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What can be considered a proper office chair?
Healthy working from home starts with healthy and comfortable sitting
Recognizable? You are currently working from home a lot. Maybe you're sitting in the kitchen or living room, on a dining chair. Or you sit in the office on an (old) office chair that you normally only use occasionally. Now that working from home more often is 'the new normal', you want to be able to work comfortably and healthily. Step one: make sure you have a good office chair.
If you work from home, you will sit at your table or desk much longer than at the office. There you walk to another room for a meeting, or you get a round of coffee for your colleagues. There are more distractions around you. At home, you have one Teams meeting after another behind your screen. Sometimes you're working so hard that you don't even notice it's time for lunch. Before you know it, the day has flown by and you have barely left your place. Even though you know how important exercise is. And you would like to prevent any complaints such as a painful neck or shoulders... That is precisely why sitting well (and moving) is now even more important. Supported by a good office chair.
The ideal office chair
Healthy and comfortable while working from home? Then a good office chair is worth the investment. Who knows, maybe your employer will reimburse the costs and you can choose one yourself. But what should you think about when you think of a 'good' office chair? The nice thing is: it should actually be a chair that you don't have to think about. A good office chair follows you and does what you want. You set it right once and then you're the boss. Setting that up takes little time; it is almost self-explanatory. The ideal office chair in a nutshell.
The correct settings
What often happens is that people grab a chair, make a height adjustment and get to work. However, there are so many other ways of truly personalising an office chair. A correct setting of the seat depth will improve the support of your upper legs. Well-adjusted armrests become an extension of the tabletop, relieving tension in your neck and shoulders. Moreover, many office chairs have so-called ‘netweave’ backrests which are more flexible and form to the contours of your back. The natural curve of the lower back can be supported with a lumbar support, which is often height adjustable. We could all use a little backup!
Motion system
Sitting in the same position for long periods of time can cause health issues. This is why proper office chairs are equipped with a motion system (a synchronous or tilt mechanism). Some prefer it when their chair moves a bit, while others can’t stand it. Either way, a correct adjustment of the motion system is important too. It works by adjusting the counterpressure to match the user’s body weight, preventing the chair from moving uncontrollably or making it difficult to shift your body while seated. Whether your employees are typing while in an upright position or leaning back for a while, the motion system will follow their every move.
What are all these knobs for?
With a proper office chair, you will not have to worry about all kinds of complicated or hidden knobs. If anything, an office chair should be functional and easy to adjust. This is why user-friendliness is foremost when it comes to our office chairs. The appearance comes next: an honest and no-nonsense design. And there are usually plenty of fabrics and colours to choose from.
I need help!
Do you think it is too complicated to adjust your chair properly? It doesn’t have to be! We have all types of instruction videos and user guides to help you along. The office chairs of Gispen are all equipped with a booklet that is stored under the seat, which contains all you need to know. When you’re done, simply put the booklet back in its compartment and you will never lose it.
How can I be sure I’ll get the quality I’m paying for?
When a chair meets occupational health and safety standards (such as ‘NPR 1813’ or ‘NEN EN 1335’), you know the chair has been properly tested and that it will meet all technical standards. In other words, you will be assured of a safe and technically high-quality product. This is no luxury for a chair that will be used this intensively. When you buy an office chair from Gispen, it will always meet the applicable health and safety standards.
Don’t forget about your table
This blog is about office chairs, but you mustn’t forget about your table or desk. Ideally, the height of your table is well matched with the height of your chair. A height-adjustable desk makes this process much easier. Dining room tables are often slightly higher; which is more suitable for reading the newspaper or having dinner than for office work. In most cases, it will not combine well with an office chair. Do you sometimes like to get some work done in the living room during the evening? A proper office chair at the dining table would still be better than a dining chair. Either way, you can’t lose with a proper office chair.
