again soon. If you encounter any similar problem, please comment on the article, or contact us through our Facebook page.