When Herman Miller introduced the Aeron® chair in 1994 it really did change the office chair landscape and truly was a revolutionary design concept that was quite unlike any else on the seating market.
Unfortunately, many businesses and people tend to dismiss the Aeron® as a very expensive office chair, that all those dot com boom to bust start ups had and quickly disregard it.
They argue it’s only something to sit on while you work and so decide to buy cheap chairs from the local office furniture warehouse.
This is actually very short sighted and is not at all the way that you should judge this ergonomic office seating productivity tool.
If you take this short term quick fix look at your office chair purchases you run the real risk of missing a great opportunity of increasing staff productivity and morale and possibly even alienating them.
After all, by giving them some cheap budget seat aren’t you subconsciously telling them that you don’t value them highly enough to provide them with the best tools for the job?
Just think for a moment about how many hours a day your people are sat at their computers. If they aren’t comfortable they won’t perform effectively as fatigue and discomfort will distract them.
On the other hand if they are properly supported and comfortable their concentration and productivity levels will be far higher as they won’t be distracted by postural discomfort.
Quality Seating Is An Investment In Your Business And Staff
When replacing your office chairs you should look on it as a long term investment. An Aeron® should easily last 10 years, after all Herman Miller give it a 12 year warranty so clearly they obviously view it as an enduring work horse.
With minimal maintenance apart from keeping it clean you would be hard pressed to tell the age of an Aeron® chair. Think about the benefits as your business continues to grow and you need to take on additional staff in 6 or 8 years time. The new chairs will blend in seamlessly with the existing ones.
Imagine instead that you went the cheap chair route, will those budget chairs even be still available 6 or 8 years later? Chances are that you will probably have replaced them once already anyway.
The mindset you need to adopt with a chair like the Aeron® is to see it as a long term productivity tool with additional benefits as a morale booster. Think about the reaction of your staff to the news that you’ve bought them all Herman Miller Aeron® chairs it’s practically guaranteed to be a great motivator.
And it will be a lasting one too as they now have a chair ergonomically designed for their comfort and wellbeing. All those aches and pains that their old chair gave them will be a thing of the past.
What other company produces an office chair in 3 different sizes so that each staff member receives a chair pretty much tailor made to their exact needs?
Then there’s the added benefit of staff retention, but not only that what about attracting new talented people to your company. The fact that you bought all your office staff a Miller Aeron® can’t help but give a great impression, you could even list it in the job benefits along with the salary and health cover you offer.
Sure, that initial price tag of $950 sounds a lot but when you look at the total cost of ownership, rather than the initial outlay you’ll find it easier to see the true benefits of buying your staff Aerons.
You should consider things like staff health and productivity as well as how much it really costs when those cheap chairs need to be repaired. Wasted staff time contacting suppliers to get an engineer to call, that’s if they even have one. Most likely it’s a return to base job and you’re short a chair for two weeks of more.
What’s the true cost when a key member of staff has to take time off due to back related work problems. All these things need to be taken into account.
If you’re prepared to take this long term view when you purchase office seating you’ll find that purchasing quality chairs like the Aeron® chair is a very sound investment for your company and its staff.
To find out more about the Aeron® begin by taking a look at our review of the chair as well as further articles on the different options and accessories and models which are available.