Imagine you had a large lawn that needed to be mowed every week in summer, it’s unlikely you would use a push mower. Its lack of flexibility would make your task unbearable as you huffed and puffed cutting it.

Well the wrong mechanism can easily land you in a similar situation and make your working day intolerable.

In this article we’re going to take a look at what controls every office chair – the chair mechanism.

Here are the 3 areas we’re focusing on:

• What exactly is an office chair mechanism?
• What functions on an office chair mechanism are vital?
• What types of office chair mechanisms should you avoid?

Let’s begin with the mechanism itself, the chair’s gearbox.

What exactly is an office chair mechanism?

Office Chair Mechanism On Underside Of HÅG Chair

The mechanism is the heart of any office chair, quite simply it is the means by which the core functions of your chair are controlled.

It’s mounted underneath the chair seat and because it’s hidden from view most people never give it a second thought.

Which is just as well because they can look pretty strange.

Seating manufacturers generally do a pretty poor job in explaining what the different functions of a mechanism are for. They assume that because they know what the various types do that there is no need to explain things to the end user. So let’s cut through the different types of mechanism and look at what matters.

What chair mechanism functions must you insist on?
Mechanisms come with all sorts of features, some are essential and some are useless. Very often the things you need for flexible working are the functions most often missing.

Which ones do you really need? It’s safe to say all mechanisms will let you adjust the height of your chair, that’s a given. Aside of this there are 3 essential functions you need to insist on.

First, you need to make sure that the chair reclines properly meaning that when you lean back in it the back reclines too. Often chairs have a lever that locks the back in different preset positions. If you are using your chair for working actively at your computer this is not a good idea because you will soon feel seized up and stuck in a fixed position.

Next, and hugely important the chair needs to include a tilt tension control so it can adapt properly to your posture as you move. What this does is to allow you to set the pressure applied when you lean back and forwards in your chair. Quite simply it lets you set up the chair for your own weight so that reclining is natural and not forced.

Lastly, and most important of all the chair’s controller needs to include a seat slide mechanism to take account of your leg length. Without it short built users can find themselves perched on the edge of the seat unable to rest their back on the seat’s back.

Taller people have the opposite problem. Their legs overhang the seat edge by miles even though their back is hard up against the chair’s back. And even when you are average built things like upper and lower leg length variation still mean you shouldn’t skip this key adjustment.

What types of office chair mechanisms should you avoid?
Steer clear of any mechanism which only has a single lever control. It’s lack of flexibility will quickly drive you nuts, because all you will be able to do is raise and lower your seat and if you’re lucky lean back to a limited degree.

And don’t fall for chairs that come with more levers and knobs than you might find on an airliner. Lots of controls don’t automatically lead to flexibility and comfort, the right controls are what matter.

So, make sure it does what you need. Don’t assume because it has loads of paddles and buttons it must be OK, always check.

Here are the key points we’ve covering in this article:

• What exactly is an office chair mechanism?
• Why certain functions on an office chair mechanism are key
• Why some types of office chair mechanisms are a mistake and should be avoided

Here’s where you can find a quick summary of great office chairs that include the vital functions you need so you don’t end up with a push mower model.

Whilst all of this is undoubtedly true, proper desk set up is important for your working comfort, and as we’ll see it’s not as permanent as it seems.

What is desk set up?
Setting up your desk is all about making sure you that you make the best use of your workspace. It’s making sure that the things you need to complete your work in comfort are all positioned in the right place, so you aren’t straining to reach them. I know this is all obvious and yet many people have a lousy desk set up.

Who needs to have a good desk set up?
Pretty much anyone who spends more than an hour or so a day at a workstation needs to ensure that their workspace is organized efficiently. So, if you working time is spent in front of a desk you need to know how to get it properly organized.

How to set up your desk correctly
As already pointed out your desk is a permanent fixture, it’s rather like a house the thing doesn’t move once it’s built. Everything that you use with your desk is movable and that is the key to successfully achieving a healthy, comfortable way of working. So think of your desk as your house and all the things you use with it are the furnishings.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your office chair is properly adjusted. Your feet should be firmly on the floor with your thighs at a slightly open angle to your upper body. If your chair has adjustable arms make sure they are positioned to support your lower arms properly with your shoulders in a natural relaxed posture. And be sure you can reach your keyboard and mouse easily too. Lastly set your chair back to give good lower back support in your lumbar region.

