Office Chair Mechanism: The Most Important Part of the Chair

Your office chair mechanism includes all different components. These mechanisms include the chair seat, adjustments, controls, features and the chair base. Though it might not seem like it, each and every one of these mechanisms serves a distinct purpose. When you get the right combination of these mechanisms, you're going to end up with an awesome chair. However, if even one of these mechanisms is off, you're at risk of experiencing serious frustration with your chair.

Checking Out Some Mechanisms

Let's start with the bottom of the chair and work our way up. The first important office chair mechanism is the base. The base is what keeps the chair from tipping over. Some bases are stationary and other swivel. Some are aluminum and some are plastic. If you want to be able to move about your office while you're in your chair, you need to get a swiveling base with rolling wheels. If you don't want your employees cruising around the office in their chairs, get chairs with stationary bases. Chairs that don't move are particularly inviting for a carpeted office because they slide along the carpet. If you get a moving base, pick up a large piece of plastic for your floor so the chair can roll along uninterrupted.

Moving up the chair we have the chair adjustments. Chair adjustments are usually found under the seat of the chair. Not all chairs have adjustments, but those that do are more useable because they can be adjusted to fit different desk heights. They're also more accommodating to multiple employees. For example, a tall employee will probably need a lower chair adjustment than a short one.

The next important component of an office chair is the seat. The seat includes the part that you sit on and the part that supports your back. The seat should be comfortable. Ideally it should prevent you from slouching and give you good lumbar support. It should also be comfortable on your bottom. Some people really enjoy having office chairs that recline however, this is not a necessary seat function for an office chair. Reclining chairs offer no back support and really aren't necessary to be included in an office chair design.

Alternative Chairs

In the past five years there's really been a push for companies to convert to ergonomic office chairs. These chairs have a similar office chair mechanism to normal office chairs, but they're designed with the user's health in mind. These chairs look different than other office chairs because they're designed so users can slouch in the chair. Slouching causes the back to curve, which is not a good position for the back.

No matter what kind of office chair you get, you should sit in the chair before you buy it to see if it's a good fit for you. It doesn't matter what office chair mechanism you have if you're not comfortable in the chair.