Whether you exercise regularly or not, sitting for hours at a time each day can still have a negative impact on your health. Some of these issues may not become apparent for years, like heart disease, but others, like a lack of focus and decrease in productivity can be noticeable much sooner. Business owners are directly affected by poor office seating choices for their employees and should consider more ergonomic office chairs for their staff.

How The Wrong Office Chairs Are Costing Your Business Money?

If you employee a number of office workers chances are they are sitting behind a desk for a majority of the day. Sitting for more than three hours a day can lead to a number of health problems but sitting consecutively for prolonged periods of time put individuals at much higher risks. The most common health problems include:

Back pain or strain from sitting and leaning over a desk for too long.

Carpal tunnel caused from poor posture when typing.                                

Leg problems can occur when Office desk are not the appropriate height for employees to sit comfortably at their desks.

Cholesterol increases when individuals sit for more than six hours a day, which increases their risk a heart disease.

Blood sugar levels also change drastically by going up from sitting too much.

Oxygen consumption decreases in individuals who sit for more than six hours a day.

All these health effects can become noticeable within a few weeks. These factors make employee more susceptible to viruses, infections and other illnesses.

All of these factors also contribute to lack of sleep with makes focusing more difficult. Not only do your employees take more sick days but their quality of work suffers a great deal as well. Your office seating has a huge impact on your business productivity and a simple solution to help combat the negative effects is with ergonomic office chairs.

Benefits Of Ergonomic Office Seating:

1.) Ergonomic office chairs can accommodate all your employees. Where standard office chairs can be uncomfortable and not be the suitable height for many, ergonomic chairs can be adjusted to each employee.

2.) Gives employees the proper back and neck support need to work comfortably and maintain proper posture.

3.) Increase in production results from employees being able to properly adjust their chairs in a number of ways that will reduce additional movements and straining.

4.) When combined with an ergonomic desk employees can sit or stand to do their work. This allows them to break up the amount of time they would typically be sitting when using traditional office chairs and desks.

Most businesses do not realise how the office seating they provide their employees can be costing them money in a number of ways. Poor office chairs results in many health problems that force employees to take more sick days and time off. If you are looking for an easy way to increase productivity and increase the quality of work then simply changing the office seating can be the easy solution.

 If you are interested in new and upcoming office chair and furniture design trends, the following are widely expected to dominate much if not all of 2016 and possibly beyond. Every business needs to stay a notch above new trends in order to remain current, relevant and knowledgeable. In addition, some of these trends emphasize on efficiency and productivity. If you are going to host clients and potential ones in your office, then your wooden office chairs, furniture and workstations need to be on check.

Wooden Office Chairs and Furniture that Promote Conversation and Collaboration

No doubt, but the business environment is doing away with cubical segregation and moving towards more open working environments. The introduction of nooks and privacy pods helps change paradigms, which are a growing trend to promoting distraction-free spaces for employees who need to focus on what they are doing. It’s an organic combination of personal space and collaboration.

This trend has had an impact on the styling of the office. Modern executive offices are becoming more detailed, smaller and intricate. As office demands soar in the office, both ordinary and executive employees will need office chairs are comfortable, possibly covered in leather with longer back-rests and able to rotate with minimal effort.

Convertible Workstations

Workstations are increasingly becoming flexible, and so will be office chairs and furniture. Some businesses have converted the standard sit to stand desk to a complete sit to stand workstations. This can be very beneficial to startup businesses that require office furniture that can grow and expand with them.

Although some companies prefer standing meetings instead of sitting, the office will still need to maintain the traditional look of having office desks and chairs. Businesses still need to make their workers and clients feel relaxed and at ease by having spacious, beautifully styled wooden office chairs and desks. This not only boosts your initial impression (for clients), but it also increases productivity among employees.

The Workplace Will Get A Warmly, Homier Look

Having the right office chairs will also give the entire workplace and warm and homely ambience. Getting employees to spend more time in the office because of quality furniture is set to be a trend in 2016. This will include having solid wooden desks, chairs and other furniture that looks more like dining room chairs and tables to compliment the lighting and give the office a traditional and authentic look that resembles the home. A comfortable and inspirational workplace will make employees feel more motivated and creative to get the job done.

Doing Away with Permanent Layouts

Office chair furniture that allows for greater flexibility and does away with permanent layouts will be one trend on the cards for 2016. Furniture should be designed to have elements move independently and move around easily for a more collaborative and dynamic workplace. 

One of the most things when working in the office is getting the right settings for your chair. Nowadays, your average office chair has a lot of adjustability in it, so the first thing to get right is the height, you want to make sure that you get your chair at the right height for your body. So raise or lower your chair height until you feel comfortable and your body is in a neutral and straight posture. Once you are happy with the height, you want to check to make sure your feet are flat on the floor, if not, you should look into introducing a footrest.

When your feet are flat on the floor, you should also ensure that your knees are not higher than your hips as when they are, that will out pressure on your spine. So immediately, we know that height is very important to get right.

The other thing to check is that the backrest is supportive of your back and spine when you are reading, writing or typing, so it is advisable to lock the back of the chair to ensure that is doesn’t move back or forth, so your back and spine is in a healthy, upright position. Perhaps when you are on the phone, you could release the lock and give your back a break by allowing the chair back to tilt, so simply lean back and relax for a bit.

If you think your backrest is too stiff to move back when you lean back in your chair, you can adjust the tension of the backrest using the tension control mechanism, which in majority of the chairs, it’s in a form of a knob either underneath the seat or on the side of the seat.

