CUBE LIFE! Office Etiquette

[govmentchedda]

Microsoft workers just got screwed...

Just before laying off 10,000 workers.

[DaveInSeattle]

Not a cube life question...but a home office one:

What's everyone's office chair situation? I bought one a few years ago from Office Depot, and the mechanism for controlling the height has lost its seal, and it slowly sinks down over the course of a half-hour or so.

So I'm in the market for a new one...but I'm not going to spend $1200 for the one recommended by wirecutter.

Anyone got a favorite?

[GoodKarma]

Not a cube life question...but a home office one:

What's everyone's office chair situation? I bought one a few years ago from Office Depot, and the mechanism for controlling the height has lost its seal, and it slowly sinks down over the course of a half-hour or so.

So I'm in the market for a new one...but I'm not going to spend $1200 for the one recommended by wirecutter.

Anyone got a favorite?

I bought this one and added the headrest from Branch 6 months ago or so...it's the best one I've had in a while.

That being said I've long been curious about the X Chair so if anyone has any experience with it I'd love to hear about it.

[govmentchedda]

I really liked the Herman Miller one I had. Pretty sure we found it used and in good shape. Don't remember the cost, but I don't imagine it was $1200. Might be worth looking at refurbished office furniture places.

ETA - the Aeron, which retails for $1700. It's been years since we bought it, but I doubt I paid over $500.

A quick google search shows refurbished ones for between $400-800.

[wlu_lax6]

The Aeron chair was the symbol of .com startups and failures. I have one at my desk at the office. They bought it instead of a more expensive cloth thing they were going to furnish with (yes I saved money for my company by going with the luxury office chair). We are going hybrid and hoteling. I am trying to figure out how to keep the chair. It was bought so long ago I probably can just bring it home, but that feels weird. We generally use ReGeneration by Knoll. They are pretty good.

You can get Aeron's used for about $500. That still feels too expensive for a desk chair. Lots of the youngsters have gaming chairs...I think I am too old for that. Used office furniture is easy to find. Companies are going out of business all of the time and liquidating this stuff. Also the reduced need for office space is going to have lots of nice furniture (standing desks, etc) cheap.

I follow a few local auction sites for deals as I have been looking for a chair at home

[The Sybian]

I bought this one. I've had it for a month and it's very comfortable and feels really sturdy for the price. I'm so cheap, we get $1000 stipend for office equipment and I only spent $600 and kept the chair to $250.

[phxgators]

I have an older version of this one from Secret Labs https://secretlab.co/products/titan-evo-2022-series.

I really like it, it's solid and really hasn't shown any sign of wear in the ~1.5 years I've had it.

[Shirley]

This place has pretty good prices on good chairs - https://www.madisonseating.com/

I got the Leap Chair by Steelcase a few years ago (after we all started working from home), and it's been pretty great. Looks like I spent $260 for it.

[Giff]

Made the mistake of clicking on one of those links and now office chairs are all the ads in my Facebook feed.

[Shirley]

Made the mistake of clicking on Facebook.

[Giff]

Better than Twitter these days.

[A_B]

Better than Twitter these days.

I kinda hate them both now. Twitter is so strange since the "for you" and "following". Which, I can't believe Elmo even did because Instagram already used the exact same nomenclature.

[sancarlos]

Ten years ago they moved my company’s corporate office from San Mateo to Ann Arbor. My boss’s admin had a sweet Aeron chair, and I knew she was retiring as soon as they started moving things. So, the evening after she left, I took her chair home to my home office. Nobody even noticed it. Still works great.

[MaxWebster]

i'm not sure i've ever sat in a really good office chair. would love one, but i wish i could try a few out for a few hours; there's just no way to tell in a short amount of time.

I ordered an adjustable standing desk for home and am using it for the first time today/now - really nice and i actually feel more productive somehow. I'm sure it'll last about another 30 minutes or so but still.

[The Sybian]

i'm not sure i've ever sat in a really good office chair. would love one, but i wish i could try a few out for a few hours; there's just no way to tell in a short amount of time.

I ordered an adjustable standing desk for home and am using it for the first time today/now - really nice and i actually feel more productive somehow. I'm sure it'll last about another 30 minutes or so but still.

I keep hearing people raving about them, so I bought a desktop platform that raises. I usually only use it for webinars or long calls with cameras off. Typing standing up seems weird. In the office today and we have desks that electronically raise, not sure if it goes to standing height, but I'm about to find out. [It does, and I feel the need to stand]. Lunar NY lunch was super-greasy Chinese takeout. I've been spoiled on my meals here so far, last week was a 2.5 hour sitdown at a Jose Andreas spot.

[mister d]

I work at my dining room table.

[The Sybian]

I work at my dining room table.

On the plus side, you spent 3-4 hours less on your commute than I will today. It's only my 3rd or 4th day in the office in 6 weeks, so I'm not complaining. My manager was pushing for 2 days a week, but we will see how this plays out. On the plus side, she has 3 kids 5 and under, and her husband travels for work constantly and one kid is always sick, so she rarely comes in more than once a week and she lives in Brooklyn. I'm just trying to push back the conversation until I prove myself indispensable.

[DSafetyGuy]

i'm not sure i've ever sat in a really good office chair. would love one, but i wish i could try a few out for a few hours; there's just no way to tell in a short amount of time.

I ordered an adjustable standing desk for home and am using it for the first time today/now - really nice and i actually feel more productive somehow. I'm sure it'll last about another 30 minutes or so but still.

