A lot of people make their living by sitting in a chair from 9 to 5. If you spend that much time sitting down, you’re bound to experience some mild discomfort. You can medicate that mild discomfort by going for a walk, doing some exercises, or stretching. If you spend most of your time sitting down in an uncomfortable chair, now that’s a different story. Using the wrong kind of chair for long periods of time can have disastrous effects on your health. Millions of people suffer from long-lasting pain and side effects from sitting in the wrong chairs, but there is a silver lining!

Just like how you can choose your profession, you can choose the appropriate chair based on your job. The key to avoiding back pain, neck pain, and discomfort is to tailor your chair according to your profession. Whether you’re an artist, an office worker, or a scientist, you need to be sitting in the right kind of chair. If you’re in the market for a new chair, or you want to learn more about chair ergonomics, follow this guide. Here’s everything you need to know about why having the right working chair is important.

Medical professionals and scientists

If you work as a doctor or a scientist, chances are that you spend a lot of time on your feet. When you do take a break and sit down, however, you need a chair that is going to be sturdy, mobile, and comfortable. Suitable chair options might be operator chairs for healthcare and lab workers. Operator chairs are a staple for medical exam rooms or labs that provide comfort and practicality. They provide ample back and arm support while you write up medical or scientific reports at your desk. If you’re a scientist or lab technician, you might want to consider a lab stool. They don’t take up much space in a crowded laboratory and provide a comfy place to take a break.

Office workers

As an office worker, most of your time at work is spent behind a desk. With these kinds of jobs, a comfortable chair is a must-have. Good neck, back, and arm support are what you need to free up those tense muscles. You can find them in operator chairs or task chairs. As someone who spends a lot of time looking at a computer screen, filing and writing up reports, you need to know a thing or two about good sitting posture. Unless your office is on full display, you don’t need to worry about anyone else seeing your chair except you. This means that you can prioritize the comfort of your chair instead of the looks.

Workers in administration

Administration workers and secretaries are usually the first to be seen when you enter a business. What this means is that they not only need to have a comfortable working chair, but the chair also has to look good and be a good representation of the business. When choosing a chair for this job position, you need to find the sweet spot in between beauty and comfort. Much like the office worker, this profession requires a lot of sitting down at the job. However, the chair for this position needs to be light and mobile enough to move around quickly. Think light, stylish, ad functional when choosing a chair for this position.

Artists and creatives

Even though artists and creatives don’t work a typical 9 to 5 day job, most of them still spend a lot of time sitting down. Graphic designers, painters, and writers all spend a significant amount of time sat making their art. For these professions, the proper chair needs to be ergonomic and functional. It needs to have good back support and be height adjustable to have a good eye level with the screen. Depending on the art style, armrests could prove to be valuable in steadying the hand and supporting the arm. The seat needs to be big enough to accommodate any seating position the artist might be in while working. Some artists are such chair enthusiasts, they’ve even made chairs into works of art.

Professional gamers

The newest edition to the workforce in this guide is professional gamers. Whether you’re a  twitch streamer, E-sports player, or Minecraft YouTuber, everyone benefits from having a good chair to sit on. When it comes to gamers, style can be just as important as comfort when talking about gaming chairs. To have the best seating experience as a gamer, you need a chair with a big, flexible, and sturdy back support. The chairs themselves have to be sturdy too, to accommodate the many hours of gameplay. A good gaming chair is not only good for your health but may also help improve your gameplay too. Depending on your aesthetic, you can choose a dark, neon, or bubble gum pink style of gaming chair. There are many options to choose from, just make sure you have sturdy and adjustable neck support.

Talk show hosts and TV personalities

Last but not least, the last kind of chair on this list is for people who work in television. This job is not a very common one so if you’re lucky enough to have it, finding the right chair should be the least of your worries. A talk show host is a mostly sedentary job that requires a different kind of chair. The chair you need as the host of a show on TV needs to be all about looks and character and less about functionality. Ever seen a talk show host’s chair? They’re always big, stylish, and comfy looking. No need for mobile, swivel chairs, what you need is a sturdy, good-looking, sofa chair. Find a chair that best describes your personality and is easy to sit in. Comfort in this profession is a bonus, not a priority.

At the end of a long day of sitting down, you’d want to come home in as little pain as possible. Choosing your work chair based on your profession is a great way to avoid discomfort, increase productivity, and your mood at work. Depending on your job, the best chair for you can be many, many things. The key to unlocking your full potential at work is in your work chair. Do some research, get creative, and find out exactly what you need from the comfort of your own job.