Is your office chair causing discomfort? Are you looking for a new one? How will you choose the right chair for yourself? If your coworker really likes their chair, is that the best option for you? Did your employer purchase the same chairs for everyone at your workplace, thinking that “One Size Fits All”? Is an office chair a big investment for you?

If the manufacturer is known for making high- rated “ergonomic office chairs”, does that make it a good chair for you? There are several popular chair manufacturers in Canada, where most of our office chairs come from. They include Global Furniture, Offices to Go (also Global-made), ErgoCentric (my preferred ergonomic chair manufacturer), Ergonomic Accessories Inc., KP Products, Horizon Furniture Group, Steelcase and Nightingale Chairs, to name a few. There are also big-name chair companies with headquarters in the United States, including Humanscale and Herman Miller.

Each of these companies also makes several models of their chairs, with different operating mechanisms, control levers, seat shapes and sizes, back rest shapes and sizes, and so on. Then there are mesh-back chairs, which are supposed to be cooler (and more stylish by some standards). There are mesh-seat chairs too! There are different types of armrests, different shapes, made of polyurethane or upholstered, some swivel or pivot a little, some turn all the way around. Arm rests come in different heights. Some are flat, some rounded on top and some are concave (as if we type with both arms reaching forward and not inward!)

There is also a wide price range for office chairs. You can buy a reasonable quality chair for under $300 CDN at Staples, or Grand and Toy. Is it worth spending that much money on a chair that you think looks “OK”? The prices for ergonomic office chairs can range from around $300 to over $1000 CDN.

Since many of us are working from home now, because of COVID19, we might have a need for a better office chair to use at home. At Ability at Work, we have over 20 years of experience completing Ergonomic Assessments, and making recommendations to fit a chair to the individual’s body build and needs. In fact, in all these years, we have never had a client tell us that they did not like their chair, and I think that is a great track record!! Call us and let us help you choose a chair with the features that you need!

Ergonomic-Tip: When it comes to office chairs, we all have different needs, and cost allowances, so why not get some free expert advice on which chair will best meet your individual needs before you make your investment? Call us at 519-894-1419.