Those of us who work in an executive office space are all too familiar with one constant presence in our office environment: Our chair. To put it simply, we spend most of the day sitting. In fact, most Americans spend more time in their office chairs than they do in their beds. Which begs the question: What are we sitting on, and is it the best option for our minds and bodies?

It all comes down to ergonomics, a fancy-sounding word that simply means “human factors.” An ergonomic design or arrangement is one that allows people to interact with objects in the safest, most efficient way. The science of ergonomics dates all the way back to Ancient Greece, but it became particularly important to modern civilization in the 1990s, when computers and other high-tech devices became a part of nearly every American’s daily life.

When it comes to a chair for an executive office space, back pain can be the most serious consequence of sitting on the wrong kind of chair – or the ergonomically correct office chair that’s improperly adjusted. Reports indicate that 80 per cent of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. An ill-fitting office chair can also result in shoulder, neck, wrist and lower leg aches, in addition to increased risk of conditions such as heart disease and obesity.

We were eager, then, to do a thorough investigation to find the five best, most ergonomically correct executive office chairs. But then we discovered that the productivity and software web site Lifehacker did it for us. The site polled its readers and asked for their picks for best ergonomically correct office chairs, in terms of comfort, value and ergonomics. Here were the results, in order:

1)      Herman Miller Aeron

2)      IKEA Markus

3)      Herman Miller Embody

4)      Steelcase Leap

5)      Raynor Ergohuman

Of course, no matter which executive office chair you end up choosing, it’s essential that you adjust it properly to give yourself maximum comfort and efficiency and avoid injury. Here are some basic tips:

• Set the chair in front of the desk, table or whatever plane you will be sitting at in the office chair you need adjusted, so you’ll know the height adjustment that needs to be made on the chair.
• Locate the button, lever or turning bolt that controls the office chair’s height. For pneumatic chairs this will be a lever or button. For non-pneumatic chairs, this will be a thick turning bolt. All levers, buttons and turning bolts are typically located directly underneath the seat of the office chair itself.
• Stand next to or in front of your pneumatic office chair and press the lever either up or down (depending on which way it goes in order to be the correct chair height). Use only one hand to do this, as you will need the other hand for the following step.
• Pull up or push down on the seat of the chair using your other hand. Do this gently, slowly moving the chair only an inch at a time.
• Release the lever or button once you have adjusted the chair to its appropriate height. The chair should automatically lock itself into place once you release the lever or button.

So there you have it. We wish you many hours of happy, productive sitting in your executive office.

Looking for an executive office space in NYC to put those ergonomically correct office chairs in? Contact Edison Offices Executive Suites today for furnished office space and much more!