The different types of office seating and their benefits

We spend hours upon hours in a sedentary position every day at our office desks. Whether we’re working from home or in the office, we can become engrossed in tasks and forget to stand up and move around, so it’s important that we have great office seating that can keep us comfortable, focused and in good health. 

With studies showing a strong link between lower back pain and sitting behaviour among sedentary office workers, it’s vital that we choose the correct office chairs and seating for our individual workstations. So, let’s run through the different types of office seating available and their benefits.

Ergonomic and adjustable

You may have heard of this type of office seating, especially when it comes to good posture and workplace health and safety. The benefits that these chairs can provide are recognised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on seating at work. An ergonomic office chair is one that works to accommodate humans with good back support and posture. The benefits of an ergonomic office chair are endless:

  • Can be adjusted to give desk workers good eye levels for their screens, which can help with eye strain 
  • Designed with comfort in mind with plenty of space for the buttocks
  • Has supportive padding and cushioning
  • Gives good lumbar support to help reduce lower back pain
  • It can reduce pressure on hips
  • Improves posture 
  • Helps with blood circulation with curved seating
  • Can reduce RSI with its great adjustability

Lean-on or sit-stand desks

Another type of office seating the HSE values are lean-on or sit-stand seats, which work perfectly well with sit-stand desks. These can:

  • Offer workers increased mobility
  • Help with blood circulation
  • Go with specific workstations, where conventional seating is impractical
  • Be used where workstations don’t allow for knee space
  • Adjust in height 
  • Take a part of the body’s weight when constructed in a lean-in model
  • Help with varied positioning

Multifunctional office seating

What’s great about multifunctional furniture is the variety they offer, both in style and portability. Types of multifunctional seating include:

  • Solid-stand chairs
  • Star-based chairs with wheels
  • Upholstered chairs with arm rests
  • Static seating
  • Mesh fabrics
  • Wooden
  • Plastic
  • Steel
  • Height-adjustable
  • Armchairs
  • Stools
  • Cantilever chairs

What’s great about this type of office seating is that you can instantly update any office - boosting staff motivation and morale in the process - from a fantastic, extensive range of high-quality, reputable office furniture brands. Contact us today to see what would suit your office.

Beam seating

Beam seating is perfect for:

  • Reception areas
  • Visitor rooms
  • Waiting areas

And their benefits include:

  • Being easily transportable due to the beam construction
  • Cost-effective
  • Offering more seating options 
  • Great for optimising space
  • Can offer padded or hard seats
  • Coming in a range of styles to suit different interiors
  • Due to their row design, they are great for assemblies or community rooms
  • Easy to clean and wipe down

Mesh office chairs

What’s so great about mesh office seating?

  • They offer great breathability in the fabric
  • Provide good ventilation
  • Especially great for warm environments
  • Unlike padded backs, they can offer thinner comfort
  • Highly durable
  • Less likely to fray or rip
  • Can retain their shape well
  • Can come in a range of styles and colours
  • Easy to clean
  • The fabric is taut and very supportive

Swivel chairs

Allowing you to rotate 360 degrees to the left or right, a swivel chair provides a comfortable and productive work environment, how?

  • You can move easily around to access office items
  • Saves time on not having to get up as much
  • Very comfortable with height adjustment and reclining options
  • They’re easy to transport if you need to move rooms or offices
  • It offers comfortable resting with varied arm rests
  • With 360-degrees turning, you can benefit from increased mobility and positioning to help disrupt sedentary sitting 

High-back chairs

High-back chairs are especially great for taller individuals with benefits including:

  • Offering great lumbar support
  • Helps with neck positioning
  • Can improve posture
  • Allow workers to adjust to comfortable positions
  • You can fix it at a healthy level that matches your laptop or computer screen 
  • They provide a lot of space and back support, especially good for tall people

Office sofas

Whilst the term ‘sofa’ may seem odd when relating to an office, different workplace dynamics are benefiting hugely from comfy office sofas that fit a range of workspaces - from breakout areas to office relaxation rooms. Why are office sofas a great idea?

  • They can help boost staff morale 
  • Allow for workers to bond
  • Improves collaboration
  • Helps employees have comfy breaks
  • Great for reading time and timeouts in general
  • Brilliant for informal staff meetings

As you can see, there’s quite the range when it comes to office seating. It all comes down to understanding your brand and the needs of your workplace and employees. With a whole host of benefits from each type of office seating, you can be sure to find the right one for your business. 

For any advice or help with office seating and furniture, contact our team of office furniture experts today.