The U.S. Department of Labor defines ergonomics as the science of designing a job to fit a person and not the other way around. Over the last ten years tons of medical research has come out showing how bad it is for your body to sit for a prolonged period of time especially if you’re sitting incorrectly. Surprisingly, even given all this research, less than 5 percent of people actually understand how to use the controls to properly adjust the chair they sit in all day long at work. And of those less than 50 percent actually do it. Here’s how to sit better by properly adjusting your task chair.

We met with someone who’s been sitting her whole life. Melissa Huff with Haworth. We also used two beautiful models the Haworth Soji and the Haworth Fern. Your chair is a personal tool that will help you work better. Haworth Seating is built upon years of research designed with your comfort in mind.

Your seat height is the most important place to start when adjusting your task chair. Adjust it down to make sure that your feet are flat on the floor, a 90 degree angle at your knee, and your thigh parallel to the ground.

The second thing that you want to adjust is your seat depth. There’s a lever that you lift up to slide your seat pan forward or backward depending on the height of your body. Use two fingers at the crease of your knee. The space between your knee crease and the front of the seat pan should comfortably fit those two fingers.

Most chairs are going to have a back lock function. It is important to allow for movement throughout the day. Release your back lock and it will allow you to recline a little bit. Now the amount of tension that you want is going to be dependent on the size of the person. You can actually use the crank on the right hand side to release your tension allowing for more recline. And you can tighten if you need a little bit more tension (which is important while you’re tasking at your desk, working on the computer), to be more upright and in balance.

With task seating it’s important that you always make sure that adjustable lumbar is included, giving proper alignment and support to your lower back. And one of the nice things about the Haworth Fern chair is that not only does it provide lumbar support but also thoracic support built into the chair’s cradle through its innovative design. This truly supports your entire back.

All Haworth seating comes with an option for 4D arms. The adjustment of height, width, depth as well as pivot. It’s important to make sure the height of your armrest allows for a 90 degree angle of your arm at the elbow. Keep your arms in close to your body at a comfortable position.

Another option of adjustment is for a forward tilt. If you are a percher, this actually opens your hip angle to allow for more balanced alignment of your spine. It can be a benefit to laptop workers in particular as it creates a direct line of sight to a screen that is closer to the work surface versus one that is pulled up above the work surface. Forward tilt also introduces an extra option to move throughout the day so you can sit, tilt, stand and walk around. Stagnancy is what we want to avoid. Getting up and moving or introducing movement into your work day is what’s going to keep you healthy.

Congratulations you’re now sitting better and on your way to being healthier while working. A company’s greatest asset is its people. It’s also the most expensive. Consider this when you’re selecting seating for your organization and as a user of your chair it’s important to take a couple of minutes to adjust it properly for you. For more ergonomic solutions, phenomenal Haworth products and workspace expertise, connect with a BOS expert today. Thanks so much for watching this video, get to adjusting your task chair and have a successful week.