Once you’re happy that you are sitting comfortably, it’s time to look at the rest of your equipment.

Next in line is your monitor
Set the height of the screen so that your eyes are lined up with the top area of screen. Move the monitor in or out as necessary so that you can comfortably read the screen without craning your neck forwards. This is very important to get right as continually leaning forwards puts huge stress on the neck muscles and is a major source of neck and shoulder pain.

Other equipment
Now it’s time to consider all the other things you use continually during your working day. Things like phones, printers, scanners, files etc. Prioritize them and make sure the things you use most frequently are close to hand so you aren’t straining to reach them.

Visualize an imaginary arc extending about 12 inches from the center of the front of your desk immediately in front of where you are sitting. Try and get all your most frequently used equipment within this space if at all possible.

Finally the things you use less often can be located at more remote areas of you desk, maybe not even on the desk top at all if space is limited. All that is called for is a little bit of forward planning.

This all sounds a bit complicated I don’t know if it’s worth the hassle
I know it all sounds a bit complicated and yet if you follow this simple step-by-step procedure it will ensure you have all the corners covered making it easy.

Some simple tips
Here are a couple of simple tips in case you’re feeling reluctant about making any wholesale changes.

First keep a note of the equipment you actually use frequently over a 2 or 3 day period. Don’t assume you use something regularly you might be surprised that what you thought you need a lot isn’t actually used that much at all.

Second, take note of any regular aches and pains you suffer while working. See if you can spot something you’re doing that could be causing any discomfort. Maybe sitting badly, or straining to reach something several times a day.

You’ll find if you if you prepare before plunging into making radical changes it should make the whole process easier and help you gain a healthier working posture. It’s all pretty straightforward when you stick the process.

Summary
Let’s quickly sum up the key points we’ve covered in this article.

• Good desk set up is all about working more efficiently
• All office workers need to set up their desk properly
• Start by getting your office chair correctly adjusted for good comfort
• Position your monitor accurately so you aren’t straining to read the screen
• Place commonly used items within a 12 inch radius
• Move less frequently used things to the back of your desk or elsewhere
• Keep a log of what use most frequently for a couple of days before making changes
• If you have aches and pains can you spot any bad habits which may be causing them

Yes it’s true. That desk is an inanimate fixed lump of wood on legs however if you don’t use it properly it’s likely to be a source of pain and discomfort. Following these simple ideas will give you an excellent chance of good working comfort throughout the day.

Setting up your office follows similar principles, especially when your budget is limited.

In this article we’re going to look at the relationship between your desk and office chair and how to apportion a tight budget.

We’re covering the following 3 areas:

• What is the function a desk?
• What is the function of an office chair?
• Which should you spend more on, desk or chair?

Let’s start by looking at the purpose of a desk
Essentially a desk is a convenient work surface that forms a key part of your office setup. In human terms it represents the body’s trunk and it is what your equipment rests on.

It holds the stuff you need to interact with to complete your work. A desk is a fixture for holding your key equipment like your computer, keyboard, mouse, files etc. This is its function.

It’s obviously desirable for it to look good, have pleasing aesthetic lines and be able to handle cables and wires neatly. Nonetheless, its function is largely rudimentary.

If you had to, you could actually get by with a sheet of chipboard supported on a pair of oil drums provided the worktop was the right height and had no nasty sharp edges. Of course it would look awful and I don’t suggest for a moment you would do this. My point is that if you are on a tight budget a very basic desk is all you need to perform your work. Where does your chair come into things?

What is the function of an office chair?
Returning to the analogy with your body, your chair represents your heart. Whereas your desk is unchanging, your chair is continually on the move as it supports your body throughout the day.

As you move it moves with you and as a result forms a much more active part of your work set up. Imagine for a moment trying to work in a chair which was bolted to the floor, set to a fixed height and had a fixed back and fixed arms. It wouldn’t be very long before you found it very uncomfortable to continue working. Consequently how you allocate your budget needs careful thought.

Which should you spend more on, desk or chair?
When you are working to a very tight budget, it’s far more important to spend the lion’s share of your money on a good ergonomic office chair. You need something that is going to support you and be comfortable when working under pressure.

Of course it’s tempting to plump for a funky looking desk with a fancy curved top and grab a cool looking chair from IKEA. Whilst it might all look great it won’t be long before you’re finding it all uncomfortable to work at because of lack of support.

