With hybrid working, many people are either working full time from home or they are working part time from home.
This scenario means you have to make some decisions about how much you commit to a home office that works for you. So I am going to run through the decision making process of purchasing an office chair for home use hoping that it will help you make a reasoned decision. I'm going to run through the considerations one by one:
Amount of time spent working at home So of course, the amount of investment you want to make and the type of office chair you buy will depend on the amount of time you are going to spend in your home office ? If it's 4 days a week you are going to be willing to invest more and you are going to need an office chair that will handle the extra work and deliver a comfortable work experience. As a rule of thumb, if you are working more than two days a week at home then you need a decent office chair but also take into account how long you will be sitting at a stretch. I am going to say if you are going to work over 4 hours at a stretch - make the investment.
Are you using a standing desk ? This is important. If you are using a standing desk at home then the assumption is that you are going to be standing for part of your work day and that you are going to be moving between standing and sitting regularly. So the question is whether you need a high end chair ?
What is the nature of your work ? We seem to always assume that everyone works in front of a computer all day. But some people are on the phone and like to walk around while talking. Some people are getting up and down preparing orders ? So how much opportunity do you get to move and how often do you take the opportunity to get out of your office chair and move ?
How much room have you got available ? A fully featured office chair takes up a lot of room when you aren't using it. If your office is in your bedroom - you may not want to trip over your office chair when it isn't in use ? It is NOT easy to store. The answer may be a chair that has less adjustable features but is easier to move (with castors) and if you have a standing desk it can be stored under the desk when not in use ?
So once you've run through the above - you are probably in a better position to know what sort of office chair you need ? Now I'm going to run through the options available and what they would cost you ?
To start with, let's assume you have a low number of hours worked at home, a small amount of work area and you have a standing desk at home.
In this instance, I would recommend a good ergonomic chair with all the adjustability that a high end chair will offer. It should have castors for easy storage and you can make up your own mind whether arms are necessary or not.
The Meta home office chair is a perfect solution. It is robust (with commercial specs) and it is an ergonomically designed chair that has a particular emphasis on good lumbar support.
Also it is easily stored either under a standing desk or in an unused corner. Also it doesn't look like an office chair. It wouldn't look out of place as an extra dining chair ?
Most importantly, it will save you heaps. This office chair is $225 incl GST whereas a quality adjustable office chair will cost you at least $400.
Need arms on your chair ? The Fini chair may be the answer. Italian designed, this chair looks cool and has the added advantage of having a folding seat that makes it even easier to store. It is fitted with high quality castors and has either a fabric or plastic seat depending on your needs. They are on special right now so have a closer look at them here.
OK so you are working long hours and you are sitting at your desk all day. There is no getting around the need for a fully adjustable ergonomic office chair ?
This is the Powercore Active Chair.
It is fully adjustable with back tilt, seat slide, height adjustability, 3d arm adjustment and adjustable lumbar support. There are other high end office chairs around but you won't get this feature list for $435 incl GST.
We also throw in a balance disc (worth $33) so you can move your lower back even more while seated.
Conclusion
Everyone has different circumstances and everyone will have a different home office environment. We try to take full account of your circumstances and fit you with a home office chair that fits your needs.
If you are in doubt (and you are Wellington based) pop in and see our range of office chairs.
FAQ
What adjustability features are most important for an office chair ?
A lot of people would not agree with this but if you are of average build you don't need adjustability features. You need good lumbar support and that's about it.
Now if you are particularly tall or short - you definitely need height adjustment. You may also benefit from lumbar adjustment (up and down) but seat slide and back tilt won't help you at all. And if your arms are on the armrests so long that they need adjusting - you need to get your arms OFF the armrest and move them. You don't need to adjust the armrest.
Are the really high end chairs also made in China ?
Do you have office chairs without casters ?
Are all fixed chairs the same height ?
What is 3d arm adjustment ?