Category Archives: Ergonomic Office Chairs

Ergonomic Office Chairs

Ergonomic Office Chairs, Office Chairs

Enjoy Ergonomic Office Chair

The name ‘Enjoy’ for an ergonomic office chair makes you like it straightaway, doesn’t it? Still, we’re inquisitive creatures and would need to know a little more before purchasing, wouldn’t we?

Well, the Enjoy ergonomic office chair is one of the stunning designs offered in the Ergohuman range  of office chairs and I always advise that this is the best place to start looking if you want a seriously effective chair. With autoflex zones which give lumbar support, a single lever for making many of the adjustments (including back height , back tilt and seat slide), three-dimensional arm rest adjustments (height, width and angle) and the option of a headrest, this ergonomic office chair is serious business when it comes to looking after the human frame.

The chair frame is very inviting to look at, the back support giving the impression of a tree and its branches. To me, that has the psychological feeling of growth and that’s something that is needed in the work environment. Gone are the days of chairs designed simply to sit on; today’s chairs have to sell themselves by looking good as well.

The upholstery I would go for is mesh, as it offers so many advantages. It’s breathable and thus helps to keep you cool longer. It’s longer-lasting, as the mesh is tightly-woven. It’s easy to look after, simply needing the occasional wipe over to keep it looking clean and fresh. And, as for colour, you can have straightforward black or blue, or go for a more interesting red, green, orange, burgundy, white or grey. Teamed with a white, black, or silver frame (for me, in that order), you’ve got a nice piece of equipment to help you with your job. It looks good, feels good and so do you!

Enjoy Ergonomic Office Chair
Enjoy Ergonomic Office Chair
New Leather for the Ergohuman Range of Office Chairs
New Leather for the Ergohuman Range of Office Chairs
Ergonomic Office Chairs

Ergonomics in the Office

Ergonomics is about getting the situation to fit you, rather than you to fit the situation. So, for example, when looking at an ergonomic chair, getting the chair to fit you would mean addressing points such as your height, your size and your job duties.

Your height is an important point to address, as a perfect sitting position will mean that your feet are flat on the floor, while your thighs are more or less parallel to the floor. It is easy to see that if your chair is too low for you, your knees will be coming up to meet you and there will be less support to your lumbar region, as your thighs are not making perfect contact with the office chair. If the chair is too high for you, your feet may not fully touch the floor, making steadiness an issue. A ergonomic height-adjustable chair will help solve these needs.

If you are small in stature, or somewhat overweight, the armrests of the chair may not serve their purpose of supporting your lower arms, again to keep them parallel to the floor and resting on the desk comfortably.

Once the ergonomic chair is adjusted to your needs, you can identify whether the desk height meets your specifications. It’s all right getting the seat absolutely perfect but is the table or desk too high or too low for your wrists to rest comfortably near the keyboard or the paperwork?

This is where electric height adjustable desks show their worth. As the name suggests, a electric height-adjustable desk will allow you to get the correct height for your perfect workstation.

The theory of ergonomics also addresses a cognitive aspect. For example, why did you place your phone to the left of your monitor and why so far back on the desk? If it’s an office tool that you use quite often, is it in a comfortable and accessible position? Why isn’t the monitor directly in front of you? Regular use of the computer will mean that your body rests in a twisted position (neck and hips) for long periods of time. The placing a heavy dictionary at the back of the desk, instead of closer at hand, will cause pressure to your hand, wrist, arm and shoulder, every time you reach for it.

Ergonomics is a serious business which, once you’ve got it right, encourages your body to respect good posture. An ergonomic desk and adjustable ergonomic chair might cost a little more than run-of-the-mill office furniture but for all the right reasons. Surveys have shown that working in an ergonomic environment increases productivity by as much as 20%, the enhanced posture having the knock-on effect of increasing work satisfaction. With less posture-related illnesses and the resulting time off work, creating an ergonomic office ticks all the right boxes.

Ergonomic Office Chairs
Ergonomic Office Chairs
Electric Height Adjustable Desks
Electric Height Adjustable Desks
Ergonomic Office Chairs, Office Chairs

Luce Chair

The Okamura Range – Getting the Right Chair for the Situation.