Much the best option is to go for the best seat you can afford, even if it does look a bit boring. If you have a serious workload to complete each day, comfort is much the best option. And that starts with getting the right chair.

So just to recap what we’ve covered here:

• Your desk is a convenient surface that holds your essential work items
• Your office chair is the heart of your work area and provides support and comfort
• On a tight budget always allocate enough for a good ergonomic office chair

Just as with a hi-fi system the speakers deliver the end result. So too does your task chair when it comes to comfort and getting your jobs done when working long hours in the office.

Here’s where you can read an article on the 5 essential features you should look for in an ergonomic office chair.

Office Chair Caster

If you plan to win the next office chair race at work you had better make sure that your chair has the right casters or else you’ll get left at the start.

And even if you don’t have chair racing ambitions it’s important to have the correct wheels.

Does this sound like you?
When you decide to move your office chair do you have to lean into it with all your weight and muscle to get it moving? Or is it so easy to move you have to drop an anchor to get it to stop? If either of these is true, your chair wheels are suspect numero uno.

What wheels does the average office chair have?
It’s almost certain that any office chair you buy will come with standard carpet casters. And that’s hardly surprising, as the vast majority of chairs will be used on carpeted surfaces.

There’s nothing mystical about carpet casters. All it means is that the outside of the wheels are made in hard plastic so that they move smoothly over most types of carpet. However, using them on other surfaces can be unpredictable.

When do you need something different?
Surely chair wheels don’t make that much difference do they? As long as my chair moves easily that’s all that matters. Well the problem is if you have carpet casters on a chair that’s on hard flooring there won’t be a problem moving. The problem will be getting it to stop still. Why is that?

For casters to work properly there needs to be a degree of friction between the wheel and the surface it’s being used on. Too much friction makes the chair difficult to move. Too little friction means it rolls at the slightest move you make.

For this reason casters for hard flooring have a softer facing to give the right resistance. What if you don’t want to move your chair in relation to your work?

When are no wheels a better idea?
People who work at higher work surfaces will often go for a chair with a footring to rest their feet on. This way of working tends to be more static and casters can sometimes be a bit unstable. Also, meeting room swivel chairs don’t need to move very much. For both these situations wheels are often substituted with glides. Glides are small flat feet and help keep the chair static and stable in use. All the other functions work as normal.

What should you do if your chair has the wrong wheels?
In the first instance contact your chair’s supplier and ask if they can supply the correct casters. These are usually inexpensive with a set of 5 normally costing under $30. And if they can’t help there are a number of online suppliers. Either way swopping them is simple.

How easy is it to change them?
Fortunately if you find that your chair has the wrong casters it’s pretty straightforward to fix. Most office chair casters have a push pull fixing arrangement. Just turn your chair on its side, grip each wheel in turn and pull.

Usually they release easily. Next it’s a case of pushing the new ones firmly into place and they will click when properly located. The whole thing should only take a couple of minutes to do. Now you will be in full control of your chair.

Summary

• Most chairs come with carpet casters
• Hard flooring needs a different type of caster
• Glides work well for static use such as chairs with footrings and meeting room chairs
• Getting replacements is usually straightforward
• Changing wheels is easy

So make sure your chair has the right wheels, whether you’re a boy racer or simply want to be in control of your chair. This site offers a great selection of office chair casters.

So, let’s look at office lighting in 3 stages:

• The type of lighting used in offices
• Problems poor lighting can cause (and ways to minimize them)
• The importance of where you sit

First let’s examine the sort of lighting commonly used in office
Most commercial offices these days have fluorescent lighting and initially it might seem that there is little difference between one type of fluorescent light than the other. Whilst these types of lights work in a broadly similar fashion insofar that they all use tubes, there is a great deal of difference in the quality of light they produce. Why does the standard of lighting matter?

That leads us to the problems that poor lighting can cause
There are two issues with fluorescent lighting which can cause problems. The first is the standard of lighting diffuser in use. The diffuser is the cover fitted to the lighting unit and is typically made from plastic or aluminum. Poor quality diffusers create glare, which can make monitor screens very difficult to read.

The second problem has to do with the actual quality of tubes used in the light fitting. Cheap tubes render colors poorly with everything seeming to have either a yellow or bleached hue to it and this in turn affects screen readability. More often than not both problems go hand in hand.

What is the best way to minimize these issues?
By fitting better quality diffusers the light is spread more evenly and in a more focused way, which is all part of diffuser design. This significantly reduces screen glare because of better light distribution.

