My office chair totally gave out during a Zoom call with the CEO last Thursday

I was sitting there like normal, nodding along to the Q3 numbers, when suddenly the gas cylinder just gave up. I dropped about 4 inches in like half a second. The CEO just stopped talking and stared at my disappearing head. I had to pretend I was adjusting my posture and finished the meeting basically kneeling. Has anyone else had a chair fail at the absolute worst moment?

2 comments

2 Comments

benclark1mo ago

Oh man, that's brutal. I had a similar thing happen but my chair started slowly sinking during a whole presentation. I was trying to keep it subtle by shifting my weight and pressing the lever, but I ended up looking like I was doing some kind of squatty time-lapse. By the end everyone was staring at my chin hovering above the desk. I honestly think my CEO just assumed I was really into ergonomics and trying to get my posture right.

oscarc531mo ago

My office has a rule now because of this exact thing. One leaky gas cylinder and a full sales meeting turning into a clown show. You need to check the gas lift mechanism under the seat, there's usually a C-clip holding it in place that can pop off. Pop that back on or replace it with a thicker one from any hardware store for like two bucks. If the cylinder itself is shot, you can swap the whole thing out with a universal height adjusting cylinder from Amazon for under thirty dollars, takes maybe fifteen minutes with a rubber mallet. Way cheaper than a new chair and you won't have to do the squat shuffle again.