To help you feel, live and work your best.
Your office chair is an important purchase that affects your comfort and productivity. Consider how many hours you spend sitting at your desk. The office chair is a significant decision that can affect the quality of your work and life.
Surprisingly, for many, the office chair is an afterthought, if it is thought of at all. I have seen computer experts justify the extra thousands spend on more powerful computers and better monitors, then sit on a $50 chair… that they got second-hand for $15.
Your Body Comes First
Your body is the ultimate technological device. Without your body’s performance, your computer is meaningless. If your body is in pain and distracting you from work, your productivity and happiness will suffer. A failure to address your ergonomics can result in back pain, neck pain and the need for more frequent maintenance care at your chiropractor. Your body must always come first.
Your chair supports you physically and impacts your comfort and mental state. Let’s discuss the key factors to consider when purchasing an office chair that will help you make the optimal choice to align with your unique needs.
No Nihilism
One of my colleagues always says to use the worst chair possible, because then you will sit less. They say sitting is the devil. They say sitting is the new smoking. Fair enough, sitting for hours a day can be harmful, especially in a poorly designed chair.
Is standing really better than sitting? Standing for ten hours a day will not be better than sitting. Consider whether your standing posture is acceptable. Are you wearing comfortable shoes? Do you have flat feet? Are you wearing orthotics? Is the ground hard or soft? How long will you really be able to stand? If you want a standing desk, you are unearthing a whole new set of questions and problems.
So standing all day is not the answer. If you have a job where you must use a computer all day, then you need to be present in front of that computer, and you will benefit by starting with the best chair possible.
The Basics of Office Chair Ergonomics.
Ergonomics is the study of the efficiency of performing a task. To do this study, you must decide on the main task or tasks. Every job is different, and it is always better to take a few minutes to think about what your job entails and create a solution based on your needs.
Office Chairs for Four Scenarios
For this article, I will explain three different scenarios and recommend the right products. These three scenarios are:
Scenario 1: Desk Pilot. You are at your desk all day. This may be someone like a computer programmer or designer.
Scenario 2: Busy Person. You get up and sit down a lot to do tasks or help others.
Scenario 3: You interact with coworkers at your desk and discuss work that you are doing on your computer.
Scenario 4: You interact with others to discuss and brainstorm and spend little time at a desk.
Scenario 1: Desk Pilot
A high-back chair with excellent ergonomics is essential if you are in this category. A standing desk will not be advisable as your primary workstation. You can, however, have a strategy that allocates a percentage of your tasks to be performed standing or walking around, but your best strategy includes an optimized seating position. You can consider a strategy for changing positions while you are seated.
–Recommendation: Herman Miller Cosm Chair (high back with leaf arms)
Like most Herman Miller Chairs the Cosm Chair has a 12-year warranty and is a true feat of engineering. It does not have tension controls like most chairs, meaning you do not need an expert to set it up. It places you in an ergonomic position and automatically adjusts tension based on your body weight. It allows you to sit up for desk work and recline with your feet up for breaks during video chats, reading a document or scrolling on a tablet.
Although I do not have Cosm chairs in my public office, my wife and I have had two in our home office for nearly four years. I can tell you that once you sit in it, the thought of being in a chair disappears, allowing you to focus on the tasks at hand.
Honourable mention: Herman Miller Mirra 2
Honourable mention: Herman Miller Embody
2: Busy Person. You get up and sit down regularly
A low-back chair is advantageous if you frequently transition between sitting and standing. Low-back chairs cost less than their high-backed equivalent, and there is more selection of low-back chairs compared to high-back. They are lighter and easier to maneuver. A low-back chair will also encourage a more upright posture since you cannot lean back into a recumbent position.
Herman Miller Aeron, or Herman Miller Cosm (low or mid-back)
You may have noticed the Herman Miller Aeron chairs in my office. Coincidentally, my assistants and I have jobs that require us to get up and sit down. The Aeron has been around for 25 years and has been my best recommendation for nearly as long as better designs came. The problem with the Aeron is that to get the correct settings, you need a fully-loaded version. Once you have more controls, this increases the likelihood that someone (you) will mess up the settings. This is why I have since started recommending the Cosm chair instead. However, this is still a solid choice.
3: You frequently interact with co-workers at your desk.
If your job requires you to have co-workers looking over your shoulder at your screen, a counter-height desk is a good option. If you don’t want to stand all day, you can get many ergonomic low-back chairs in a stool version. I opted for the Aeron stool at counter height in my office, but the Cosm is also available in bar or counter height.
https://store.hermanmiller.com/office-chairs-stools?lang=en_CACounter-height desks cost less than sit-stand desks and have the added benefit of more under-desk storage for drawers and cabinets. Your design should allow space for your legs while sitting and a place away from the desk for your chair when you are not using it.
If you have others in your office who will look at your work, then a counter-height desk shines. You and your coworkers can all stand around the desk without bending forward to type or read a screen. This also avoids the awkward situation of sitting while others are standing around you.
Recommendation: Herman Miller Cosm Stool
Honourable mention: Herman Miller Aeron, Mirra2 and Sayl Stools
4: You interact with others to discuss and brainstorm.
If you spend a lot of time discussing and brainstorming, you may want a lounge area or outdoor space to interact with coworkers while feeling comfortable and stimulated. For a space like this, visit Ikea or your favourite furniture store to find comfortable couches or lounge chairs to relax in. Sometimes the best desk is no desk at all.
Case Study: My Home and Public Offices
My wife and I share a home office with two Cosm full-height chairs on an extra-long shared desk. This gives my wife space to work from home comfortably and allows me space to write or read content. We each have enough space to do our work, and to sit next to each other while managing anything family related.
Una Vita Chiropractic has multiple workstations. The front desk has a custom counter-height desk with a counter-height Aeron stool. This office chair allows the front desk staff to remain at eye level with guests while sitting and standing. Staff can perform computer tasks without sitting down; if a staff member sits on the Aeron stool, other staff members can simultaneously consult the screen. The location of the desk and screen are strategically placed to allow staff to see private information on the screen while keeping eye contact with a guest on the other side of the desk.
There is also a seated consultation room with a workstation. This room has a classic black Aeron chair. This allows the doctor to perform hours of work seated comfortably while remaining in eye contact with seated guests. The doctor also has standing stations in the treatment rooms with space for a laptop or iPad for note-taking.
Check Your Desk Posture From Home With Our Remotescreen App
Would you like me to check your desk posture from home? Our RemoteScreen Connect app lets you take a snapshot of your desk posture so I can screen you for serious posture problems at your desk. Check it out right now.
Conclusion
What scenario do you fit in? Thoughtful attention to your desk and chair can help you feel and live better. I hope this helps you unlock the potential of your workspace.
PS. I do not receive any sponsorship or payment for my recommendations. My personal Herman Miller products were purchased at Gabriel Ross.