Choosing the Right Office Chair
Buying task seating for your business isn’t just about comfort, although that’s important. There are five things to consider when choosing the right office chair to ensure you get the perfect chair for your employees and guests, and that will serve your needs reliably for decades.
Ergonomics: The First Priority When Choosing the Right Office Chair
Have you ever wondered what makes a chair feel like it was made just for you? That’s ergonomics. By offering features like pneumatic height adjustment, back lock, lumbar support, and adjustable tilt, ergonomic chairs enable your employees to adjust their task chairs to properly support their body, especially the arms, back, and legs. The benefits of ergonomically correct seating include increased productivity and less time lost due to ergonomically caused injuries and ailments. We go into more detail about ergonomics here.
Cost and Value: Investing in the Right Office Chair
Choosing the right office chair is also not merely about cost. It’s about weighing the value you receive for the amount you spend. When researching the perfect office chair, buy the highest quality chair your budget allows.
To do this, consider the reputation of the manufacturer, how and where they build the chairs, their commitment to sustainability, their reputation for reliability, availability of replacement parts, the warranty terms, and the ability to refinish the chair for use in updated office designs in the future. Pacific Office Interiors’ team of experienced designers can simplify this process of selecting the right office chair, enabling you to maximize the value of your investment.
Durability and Fitness for Purpose: Look for Independent Proof
Any company can claim to have the highest quality products. So, companies like Haworth, SitOnIt, and others voluntarily submit their products to an independent testing organization, BIFMA, to provide objective proof of quality and durability claims. This industry group establishes standards for quality, durability, fitness for purpose, and more. When a manufacturer submits a chair or another piece of furniture, BIFMA rigorously tests it prior to certification. When choosing the right office chair, look for the BIFMA certification to ensure you’re investing in quality furniture. You can read more about durability and BIFMA here.
Warranty: Choosing an Office Chair You Can Rely On for Decades
Warranties are an excellent but not infallible indicator of quality and the manufacturer’s trust in their products’ ability to serve their intended purpose. Like statements of quality, manufacturers can offer impressive warranties without the ability to fulfill the terms.
For example, big-box retailers or online-only sellers commonly offer consumer-level products made overseas designed to meet a low price point. Even if the products have a warranty, filing a warranty claim and obtaining replacement parts and services may be difficult, if not impossible. Should you get replacement parts, you’ll likely have to install them yourself.
Compare that to the lifetime warranty offered by a company like Haworth. They can afford to provide such a comprehensive warranty because they build their products to last. Plus, they inventory parts and work with their distributors, like Pacific Office Interiors, to perform warranty replacements. Read more about reliability and the importance of warranties here.
Style, Design, and Customization: Making a Statement with Your Office Chairs
When choosing the right office chairs, it’s essential to consider how the chairs will mesh with your overall design, and what they say about your company, its brand, vision, and personality. Office chairs come in a vast spectrum of design and style, from simple black to creative colors, shapes and finishes. At Pacific Office Interiors, our design professionals routinely help clients navigate the options, leading to purchase decisions that perfectly match existing designs and reflect their corporate image. We can do the same for you.
Choosing the Right Office Chair: We Can Help
If you’re tasked with choosing the right office chair for your company or organization, buy the highest quality, most ergonomically correct chair your budget allows. And, if you’d like to simplify your task, Pacific Office Interiors invites you to contact us and let our talented and knowledgeable staff help you find the perfect chair.