Replacing cheap tubes with good quality ones will reflect colors accurately so that everything looks normal and natural. Tubes are rated by a temperature scale and blah, blah, blah… Of course it may just be that you are unable to make changes to the lighting in your office, in that instance where do you go from here?

What if you can’t alter the lighting?
If poor lighting is causing screen glare and you are unable to make changes to the lighting then fitting an anti-glare screen to your monitor should improve things significantly.

It’s also worth considering some form of task lighting to help counter the ceiling lights and if strategically placed may be enough to overcome the problem.

Where it’s possible to remove tubes from the ceiling lights around your work area a freestanding uplighter could help things significantly. Uplighters as their name suggests send light upwards and it is then reflected back down off the ceiling and doesn’t cause glare problems. Despite these ideas if your desk is in the wrong place, glare can still be a hassle.

This brings us to the final point the importance of where you sit
Even if you have all the right sort of lighting poor positioning can negate all the benefits and still leave you with glare problems. The reason this can happen is down to natural daylight. You should always avoid sitting with your back to an outside window. This is because on bright sunny days the outside light can be so strong that you literally can’t see anything on your screen. The light power of the sun is far stronger than the light output of your computer screen leaving it unreadable and appearing to be switched off.

What if you can’t alter where you sit?
Where you have no option in arranging your desk position and sunlight is causing major glare issues, there are a couple of alternative solutions.

First, you could fit a blind to the outside window, however most blinds still let some light through and so you can end up with streaks of light on your screen. The best blind to use is a black out blind as it is designed to block all light, however they are expensive and a little unsightly.

Second, fitting an anti-glare screen to your monitor would help, however in really bright sunlight it still may not be enough.

Let’s wrap up the main points we’ve covered here:

• Office lighting quality varies a lot, good diffusers and tubes cut glare
• An anti-glare screen or alternative lighting may well help with glare problems
• Never sit with your back to a window if at all possible, if unavoidable fit blinds

If working in your office is a lot like driving into winter sunshine, use these tips to tackle the problem.

Optimizing Your Office Chair With Your Workspace

Step 1 – Create Balance Between Your Office Chair And Your Work Area
Look on your office chair as the key element of your work environment and the way you work. It needs to be the hub of your work area to give you maximum productivity and comfort.

Step 2 – Setting Up Your Primary Working Zone
This is the area contained in an imaginary arc directly within a radius of roughly 12 inches from where you are sitting. Anything you use extensively throughout your work day should be here, things like your keyboard, mouse, pens etc.

Step 3 – Setting Up Your Secondary Working Zone
This is the space immediately beyond the primary zone extending to a 20 inch radius from your chair. It should be used for things you use from time to time during the day, maybe a phone, printer, scanner etc. Depending on what your work involves will establish the items you need to have here.

Step4 – Reposition Rarely Used Items
Depending on the size of your desk you may have space outside the primary and secondary areas for things you use infrequently, possibly a fax, laminating machine, reference books etc. Often these items don’t need to be on your desk at all, so only include them when you have sufficient space to do so.

Step 5 – Check To Make Sure You Got It Right
Once you have re-arranged things into what you feel is the best position keep a check to see if you got it right. You may well find something you thought you used a lot is getting relatively little use. So for the first week or so re-access things and move and alter stuff around if it makes sense to do so.

You can download a copy of the 5 step process map here.

Adjusting An Office Chair: 5 Step Cheat Sheet

Step 1 – Adjust The Seat Height
Begin by raising the seat to its full height and then gradually lower it until your feet are firmly on the floor with your legs angled slightly forwards. This is usually controlled by a lever on the right underside of the chair, or occasionally by a button.

Step 2 – Adjust The Seat Depth
Where fitted, adjust the seat depth by sliding the seat in or out to suit your leg length. Aim to have a gap of about 2 inches between the back of your knee joint and the seat edge. Unfortunately this very important feature is missing from the majority of office seats, this article explains why seat depth matters.

Step3 – Adjust The Back Height And Or Lumbar Support
Raise or lower the chair back so that it gives you good overall support, especially the bottom part of your back. If you have an adjustable lumbar support, use this to fine tune support for your lower back. On some better quality chairs which have full height backs they may be fixed, however there is normally a lumbar support to enable individual comfort.

Step 4 – Adjust the arm height and angle
Adjust the height of the arms so that your shoulder muscles are relaxed and your lower arms are at right angles to your body. Some arms also allow you to alter the angle of the pads and this is worth adjusting to give good support for the task you are performing.

