The light bulb went on in the late 90’s for me, as I was introduced to the concept of “chair fittings” while consulting for an ergonomic chair manufacturer in Silicon Valley. I’m a typical 5’4” female, and assumed a “chair is a chair” up until then. It blew me away to listen to the preliminary questions asked about the customer’s physical conditions, workstyle and stature considerations.
Through observation and above information, the chair fitter guided the customer to several office chair options resulting in that “aha” moment when the customer knew they had found just the right solution for THEIR needs.
At that point, I knew I had found my life’s work. Chair Geek!
Really, Can One Size Fit All?
Lesson 1: “Generic” office chairs are designed for individuals 5’10” tall. So are typical desks. Measure yours, it’s probably 29” or 30” tall. Again, that may be fine if you are 5’10” – but that is too high for most females and many men as well. More about desk height in the future.
This blog will address individuals WFH (working from home), municipality employees, small businesses and corporate team members.
Some people work at companies that choose a “one size fits all” office chair based on their furniture providers’ recommendations and aesthetics. They will say their chair is “ergonomic” as it has lots of handles for adjustment and a good marketing campaign behind it. My take on that is this: Likely, teammates range from petites closer to 5 feet small to 6 feet and more tall. Then there are the curvy people, people who have “issues” and folks who work very long hours. It would be silly to think that they all wear the same size clothes, so why do we expect them to sit in the same size chair?
Do A Lot of Handles Make a Chair Truly Ergonomic?
From time to time, friends send me links to the next big thing in chairs – and I can see the temptation for seating featuring cool mesh, lumbar support, heat, vibrating massage or star power promotion – “order now for $100.00 off”! In an instant, I can tell that the chair they are “selling” is going to sell lots of products but will fall far short of what a truly ergonomic chair can provide.
In my Silicon Valley showroom I display my grandson’s favorite childhood storybook, Goldilocks and the Three “Chairs” with toy momma bear, papa bear and baby bear in their small, medium and big miniature chairs.
Although I value every customer who comes in, I must admit to particularly enjoying working with petites. The look of wonder and relief on their faces when they “plant” their feet on the floor and feel sturdy back support at the same time is so satisfying.
A truly ergonomic chair dealer will carry chair brands that embrace our differences and needs. They will understand the shapes, sizes and features of their different chair manufacturers offerings. They will meet their customers stature and physical needs with different seat sizes, backrests and mechanisms. Every detail of the office chair will be explained and selected with the user. Do you have a deep lumbar curve? Will your chair be rolling on a hard surface or carpet and if carpet, is it low or high pile? Do you like rocking movement or do you prefer to sit mostly upright? If this makes sense, you may want to consider an individual chair fitting with an expert.
For our corporate and small business customers we can recommend a line of ergonomic chairs that come in sizes so you can enjoy the uniform look (shape and fabric) while accommodating petites, small, medium, tall and curvy users.
That said, when you sit in a prospective chair at an office supply store for 30 seconds – or good grief, on line, or worse, because you see it promoted on TV – it just isn’t possible to address YOUR needs. If you are 5’10,” have no physical or fatigue issues or ergonomic concerns, you may luck out. Let’s say you replace your laptop every few years at $1,000.00 each time. A quality ergonomic chair will typically last 7 to 10 years. Expect to invest somewhere between $500.00 and $1,500.00 depending on the features you need and fabric selected. Corporate discounts are available and some HSA’s and Workers Compensation carriers will pay for medically prescribed chairs.
Options That Make Your Chair YOURS!
And speaking of features, I have a tip for you about armrests. Many people try to keep their arms resting on them when they are keyboarding – the following is for touch typists only. Notice where your arms sit on the armrests – now relax, put your hands on your lap. When they were on the rests, did your shoulders raise up, did they reach forward causing your shoulders to round and collapse your upper chest? Did your back come away from the backrest of your chair? Do the arm caps keep you so far from the keyboard that you have to lean forward? Shrug your shoulders, then let go.
When I show these postures during showroom chair fittings, then ask people to put their hands 0n their laps, I can actually hear their hands land on their legs when they let go of the muscle tension incorrectly positioned armrests can cause. Lower the armrests so that they “catch” your elbows without raising your shoulders. If you can’t get them low enough, you may want to remove the armrests from your current chair and see if that helps. Or you can purchase your chair without them (and reduce the cost of the chair).
With over 20 years of experience, our philosophy is “less is more.” I recommend chairs that FIT well. The seat supports you completely but doesn’t bang into the back of your knees. The height allows you to solidly connect with the floor with your hips slightly higher than your knees. The backrest conforms to the shape of your back, filling in the lumbar area, not concave and allowing it to collapse. That posture rounds your shoulders and puts your head forward. We are looking for great alignment with your head right over your neck which is right above your spine.
Oh, and as to that saying “sitting is the new smoking,” let’s face it. We’re still going to sit some of the time. At my home office I happily use a sit to stand desk, but when I sit, it’s easy to maintain great, relaxed posture because my chair fits me. I urge you to consider that you are worth it and keeping your staff safe and comfortable is a great investment and shows them that your company cares about their well being and individuality. Told you I was a chair geek!
Ergo Tip
When you are waiting for files or games to load, check your alignment – as though a silk thread is pulling at the top of your head allowing your head to align over your neck, your neck above your spine, your shoulders open and relaxed. Breathe in through your nose to fill your tummy and out from your mouth.
