A guide to office desk chairs: What should you look for?

For those that spend hours at their desk every working day, you’ll know how an uncomfortable and unsupportive chair can cause serious strain to your neck, shoulders and back. So, to avoid developing or compounding injuries, it’s extremely important to have an office desk chair that’s comfortable, supports the lower back, and promotes good posture.

In this article, we explore four vital points to consider in your purchasing decision to give you all that’s needed for a well-rounded and supportive office desk chair.

1.    Adjustable seat height

When looking to purchase office desk chairs for your organisation, the first thing to look for is seat height adjustability. Not every user of the chair will be the same height and having the ability to set your seat height makes the world a difference in comfort.

With the most ergonomically sound position being sat with your feet flat on the ground, we cannot stress enough the importance of this feature in an office desk chair.

At Haiken, our entire task seating range offers vast seat adjustability to ensure maximum comfort. Some of our ergonomic desk chairs include:

• Webb 0.2 - A perfect all-rounder designed to keep comfort at the forefront of your office. It features an ergonomic design that is supportive and comfortable with 3D armrests.
• Paxton – adjustable seat depth and a unique backrest designed to maintain the natural curvature of the spine. The Paxton chair comes hosted with a further range of supportive features.
• Stirling – with a seat that’s not only adjustable, but moulds to every individual, Stirling offers incomparable user comfort.

2.    Adjustable backrest & lumbar support

An adjustable backrest paired with lumbar support is essential if a chair is to be truly comfortable. Adjusting the backrest allows the user to relieve any pressure on their upper back, which reduces stress on the muscles and vertebrae.

Good lumbar support helps to keep the spine in its natural position, ensuring the muscles surrounding the spine are not overworked to an uncomfortable state.

3.    Seat material

Another important element to consider is the seat material. A desk chair should be adequately padded to offer support. It should be firm enough that your weight is held by the chair but not so hard that you can feel parts of the chair underneath you. Also think about the breathability of the material. When sitting down for hours at a time in the summer, being too hot can be extremely uncomfortable and your chair’s material (especially leather) will trap body heat and contribute to this.

At Haiken, our range of office desk chairs are renowned for their lightness and breathability. With each chair utilising mesh materials, we provide a natural ventilation that helps you keep both cool and comfortable throughout the day.

4.    An office chair with armrests

For some, armrests could be considered an unnecessary addition to an office desk chair. However, they play an important part in avoiding injuries to the arms and shoulders.

Adjustable armrests can be positioned to ensure that elbows are perpendicular to the supports - anything too high or too low could cause problems. As well, if the armrests are too short, users are unable to get close enough to their desk which results in awkward reaching movements. When this is repetitive, constant reaching can lead to arm or back discomfort and even longer-term injuries.

Looking for an office desk chair to support your workforce?

When you workforce  is sitting for long periods of time, upgrading to an office desk chair that is both fully supportive and stylish is extremely worthwhile. If you’re interested in learning more about the Haiken furniture range and want to turn your office into a workspace that breathes comfort and inspiration, contact our expert team today – we’re always happy to help.