12 best ergonomic office chairs that have your back while you’re working from home

Very clear instructions meant we had this chair ready to go in no time at all. We loved the clean compact design, with its nicely contoured backrest, which locks in three different stages – meaning we felt supported throughout our working day. The backrest mechanism is weight synchronised, so it moves more than the seat when you lean back, so it really opens up your torso and hips. We were also impressed by the way it tilts you forward by four degrees automatically, considerably reducing any pressure on the lower back.

The seat depth adjustment means you can align your knees properly with the edge of the seat, according to your height, and it was by far the comfiest seat pad we tested, with foam that really takes the pressure off hamstrings and tailbone.

Designed with an emphasis on the lower back and with more distance between the armrests, Boulies is targeting this chair for adults and teenagers, which means it’s a good hybrid chair for studying students as well as professionals working from home.

Flexispot seems to get ergonomic chairs just right. The BS3 is very comfortable to sit in, while also being rather nice to look at. The headrest, in particular, conforms well to the natural curve of the neck, so it will be cradled when you sit back in your seat.

There is solid, dynamic back support, as well as a three-position tilt adjustment to 40 degrees, the tension of which can also be changed when needed. Armrest height can also be changed and the seat pad distributes the weight well, so working for a few hours at a time, with standing breaks, won’t result in a dead derriere.

If you’re looking for a place to hang your jacket or work bag, there’s a purpose-built hangar on the back of the chair but it doesn’t interfere with the tilt mechanism.

If space-saving is a priority for your at-home work area, this ergonomic office chair could be a good option, because the armrests flip up at 90 degrees, so, once you’ve finished work, you can lower the chair and tuck it right into the desk.

The mesh back was hammock-like, cradling our back throughout the day, and the seat pad, filled with high-density foam, wasn’t too firm, allowing for all-day comfort. Adjustability comes in the form of a rocking mechanism and height adjustment, so, if you’re after a task chair to use for a few hours a day, the Hbada is an excellent investment.

OK, let’s get our take on the assembly of this product out of the way first, because, quite simply, the BS11 pro doesn’t make it easy. This is mainly because the accompanying instructions are a bit too simplistic, so there’s a bit of trial and error involved, which can be frustrating. However, once the job’s done, you will be rewarded with a very eye-catching and well-built chair (available in grey, black and light blue) with quality components and plenty of emphasis on good ergonomics.

There’s a mesh backrest and seat, which makes for a very comfortable sitting experience, and we found the chair to be breathable, which will appeal to many workers, particularly as we head into heatwave season. The BS11 pro also offers excellent customisation throughout, with the seat setting you up in a position that props you up and discourages the slouching effect that can often lead to an aching back at the end of a long day.

What we loved most though was the arch-shaped design of the headrest, which offered excellent relief from ‘tech neck’ and seemed to really help in reducing the pressure from our daily sit.

It’s not often we sit in a chair that’s inspired by the design of the world’s suspension bridges but it’s immediately apparent what the designers were going for – making this a bit of a Marmite chair, we reckon. Personally, we like the statement it makes, and we liked it even more when we sat in it and experienced the elastomer strands that are all tensioned differently, so your spine feels nicely cradled as you shift position, as well as providing responsive comfort and lots of breathability for warm afternoons at work.

Herman Miller has imbued the chair with something called “harmonic tilt” in the chair’s recline facility, which means you can lean back effortlessly without feeling like you’re taking part in a trust fall. There was plenty of easy adjustability throughout the rest of the chair, too, for fine-tuning the optimal sitting position. There’s an open-mouth-shaped, height-adjustable lumbar support, which was one of the best supports we tested across all the chairs, while the seat pad design distributed the weight of the body, taking pressure off the legs.

With three different fabric choices, five different colour choices and fully assembled delivery, this is an investment chair that will repay you in terms of comfort, sitting health and very impressive build quality.

Another wonderfully engineered and striking chair, this will really add some style to your office setup, thanks to the butterfly-shaped backrest that is made to move with the worker. Even micromovements, such as leaning to the side or slightly bending forward, are tracked by the backrest, which did a great job of supporting the S-shaped curve all the way down to the lumbar region.

Offering a smooth reclining mechanism and a full range of movement in the armrests, the chair was incredibly comfortable to sit in, even for prolonged periods, responding to even the slightest movement, which the manufacturer calls “personalised ergonomics”. With excellent lumbar support, which can be adjusted according to height, the seat pad distributed weight well and the mesh offered excellent breathability.