In an office environment, who should pay for the ergonomic office chair – the employer or the employee? This is a difficult question to answer and one which, if not addressed, could lead to greater questions being asked later.

A young worker fresh out of school will have an equally fresh body and the aches and pains that an older member of staff may suffer may not be issues. A more mature and well-experienced worker may have developed ageing disabilities, such as arthritis and rheumatism (though these problems do sometimes develop in very young people) and sitting for long periods of time could cause stiffness in joints, muscles and tendons, exacerbating an existing problem or bringing on new discomfort and pain.

Sickness causes absence and work may become delayed. Also, staff may become stressed through doubling up on work volume and expensive temporary staff may not be able to make the grade with expectations, all contributing to a drop in business standards and resulting in disheartened customers.

Ignoring people’s needs is a risky business and can end up costing a lot more than the price of a good ergonomic chair. Of course, if you know little about ergonomic office furniture, you could overspend and maybe even buy a chair that is not suitable for the staff member’s needs or the job responsibilities.

Websites bring the world of ergonomics into your own office, where you can look at designs, study the specifications, get to know the customisation and styling options and also consider the optional extras. Designs will be different, so getting the right ergonomic office chair is no different to getting the right pair of shoes. You’re looking for comfort and support and, just as high heels are not the best for hill-walking, some chairs will not be right for some people or for particular tasks.

Like good cars, the company name of good chairs goes before them and Okamura is the Rolls Royce of chairs, offering lots of changes on the same theme. While one might need the adjustments that come with the Contessa chair or the CP chair, the different specifications offered by the Luce chair or the Cruise workstation might have added extras that address the job requirements.

Lumbar support really is a must, so this should be top of your list when choosing your chair, as correct back support will prevent or alleviate pain and lessen any back-related absences from work. A wise employer will purchase sensible chairs and gain the respect of his or her workforce because of such a caring attitude. Payback and savings will be evident in the success of that business.

Luce Chair
Luce Chair

Cruise Computer Workstation
Cruise Computer Workstation from Simply Ergonomic
Okamura Contessa Ergonomic Office Chairs
Okamura Contessa Ergonomic Office Chairs
Ergonomic Office Chairs, Office Chairs

Within these Walls – Cubicles or Open-Plan?

Offices used to have four walls but, as time moved on, open-plan moved in and, instead of having private space in which to perform one’s job, ‘one office for all’ became fashionable, making a quiet working environment a thing of the past.

Then the cubicle design arrived in the late sixties, giving a feeling of privacy but a continued problem with background noise.  Described as an acoustic sieve, our understanding the difficulty of this environment probably only hits home when we phone a call centre for some kind of advice and can hear everyone else but the person that is helping us.

As office space became smaller, the computer industry seemed to respond, large monitors being replaced by flat screens and filing cabinets being replaced by CDs and pen drives.  Research in America proved that by removing all the then redundant filing cabinets, offices could be smaller and the cost of renting space could be greatly reduced.

However, working in a cubicle can be very stressful, since background noise does make concentration very difficult.  Personal space may now be down to a ten feet by ten feet square (although it is only three-sided), within which you have everything you need.  Your office is transforming into an Ergonomic Office, so makes sence to have a good ergonomic office chair. Your ergonomic desk may now be L-shaped against two walls, so the flat screen lifted from the desk top by an adjustable monitor arm makes sense, as it not only creates more workable space but allows you to adjust its angle without exerting yourself.

Getting the best office chair for you is now paramount, as all actions will most likely be done from a sitting position. An adjustable chair should not only address appropriate back support but have swivel movement and be correctly sized to fit both the user and the designated work space.

Research has also indicated that the two most important points that need to be addressed in a successful working space are the ability to work uninterrupted and to have easy and frequent interaction with others.  If these two factors are realised, team work and job satisfaction can increase by as much as twenty three percent. A cocktail office may therefore be the answer.  Rather like a cubicle but with a sliding glass door, this office will improve the acoustic situation and an open door can indicate the occupant’s agreement to interruption at selected times. That same door will also have a positive psychological effect, as having one’s own office does give a feeling of importance, which often displays itself in the increased quantity and quality of work produced.

Ergonomic Office chairs – choose yours

Ergonomic Office Chairs
Ergonomic Office Chairs