No question about it - fat people come face to face with discrimination on a daily basis, Whether it is at work, at the mall or riding on public transportation. As sad as this might be, unless the nation experiences a sudden and wide scale shift in opinion, it looks like this discrimination is here to stay. Learning to love yourself is key to getting past all of the ignorance, so prevalent in society today. By loving yourself, others will in turn love you.
No where is this more important than at the work place. It should be your business savvy and intelligence that gets you noticed at work, not your size. You might be surprised at how prominent a role the right office chair plays in your level of productivity. Here's a helpful guide designed to help you choose the right "big & tall" office chair to suit your needs.
Choose An Ergonomically Designed Chair:
The importance of having an ergonomically designed office chair increases the bigger you are. According to an article on Ergoweb.com, if an office space isn't properly designed with obese individuals in mind, it could wind up being detrimental to their health. Musculoskeletal disorder and repetitive stress injuries are commonplace in offices around the country, in part because of the lack of appropriately proportioned office furniture.
"Standard" size office chairs are too small for someone of a larger stature, forcing them to squeeze into their seat. This sort of arrangement provides no benefit and in fact could trigger a musculoskeletal disorder if left unchanged! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these MSDs account for about 33 percent of workplace-related injuries and illnesses.
Having a chair that fits your body will not only be infinitely more comfortable for you but you'll be 20 x more productive! Features you should look for in your office chair include:
Keep in mind that all chairs are not made equal, so a comfortable and healthy ergonomically-designed desk chair might cost you a bit more. While the higher cost might be a bit off-putting, remind your boss that the more comfortable you are the more productive you are likely to be.
Like any other big purchase, it's worth doing plenty of research prior to purchasing the office chairs. Pay attention, not only to the price, but also at the list of included features and optional extras. Some chairs don't automatically come with lumbar support but it is available as an add-on. Another thing to look for - make sure all office chairs are OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)-compliant! Finally, while shopping online might get you better prices, it's definitely smart to stop by a store to test out some possible chairs.
It's also worth noting that a nice, new and comfortable office chair is worthless health-wise if the employees don't know how to use all of the features. Make sure that you highlight these special features either in the form of a training or access to the chair's manual.
While possessing self confidence goes a long way in a workplace environment, if you're uncomfortable in your work space, your productivity and quality of work will undoubtedly suffer. It pays to take a stand and say something if you feel that your work space isn't adequate for your body type.