What is the best office chair?

I see this question crop up from time to time in blogs and LinkedIn postings. If you are thinking about ergonomics considerations, the first response is (as usual) “it depends”.

My next observation is that anyone responding by naming a specific product is either unqualified to answer or should know better. Some might add a third category of respondent, the office chair salesman, but I would contest that they are, too often, in one or both of the first two categories!

I often draw parallels between the workplace and driving scenarios, since so many adults are drivers. Would you ask someone what is the best car? If so, you would certainly expect a barrage of further questions: What is your budget? How many seats do you need? Are you the only person to be considered or do you have family requirements? Is image important? Fuel economy? The list goes on.

Choosing a chair is a similar process so I would recommend rephrasing the question to “How do I choose an office chair? (Or study chair, or laboratory chair, or control room chair, etc.). I would then subdivide my answer again into choosing a chair for yourself and choosing a chair for your team, department or organisation.

… but that will need a few more blogs!

“How do I choose an office chair (for myself)?” provides a detailed action plan.