With so many office chairs on the market, knowing which one to choose isn’t easy. If you’re buying chairs for your team too, then it’s even more difficult as you won’t always know personal preferences or take into consideration individual requirements for comfort. 

Getting the right chair is essential when you have a team that spends most of their day sitting at a desk. Even for periodical seating, comfort should be a high priority when looking at different styles you can choose. The right chair will provide support for your hips, lower back, spine and shoulders - with the addition of armrests and headrests if needed. 

To help you with making the right choice, here’s a handy guide…

Location location location

Depending on the location of your workstation, you’ll have different requirements. In an open plan office, choosing chairs that add to the design and feel of the space will be important - especially in reception or welcome areas that are often heavily branded and designed. 

For call centers that have shift work and shared desk space you may want chairs that are more heavy duty with adjustable features to suit a varied workforce. Meanwhile meeting and conference chairs should still be comfortable but as they’re used for less hours in the day, other factors like easy storage and stackability come into play. 

If you’re buying a chair for your home office then it all comes down to personal preference and the amount of space you want to give over to a home workstation set up.

How long will you be seated for

It’s not natural for humans to be sitting down all day, so for jobs that require you to be seated for extended periods of time, you will need a chair that provides more support. Ergonomic chairs often provide support for 8+ hours of seating so to ensure your chair is right for the amount of time you use it. Task chairs on the other hand often provide enough support for 4-7 hours worth of seating - so enough for a usual office shift. 

Reception areas and waiting areas will need less support and can be more stylized to enhance the branding of your space - but comfort should still be a factor to ensure guests feel at ease in your offices. 

Adjustments and personalisation

Naturally this is easier if you are buying for your home office because chances are you won’t have branding restrictions. Also you’re likely to be the only one using it so you can choose a chair that fits exactly to your individual needs and provides the support you personally need. 

In an office, you should always consider support for employees and what they require - even if you have certain budgets and branding requirements to stick to. The best chairs will have elements of adjustability like the following:

• Armrests
• Headrests
• Seat height
• Seat depth 
• Castors for mobility 
• Lumbar support

For personalisation, we’re able to pantone match colours in your branding or to go with the aesthetic of your office - even specialist materials like sustainably made fibers can be colour matched.

What’s the budget

This comes down to personal choice or company budget. Naturally the higher the budget, the more features and options with materials and personalisation open up to you. However, if you know exactly what you’re looking for then it’s easy to rule out anything you don’t need that could eat away at your budget. 

Some companies now provide a wfh allowance for equipment with the option for members to contribute more if they’d like a more expensive item. Giving this level of flexibility is a perk as it recognises that everyone has individual circumstances and personal preferences when it comes to home office set-ups. 

Contact us today at furniture@fenns.co.uk for more guidance on choosing the best office chair