You can tell many things about a person by looking at his or her office. Is it streamlined and sterile? Piled high with work that needs attention? Scattered with loose papers and supplies? Are there lots of personal items like pictures, interesting objects, and pencil holders made by small children at preschool? And what about the furniture? Is it laminated stuff from a big box store or has care been taken in its selection? Is the desk chair old and wonky or sleek and well-upholstered? Does it look like it was crafted to last?

Offices should be comfortable and appointed with enough personal items to feel warm. After all, think about the the huge part of your life you spend in a desk chair! Who wants to spend a third of each day in a cold, sterile shoe box sitting in a torturous desk chair? The nicest thing you can do for yourself-or your employees, is outfit each desk with an ergonomic office chair. While that might sound like a terribly complicated name, it simply refers to any tool, item, or piece of furniture built with the human body in mind; it is the science of producing things that are perfect for human use.

It is not really a recent concept. Men have always tinkered, improving on the old. There is written evidence, in fact, that the ancient Greeks used the principals of ergonomics to improve their workplaces and tools!

In terms of an office chair, ergonomic design used an understanding of the human body to produce seating that far surpasses old-fashioned desk chairs. An ergonomic chair is more comfortable for long periods of time, can be quickly adjusted in multiple ways to suit a variety of body types, is pleasing to the eye, and provides great support for the back and neck.

The difference between an ergonomic office chair and a old-fashioned office chair is most significant at the end of the day. Those in traditional chairs rise weakly to go home with barely enough feeling in their legs to walk to the door. They limp home, looking forward to some Advil and an early bedtime. Those with ergonomic chairs, however, are ready to enjoy the rest of their day!