I did a project last winter where our client had adjustable height tables for our workspaces. It was great for the not quite two weeks we were there. Not sure I would like it long term, but being able to switch between standing and sitting every hour or 90 minutes was a big enough plus that I might.

My workspace at home is a drafting table tilted flat and high office chair, working at regular table/desk height is a distant second.

[A_B]

I have a platform on my desk I can raise. I used to use it a lot more, and if you get one and want to use it you will almost assuredly need one of the cushioned pads to stand on if you have anything like our commercial building (concrete and thin carpet).

[MaxWebster]

yeah after 3 days i can say this is great - being able to push a button and have it adjust to standing/sitting in 10 seconds is really nice - standing for the first few hours in the morning I'm finding is better for me mentally too for some reason.

i feel shame that I got this off of Amazon :/ but... $200 and it hasn't fallen apart yet lol (no it's actually pretty nice/simple).

I did a project last winter where our client had adjustable height tables for our workspaces. It was great for the not quite two weeks we were there. Not sure I would like it long term, but being able to switch between standing and sitting every hour or 90 minutes was a big enough plus that I might.

My workspace at home is a drafting table tilted flat and high office chair, working at regular table/desk height is a distant second.

[DSafetyGuy]

yeah after 3 days i can say this is great - being able to push a button and have it adjust to standing/sitting in 10 seconds is really nice - standing for the first few hours in the morning I'm finding is better for me mentally too for some reason.

i feel shame that I got this off of Amazon :/ but... $200 and it hasn't fallen apart yet lol (no it's actually pretty nice/simple).

I did a project last winter where our client had adjustable height tables for our workspaces. It was great for the not quite two weeks we were there. Not sure I would like it long term, but being able to switch between standing and sitting every hour or 90 minutes was a big enough plus that I might.

My workspace at home is a drafting table tilted flat and high office chair, working at regular table/desk height is a distant second.

I would also recommend paying a little more attention to your footwear. Leg pain can result, especially as your body adjusts to being on your feet more often. I feel like I would shift my weight from one leg to the other a decent amount while using the table at standing height.

[A_B]

Yes. get a mat, too! Jeez. do i get commissions or something?

[MaxWebster]

this is a great point - i've been noticing that and as a very related aside i've been having a lot of foot pain this year for some fking reason (old). So I've been making sure to always be wearing footwear for one, and mostly my new-ish runners.

I would also recommend paying a little more attention to your footwear. Leg pain can result, especially as your body adjusts to being on your feet more often. I feel like I would shift my weight from one leg to the other a decent amount while using the table at standing height.

[Nonlinear FC]

Yeah, we have those mats next our stove and kitchen sink. Me gusto!

[Giff]

I work at my dining room table.

[mister d]

Need to upgrade my house if we’re setting up an office.

[Johnny Carwash]

Me gusto!

Yes, we know you please yourself.

[Rush2112]

My wife's company went from a large office in Boulder to a small office in Denver so she grabbed two fo these for the home office. WOrks great with my plastic picnic table of a desk...I do miss the standing/sitting desk at work. Helped with the mid-afternoon drowsiness to stand for a meeting or to answer all the emails I'd been blowing off.

[P.D.X.]

Yes. get a mat, too! Jeez. do i get commissions or something?

These are divine.

[HaulCitgo]

I like the steelcase furniture. Won't have to buy it again

[govmentchedda]

Yes. get a mat, too! Jeez. do i get commissions or something?

These are divine.

Does that black one in front of the one with brown on it have like circles in it that you can't see, but can feel when you step on it? If so, I've got it at work. Big fan.

Does the one with the brown rock a little? That seems nice too.

[P.D.X.]

It rocks! Also it’s bit more curved irl than that photo.

[rass]

It rocks! Also it’s bit more curved irl than that photo.

[Jerloma]

I feel like this is above my pay grade...

Hello,

I would like to bring to your attention an extreme concern I have about your upcoming extreme race with the appalling and insensitive name of Spartan Death Race which I am getting constant updates on having volunteered at a past race to benefit the Children's hospital.

While I know you pride yourselves on these extreme races that are based on fitness and endurance, I was disgusted by this name that tried to reinforce the extreme nature of the race but just conjured up disturbing images of the Death March during the Holocaust when the Jewish people were persecuted for the very reason they were Jewish. Could not another name have been selected that does not evoke such morbid sentiments, especially in the violent world we live in? This shows complete lack of judgment by over-dramatizing a race with this attention getting title which frankly, made me sick to my stomach.

I hope your marketing team will apply a bit more judgement in selecting names for future races, and you can bet I will not be participating in any future Spartan races. Nor will, I can assure you, many people in my network.

Thank you,

[mister d]

Tell them you used up all your goodwill with management when you got them to remove the parenthetical “(Like During the Holocaust)” from the official title.

[sancarlos]

Dear ,
Thank you for your recent correspondence, which has now been forwarded to our senior management. Regardless of their view of the merits of your comments, you are unlikely to receive any further response.

Sincerely,

[rass]

“…and that’s why me and my friends will be running the Tough Mudder Trail of Tears this year!”

[Jerloma]

Tell them you used up all your goodwill with management when you got them to remove the parenthetical “(Like During the Holocaust)” from the official title.

It was a close second...

[A_B]

Tell them you used up all your goodwill with management when you got them to remove the parenthetical “(Like During the Holocaust)” from the official title.

This is so good.

[A_B]

“…and that’s why me and my friends will be running the Tough Mudder Trail of Tears this year!”

This is so so good.