Advice on work chairs

Here are some tips about what you should bear in mind when you use your work chair or when buying a new one, to help you to feel more energised and reduce adverse physical strain.

Advice on choosing and buying a work chair

Demand excellent functional quality and superb environmental qualities, check whether the chair meets the requirements for TCO labelling.
The chair should suit your own specific needs and tasks.
A good work chair should make it easy for you to sit actively and flexibly.
It should be easy for you to make adjustments and change the chair’s functions.
The controls should be straightforward and easy to reach from a sitting position.

From a variety of seated positions, it should be easy for you to make adjustments to the seat, armrests and backrest. Check to make sure the chair is easy to adjust and that the controls are easy to understand.

The chair should provide support and at the same time move with you when you change from one sitting position to another. The chair should be sufficiently stable for you to be able to sit down and get up easily without the chair rolling away from under you.
Choose between hard or soft castors, depending on whether the floor is carpeted or a smooth, hard surface.
If you’re reading from your display or from a printout, your chair should follow when you lean forwards or back.

Find out more about the features of your chair in the supplied instructions or on the supplier’s website.

Advice when using your work chair

Simple rules of thumb to start with:
- Adjust the height of the chair so that you’re sitting comfortably.
- Then adjust the height of your desk.

What’s the best working position?
Yes, that’s right – the next one! Change your position frequently.
Adjust the armrests so that they provide good support for your arms. It is important that the armrests do not protrude to the extent that they prevent the chair from being drawn sufficiently close to the desk.

When reading lengthy sections of a document or talking on the phone, lean back and allow the backrest to support you fully. If you do a lot of reading from printouts, books or other documents, a neck support or headrest would make an excellent accessory for your chair.

Don’t sit for too long
No matter how flexible and adjustable a chair may be, it can’t compensate fully for your need to take frequent breaks. Give your arms a good stretch, take a deep breath or stand up and stretch your whole body. Alternate between sitting and standing to do your work.