Once you’re working again, don’t forget to put the lock back on so you maintain a good posture.

With more flexible chairs, you get the option of adjusting the arm height. This feature is particularly useful to ensure that your shoulder muscles are in a relaxed and healthy posture, so ensure when you are typing, your elbow is in a straight line and level with the desk height, otherwise, if the arm rest are too high up, you will be shrugging your shoulders when means your shoulder muscles will be working statically which will be more difficult and tiring.

It is also recommended that you sometimes allow the backrest of your chair to tilt back which creates a rocking motion, and results in a change of posture and alternatively, blood circulation, so make sure you get all of the adjustments in your chair to be able to get the most out of it.

So if you’re typing, on the phone with someone or in a meeting, do use different adjustments of your chair and let your body relax and try to keep a healthy posture and in other words, let the chair do the work for you.

At Furniture Bay, we have a large range of office chairs which are suitable for every budget, from entry level office chairs, to fully ergonomic posture chairs, so please feel free to check our website and don’t hesitate to contact us if you need any advise.

Mesh office chairs are an excellent choice on several different levels. They offer a comfortable, high-quality office seating solution with a very smart and contemporary look. They are ideal for offering superior seating to the whole office or as a practical and modern solution for executive seating.

However, there are a few points to consider and a number of things you should know before buying mesh chairs. These will help you to ensure you make the right buying choice.

Not all Mesh Chairs are the Same

Mesh chairs are one type of office chair, designed by the material used. Even if you limit yourself to mesh, it's not as simple as just going out and buying a mesh chair. This category encompasses a full and varied range of office chairs, including a wide variety of different features.

You will find everything from basic, low-backed office chairs of the kind you might also called "computer chairs" to executive-looking high-backed chairs with arms, head supports and ergonomic backs. It is therefore not enough to simply decide that you will go with mesh for your new office seating solution. You still need to put a lot of thought into exactly which types of office chair you need.

Comfort and Health

One area in which even basic mesh seating tends to be superior to similarly basic chairs in other categories is comfort, and this also has implications for health. Poor back support from an office chair can lead to discomfort, pain and over time health issues. Ergonomic backs for healthy, comfortable support are therefore a big deal when it comes to office cheating, and they are especially widespread among mesh solutions.

Once again, however, not all chairs are necessarily created equal and there are various types and features on offer. Most mesh office chairs will give you good support for your back and help keep you healthy. However, if you want extra support and maximum comfort, you may want to look into additional features such as high backs, adjustable backs, head supports and arm rests. These will help you to find your ideal sitting position for both comfort and spinal health.

Matters of Style

Mesh office chairs are extremely practical office furniture solutions, but this isn't their only attraction. They are also very stylish and aesthetically-pleasing items of furniture, with a modern and minimalist look. For this reason, they fit very well in contemporary offices and are often chosen as a result of style decisions as much as anything else.

If you have a more traditional office look, on the other hand, mesh seating may not be quite such a good fit from a purely aesthetic point of view. Obviously, for many people the many practical advantages will override simple matters of décor. However, if having chairs with a look in keeping with the rest of your office is important to you then you may want to look at alternatives such as leather or wooden office chairs.

Recently, there has been something of a fad for replacing office chairs with exercise balls. On paper, this can look like a good idea. However, most of the claimed advantages behind this are lacking in evidence. What's more, there are a number of hazards associated with using an exercise ball instead of a regular office chair – and these are often not known or glossed over by the people and companies advocating their use.

The Theory

Before discussing the hazards of using exercise ball chairs in place of regular office chairs, it is worth looking at the reasons people make the switch in the first place. In other words, it is necessary to understand the theory behind the idea that this is a god thing to do.

Some people use exercise balls, others use specialist exercise ball chairs. The latter are much like regular chairs in that they have legs and a back. However, in place of the seat they have a large, bulging exercise ball. This means that you cannot sit securely and limply on the seat, but rather your body must make constant, small movements to maintain balance. This (it is claimed) exercises large groups of muscles slowly throughout the day and promotes better back and spinal health.

The Facts

In truth, there is little to no evidence supporting the claims of overall health benefits resulting from exercise ball. Experts are divided on the exact state of affairs, with some believing exercise balls are simply neutral from a health point of view and others believing they can actually cause problems such as spinal compression. There are, however, some definite risks to using them – especially for such prolonged periods as you would if you were using it in place of an office chair.

The greatest risk comes from stability. While your body is quite good at maintaining balance instinctively, when you are working you will not give much attention to doing so. Exercise ball chairs are extremely unstable, so when used for hours upon hours for five days a week the chance of falling off the chair becomes comparatively high.

There is also a danger of the ball collapsing or, if using a straightforward ball rather than a chair, rolling away. Once again, this creates a lot of potential for accidents and injury in a way which just does not apply to a regular, good-quality wooden office chair.

The potential for injury opens up another area of concern, and this one goes beyond the chair's user. When used in the workplace, the fact that exercise balls raise the risk of injury creates concerns about health and safety and employer liability. Employers are legally required to provide a safe environment in which their employees can work (this requirement stands even if you are self-employed and providing a work environment only for yourself). The risks entailed by exercise balls could compromise this and leave employers liable for any injuries that might occur.

Also Read: Top Tips for Good Office Etiquette

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An office chair may be a fairly utilitarian object, but it also represents a core part of your home office.

It is important to appreciate quite how important the right choice of office chair is when deciding how much to spend – a question many people struggle with.

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