Overall, the chair actively seems to promote better posture throughout the working day and makes finding the optimum working position incredibly easy, thanks to the many micro-adjustments available.

A well-designed, value, chair that won’t look out of place if you’re working at a kitchen or dining table, the långfjåll is fully customisable so you can add armrests, if required. Very easy to assemble, the design of the seat back offered good support and the height adjusting mechanism was well-engineered and robust enough to cope with plenty of up and down. We found the fabric-covered foam comfortable, and it’s available in eight different colour choices to suit your taste and your walls. The castors roll easily and are fitted with a weight-activated brake mechanism that anchors the chair when you stand up, and releases when you sit down.

With this ergonomic chair’s nice tall back and headrest, our working position felt well supported all day, whether we were leaning towards the desk or reclining backwards. There’s all round adjustability with three levels of backrest recline, as well as lumbar, head pillow, seat depth and armrest customisation. In particular, we found the lumbar support to be very well designed and, after a day in the fit pro, we were surprised to leave the office without the usual stiffness we’ve experienced after long sitting sessions in the past.

Great for back health, supremely comfortable and very easy on the eye, this is a superb task chair that warrants the extra expense.

The New York manufacturer has realised the value of the phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, by taking the very popular freedom chair and simply adding a headrest to enhance the comfort and support. The seat and back pad contouring of the original chair remains the same, to guarantee all-day comfort and a naturally healthy working position, and there is plenty of adjustability throughout, including the headrest, which will move with you when you look down at a screen or up at a wall-mounted TV.

Again, Humanscale’s weight-sensitive recline means the chair automatically adjusts tension according to the pressure being applied to the backrest – the mechanism lifts as you sit back, so your body becomes the natural counterbalance and is firmly supported wherever it stops. This means you can stretch your back out without having to get up from the seat, which is very gratifying for deadline days or when your inbox keeps filling up.

This spine feels constantly supported, whether you’re typing or reading and reclining. Added to this is excellent lumbar support, and we liked the subtle scalloping on the front edge of the chair, which didn’t create any pressure points on the knees or behind the thighs.

This chair just missed out on full marks because the price point makes it another investment option, and the price point you pay will depend on how you want it upholstered. However, we have no doubt this ergonomic chair will be with you for a long, long time, which is backed up by Humanscale’s generous 15-year warranty.

We really liked the distinctive design of this chair (available in black and white) from the Swedish retailer, particularly the high, tapered mesh backrest, finished off with a comfortable leather headrest. There was a comfortable curve to the backrest itself, which gave a real sense of support while we worked, while there was excellent weight distribution across the plush, good-quality leather seat pad.

The automatic tilt function (which can be locked in three positions) means your own body weight will determine how much resistance the backrest provides as you lean back – a mechanism you will often see on chairs with higher price points. This mechanism also meant we could keep our feet flat on the floor much more easily throughout the working day.

The chair moved well on its castors, on carpet and on hard floors, and they lock in place when there is no one in the seat, so you won’t find it flying across the room every time you stand up.

This mesh-backed chair didn’t pose any problems during assembly. In fact, quite the opposite – it was one of the easiest chairs to put together, although, the absence of armrests might have had something to do with that.

The simple design of the chair means it will be a good fit for most working spaces at home. The curve of the backrest promoted a good active posture while we worked, supporting our back well in the absence of an adjustable lumbar support. The padded seat is comfortable and offers good weight distribution, so you won’t be left squirming in your seat after a short time. The swivel of the chair itself is smooth and there is good height adjustability, while the absence of arm rests means it’s a good chair if your workspace is set up in a room with another primary purpose, for example a bedroom, because you can slide the chair right under the desk, out of the way.

After a very straightforward assembly, we were left with a very smart, professional-looking chair made from a combination of mesh and faux leather with a backrest that was comfortable and encouraged us to take a more active posture in the chair, sitting slightly forward and more upright than normal. The seat pad was firm and did a good job of taking pressure off the backs of our legs and allowed us to sit with our feet flat on the floor.

There’s enough seat height and armrest adjustability to allow you to find the best possible position for any work task, and the tilt mechanism was nice and controlled and can be locked, if needed.