Chair Essentials: What You Should Know About Chairs in the Workplace

If you work in an office environment, you are sure to understand just how important the quality of your chair can be. Sitting in a chair all day long may not sound like a difficult job but that is until you try it. Sitting for extended periods can wreak havoc on your back, your neck, your thighs, and your glutes. Whether you own your own business, are responsible for purchasing the office furniture, or even if you are just furnishing your own home office, the better the quality of chair you provide, the happier you or your employees will be.

Chair Essentials

No matter what type of business you are in, chairs are sure to play an essential role in your office environment. Each particular workspace role has its own unique seating requirements, some of which are defined by the role itself and some of which are defined by the user. When you have to spend hours sitting behind a desk or workstation each day, you need an ergonomically-designed chair to provide lower-back support and comfort in order to maintain productivity, whilst guest seating should be inviting and relaxing. For some applications, style may be more important than comfort, and for others portability and mobility may be factors.

Office Workstation, Meeting, and Executive Chairs

Chairs designed for use at workstations and behind desks certainly need to be comfortable and supportive, but it’s not practical to have to provide personalised seating for each individual employee in the office. The need for adjustability in an office chair is apparent, giving each user the flexibility to adjust his or her own chair for height, back support, and recline. In some cases, adjustable arm and headrests may be appropriate for even greater comfort and support. Meeting chairs are ideally a combination of reasonable short-term comfort and necessary function without all of the comfort features that are appropriate for office chairs but with more mobility. An executive chair should have the same high-quality features as an adjustable office chair but additional features such as leather upholstery and elegant styling are also appropriate and matched to the both the user and the position the user holds within an organisation.

Guest Chairs

Guest chairs can be designed for either of two different purposes: for comfortable waiting in a guest seating area or for accommodating personal guests at a workstation or in an employee’s office. Guest chairs intended for waiting guests should be relaxing and inviting with a blend of comfort and style. Workstation guest chairs can either follow the theme of an open cubicle type environment and be portable and suitable for moving from workstation to workstation as the need arises or they can be matched to the user’s chair in a private office.

A Chair for Every Application

In some environments, portable stools are appropriate for servicing equipment. Lounge, cafe, or eating area chairs should be lightweight and portable. Whatever the application or use, it shouldn’t be difficult to source a chair that is appropriate and suitable for any particular user.