Do you suspect your work chair means you harm? You might be right.
Forget about inferior designs and cheap materials. Chairs don’t get to pick who makes them or how. But is it entirely impossible to believe that they get to choose how they respond to their lot in life?
Here are five signs your chair wants to hurt you.
The backrest gives way: You used to love to lean back, but now you know it’s far too dangerous. The last few times you’ve tried, you’ve nearly landed on the top of your head. You’ve learned to pick your battles. A 90-degree body angle is the only position that makes you feel safe anymore.
The seat doesn’t stay elevated: Your chair’s seat-height adjustment lever only gives you the illusion of empowerment. Go ahead. Try to raise your seat a couple of inches. You’ll eventually sink right back down to where you were. Might take five hours. Might take five seconds. Still, you continue to depress the lever because you know that if you don’t, it’s only a matter of time until the floor swallows you whole. 
You can feel it judging you: You should never have to worry about what your chair thinks about your eating habits. So you had three slices of pizza for lunch instead of your typical two. That is none of your chair’s business. And yet, you hear it creak under you mockingly, shaming you for not going on your typical 20-minute power walk. You don’t deserve this. No one does.
It has feet-seeking wheels: You never move your chair back and forth or side to side without looking down first. That’s because you know that the wheels want to crush your toes. Is it just you, or are they getting bigger every day? Are they starting to grow teeth? Just sit still the entire day and maybe they’ll lose interest.
The armrests secretly move: This might not seem entirely malicious at first. It’s not until your equilibrium is totally out of whack that the chair’s diabolical plan becomes clear. By raising one arm above the other a mere inch here and there, you don’t realize how uneven you are until your entire body is leaning to one side and you start walking like a zombie.
You don’t have to sit in fear. Choose ergonomic seating that has only the best intentions for you and your coworkers. You might be amazed at how a loving chair can transform your outlook on life.