Orthopedic office chairs, sometimes known as ergonomic office chairs, are designed to provide healthy support for the human body and, in some cases, address the needs of specific employees. Companies should take steps to ensure that they choose the best orthopedic office chairs in order to protect the well-being of their employees and avoid lawsuits and disruptions in employee workflow. Choosing the best ergonomic office furniture is often a matter of working with ergonomics consultants, doing due diligence on the reputations of furniture manufacturers and retailers, and being responsive to the needs and suggestions of employees as well as reports by occupational therapists who work with individual workers.
Many organizations have found that orthopedic office chairs contribute to employee comfort, health, and safety. This, in turn, can result in better employee performance and productivity. Companies may also be required by various workplace safety and disability discrimination laws to provide ergonomic office furniture for employee use. Ergonomics consulting firms specialize in assisting companies with understanding the needs of their workers and finding furniture that maximizes the ability of workers to safely and efficiently do their jobs. Ergonomics consultants will probably come into your office and spend time getting to know your workforce and watching how they do their jobs. From there, the ergonomics consultant can make recommendations for orthopedic office chairs and other appropriate furniture.
Responsiveness to individual employee needs is also an important part of choosing orthopedic office chairs. It may be that your office chairs meet the needs of most workers, but are unsuitable for employees with disabilities, mobility issues, or who are much larger or smaller than other employees. Hiring an occupational therapist to work with these employees can assist you in determining what sort of chair is suitable for an individual employee. Fortunately, many manufacturers of ergonomic chairs offer chairs that can accommodate the requirements of employees with special needs.
Both ergonomics consultants and occupational therapists can offer referrals to retailers of orthopedic office chairs and recommend specific brands and models. However, it is important that the company from which you buy your ergonomic office furniture is flexible in working with you. Ideally, the retailer should be willing to provide chairs that can be used on a trial basis in your office so that your employees can test them out for comfort and productivity enhancement. A good retailer should be sensitive to these needs and provide suggestions for different types of chairs and accessories such as orthopedic cushions.