If you’re in need of tips for buying office chairs, this should settle some frustrations right from the off if you’re not in the know. Familiarising yourself with the terms may help prevent any confusion during your internet search if you’re buying online.
Retailers can often have different names for the same chair. You may come across terms such as office chair, task chair, operator chair or swivel chair. If you see any of these terms on your hunt for home office furniture online – for example:
‘At Slouch we have super duper comfortable, high quality and stylish task chairs built to last…’
Then you know you are, in fact, in the right place. No need to look elsewhere should you see the words task chair. Wink.
WHAT BENEFITS DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR OFFICE CHAIR?
Ultimately there are two reasons you want tips for buying an office chair – you’re either replacing an existing office chair, or you feel a need to buy one for the first time because the couch/rock/bench/tuffet you’ve been using isn’t quite up to standard to support you during work.
Either way there are certain benefits you’re probably looking for. So let’s make life easier for you and jot these down:
OFFICE CHAIRS THAT STAND THE TEST OF TIME
Used for 7 hours a day, office chairs can be subject to a lot of wear and tear. So it’s important that your office chair can withstand daily stress as well as you do.
By investing in high-quality office chairs for your office, you’ll end up with chairs that have significantly longer lifespans than the budget equivalents, and potentially saving you time and money ordering replacements in the long run.
COMFIER SITS MAKE FOR HAPPIER EMPLOYEES
Office chairs with ergonomic features which adapt and accommodate the lucky sitter, such as mesh backs, lumbar support, armrests and adjustments, all help to make your employees more comfortable in a space they’ll be spending 8 hours a day in.
This can improve their satisfaction and productivity in the workplace.
Comfortable, supportive, high-quality office chairs also reduce the likelihood of aches and strains too, so hopefully you’ll be experiencing less grumbles, less agitation and a happier working environment.
Provided they enjoy their job to begin with.
We can’t do everything.
But we can help you if you need to purchase several Slouch chairs for a team. Contact us today – Free UK delivery available!
CLEVER TASK CHAIRS WHICH PROMOTE GOOD POSTURE
A good quality task chair should promote good posture by helping to keep your back straight, reducing stress on the user’s muscles and joints. And a task chair with armrests can provide further support if you spend a lot of the day typing and/or using a computer mouse.
Outdated and unsafe office furniture can contribute to poor mood, poor posture, aches, pains and poor productivity.
If you want to ensure you avoid those knock-on effects to your health and business, consider a high-quality supportive office chair designed to enable your work day instead of hinder it.
In spite of our name, at Slouch we do not encourage, endorse or facilitate any slouching in our office furniture.
VERSATILE SWIVEL CHAIRS
If you have people of different heights and weights regularly using your office space, task chairs like these are the ideal choice as they can be adjusted to fit whoever needs to use them.
So a durable, well-made, high-quality office chair should be:
- highly versatile
- able to accommodate a wide range of users
- Strong and durable to support different sizes and weights
- highly adjustable
- responsive to movement
- in a design and finish you want
Additionally, at a home office, the chair belongs to you – as such you may wish your office chair to be able to be used for other members of the family and for a variety of purposes.
Don’t be afraid to get your money’s worth.
Speaking of which, if the design and style is essential when it comes to a new chair, feel free to order a sample here and they’ll be with you in 5 days.
WHAT FEATURES DO YOU WANT WHEN BUYING AN OFFICE CHAIR?
As we discuss in our blog about types of office chairs, no one chair is necessarily the best – you don’t just want to understand what features a chair has, you also need to understand how a chair can benefit you. So let’s have a look at some questions you could ask yourself to get a clear picture of your ideal office chair.
DOES YOUR OFFICE CHAIR SWIVEL EASILY?
Your new office chair should easily rotate so you can reach different areas of your desk without straining. If not, you might notice your aches increase and your patience decrease over the day.
This is exactly what we don’t want at Slouch. Thankfully, our range of task chairs are all swivel task chairs. So you can spin and swing all you like.
DO YOU MOVE A LOT IN YOUR SEAT DURING THE DAY?
It is not just about lumbar support for your back if you move a lot during the day.
You’ll be looking for a piece of furniture that accommodates your more varied movements, allowing you to twist and turn to protect the curve of the spine and your posture, providing supported movement throughout the day.
Whilst some people may not suit a chair with movement, generally a chair which allows ease of movement and support can allow for a more comfortable sit and less agitation throughout the day.
So if you’re prone to being full of beans, or have a role which requires you to mentally and physically pivot between tasks – keep an eye out for a chair which lets you fidget to your heart’s content.
DO YOU SLOUCH TO USE THE KEYBOARD?
Office chair seat height should be easily adjustable, so you don’t need to stoop to see your screen or use the keyboard comfortably.
A chair with height adjustment is the easiest way to do this.
Tip: Be sure that when you’re setting the height of a new chair, you have your feet flat on the floor, or on a footrest if the chair comes with one and the shoulders should be relaxed and squared. You can find out more about office DSE regulations on the government website here.
DOES THE SEAT PRESS ON THE BACK OF YOUR LEGS?
An office chair seat should have enough width and depth to support any user comfortably. Bonus points if the seat can move backwards and forwards to accommodate a larger frame.
Like ours.
The depth from front to back of the seat should be enough to allow the user to sit against the backrest of the chair while leaving approximately 1-2 inches space at the back of the knees. This prevents cutting off the circulation which could cause numbness or discomfort.
LUMBAR SUPPORT FOR YOUR LOWER BACK
In our blog about lumbar support we discuss the benefits and importance of an office chair which adequately supports your lower back.
The lumbar section of the spine has an inward curve, and sitting for long periods without support for this curve can strain the structures in this part of the spine, leading to aches and pains.
While it may not be the first thing people think about when buying an office chair, chairs with lumbar support for the curve of the lower back may eliminate some existing aches or strains in that area.
AN ADJUSTABLE BACKREST FOR YOUR TASK CHAIR
A staple for many office chairs, a backrest should be adjustable in height and preferably in angle too. If the chair already has good movement in the mechanism, moving and bending as you do, then this may be less of a necessity.
ADJUSTABLE ARMRESTS FOR YOUR OFFICE CHAIR
Office chair armrests should be adjustable, not only to support your arms and wrists at your workstation but to adapt to different needs over the course of the day. If you need to get closer to your desk, are they blocking you or easily raised up and out of the way?
Tip: When setting up your chair, the armrests should allow the user’s arms to sit comfortably with the shoulders relaxed. The elbows and lower arms should rest lightly, and the forearm should not be on the armrest while typing.
It is also important that armrests do not clash with the edge of the desk.
Invest in yourself with a Slouch home office chair today and get free delivery to anywhere in the UK – fill out this contact form.
READY TO TREAT YOURSELF TO THE PERFECT SIT WITH SLOUCH?
At Slouch we want you to be uncompromising in what you deserve.
Use this guide to help you home in on what kind of office chair you want. If you’re ready to enhance your workspace and feel the difference, invest in yourself with a Slouch home office chair today – fill out this contact form. If you have any other enquiries, feel free to send those over to [email protected].
