Sickness and Morale

Any buyer can see the price of the bottom line for purchase of a set of chairs, but the hidden costs might be even more significant and much less obvious.  Have you ever considered the costs to your business from employees taking time off due to back pain?  Ever considered that being uncomfortable or in pain at work lowers productivity and morale?  Morale is hard to measure, but the overall motivational levels of staff are extremely important in a sales environment for example.  In telesales employees are encouraged to “smile at the customer as though they are present” because the tone of voice often conveys a great deal.  If the employee on the phone is uncomfortable due to a so called “bargain office chair” this is likely to make them sound stilted and perhaps this may cost a sale.

Legal Obligations

While it is hard to measure the exact effects of poor posture on back pain and possibly even harder to establish a causal link between a cheap office chair and a given episode it is worth pointing out that workplace legislation is in place in many countries that places an obligation on the employers to provide a healthy and safe work environment.  Is it really worth saving a few dollars a chair and then being the health and safety legislation legal test case for your local area?  Of course it isn’t.

The chair in the image (from Amazon.com) costs about 10% more than a budget office chair, but is fully adjustable for comfort. Compare the prices and decide for yourself if you and your employees are worth the extra.

Price of Purchase Vs Long Term Costs

Treating employees with respect and providing for their health and comfort at work should be the goal of every decent employer.  This isn’t just wishful thinking.  It is often the case that the gains in productivity and reduction in employee absence from work due to sickness actually pay the difference in costs between discount office furniture and the quality equivalent.  Even if this were not the case, providing a healthy and safe work environment is increasingly becoming a legal obligation.  A wise man once said that there is no such thing as a good legal case, meaning that often any legal case is a large and unnecessary drain on you, your business and any profits you might make.

Isn’t it better for everyone to buy reasonable quality, ergonomically sound, office chairs in the first place?

Reference Material: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/

Cheap Office Chairs – The Hidden Costs - Folding Chairs and Table

An Orthopedic Chair Can Help Protect Your Back

Sitting down in a poorly designed chair often bends the spine into unnatural and awkward positions. If we sit in these positions for an extended period of time it puts undue strain on the muscles of the back and for many people this is what causes them backache. A related issue is that when we sit down the entire weight of our upper body is supported upon our tailbone and this can be extremely painful for some people. An orthopedic cushion can sometimes help alleviate this problem, but sometimes a new leather chair would be a better solution.  Please remember that advice should be sought from a qualified medical practitioner if you require an orthopedic chair for medical reasons.  Even in otherwise healthy people a poor sitting can cause problems if you spend time sitting at a desk typing and the chair is either too short or too tall and forces you to reach toward the keyboard in an overextended fashion.

Types and Features

Modern orthopedic chairs come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors and styles. The thing that they all have in common is that they will allow you to adjust the height at which you sit and provide you with a spinal position that will allow you to maintain a good posture while sitting. They do this by employing a number of different features including a method for raising or lowering the seat base, often this is done through a pneumatic device although this is not a necessity. All that is required is a dependable method of locking the height once it is selected. Another useful feature is the ability to alter the height at which the back support engages the base of the spine. Ideally you want the most supportive part of the rear of the seat in the small of your back. The aim here is to maintain the lordosis at the base of your spine and reduce unnatural spinal positions which can increase muscle strain. A further feature to look out for is whether are not the base of the seat can be tipped forward or back. This can be particularly useful if you need to use a foot stool or other method to support your feet as you can adjust the angle of the seat to easily accommodate this position.

If you need to sit down for extended periods of time whether at work, or at home, then choosing to purchase an orthopedic chair can be a wise investment. If you already suffer from back pain than a well-designed orthopedic chair may well help you reduce the amount of pain you experience. For those of us that are still healthy an orthopedic chair will reduce many of the stretch and strain effects of sitting in one posture for an extended period. Many governments around the world, especially in Europe, are instituting laws to ensure that employers provide a safe and healthy environment for their workers. Part of the remit of these laws is that they should provide comfortable seating that enables a user to remain seated for extended periods of time with us as part of their job description. Even if you do not work in a job that requires you to be seated for a long time surely it is worth the investment to look after your own health whether or not you are legally required to do so?  Choosing an orthopedic chair is the smart move to protect your health.

Why Choosing an Orthopedic Chair Can Be the Smart Move - Folding Chairs and Table