Step 5 – Adjust The Tilt Tension
Where fitted adjust the tilt tension control until you can recline in your chair and the back gives natural support being neither too stiff or too easy to move when leaning back in the chair. Often times though chairs lack this function which can make reclining really awkward.

Here’s a link to download my simple cheat sheet explaining the process which you can then print out if it helps. In a future post I’ll be taking a look at how to address your work space properly so you don’t find you are stretching or twisting unnecessarily.

Typically, if they are too high, you will find your shoulders being pushed up in the air and this unnatural position often leads to shoulder and neck pain.

Less commonly, they may not be high enough. If this is the case, the only way to compensate for this is to alter the seat height. However this may well mean you are not sitting at the right height, and it can cause leg and back pain.

Fixed arms are often uncomfortable, even if they are the right height. They tend to be made from hard plastic and can be painful when used for any length of time.

This will rapidly become apparent when they’re too high for the way you sit, as they will be applying even greater pressure, so not only do they cause neck and shoulder pain, they also hurt the underside of your arms.

Maneuverability is often hindered by fixed arms. Because they are static and can’t be moved, they may well get in the way when you want to move your chair.

Things like pushing the chair under your desk while you clean or moving it around a tight space aren’t possible unless you lower the chair height, which then means you need to reset the seat height again.

Also, if you like to work up close to your desk, the arms probably won’t go under the desk edge unless you lower the seat height considerably.

When you lower the seat, you end up working at the wrong height and shoulder and neck pain soon set in. For the additional cost, it always makes sense to go for height-adjustable arms, and if the chair isn’t available with them it probably isn’t the right choice in the first place.

In fact, it’s probably better to have no arms rather than fixed ones.

This article and video take a look at the five essential features of an ergonomic office chair, with adjustable arms being one of them.

First, make sure you have your chair comfortably adjusted and positioned with your desk so you have a good upright posture and aren’t leaning or lurching at an unnatural angle.

Next, you need to take into account the 3 elements involving the equipment and items you use when working, these are:

• Primary Work Zone
• Secondary Work Zone
• Rarely Used Items

Let’s take a look at each in some more detail.

Primary Work Zone

Imagine sitting in your computer chair with an arc immediately in front of you with a radius of about 12 inches (30 cms) from where you are sitting at your desk, this is your primary work zone.

It should include things you use often or for extended periods during the working day, so it will likely be your keyboard and mouse, pens etc. Arrange them so you can easily reach them.

Secondary Work Zone

This covers a larger area immediately beyond the primary zone extending the arc to about 20 inches (50 cms).

Items in this area should be things you will need occasionally and so may include items like your phone, copy holders, paperwork you plan to work with at some point during the day. Although having less frequent use they can still be reached reasonably easily.

Rarely Used Things

Anything you rarely use can be placed outside the primary and secondary areas. If you have a large desk it could be items like filing trays or maybe a desktop scanner.

Putting It All Together

For the next couple of days make a conscious effort to keep a close check on what you are and aren’t using when working. Note them down and sort them into the categories covered above and then start re-arranging things so the most often used items are nearest to hand.

You’ll find this will help you work a lot more efficiently in your desk chair and by minimizing stretching and reaching for things you use frequently working comfort will likely improve too.

OK if the chair is only for occasional use I guess it may not matter a whole lot and yet more often than not these people are full time desk chair users who desperately need something which will give them good support and comfort for the hours and hours they sit every day.

This laid back approach usually only results in disappointment within a few weeks as it quickly becomes apparent what they bought is actually a low quality seat, made to fit a price band so what seemed like a bargain quickly becomes an embarrassing liability.

So What Would Be a More Effective Way of Buying a New Office Seat?

It all begins with some research so check manufacturer’s web sites and find out if there is a local office seating specialist you can visit and discuss your requirements with friendly, knowledgeable people.

Good ones will be happy to give you an approval period after buying to return the chair if it proves unsuitable. Often they will loan you a chair to try for several days to make sure it’s right for you, because it really does take a few days to be sure.

Alternatively, find a good online store which has a good returns policy so you can be certain the chair is comfortable and supportive, the better ones will generally give you 30 days.

You will probably end up spending more via a chair specialist or online however you will quickly forget the extra cost as you appreciate the increased comfort and productivity it gives you. Here is a quick summary of quality chairs worth short listing.