Jeff Atwood (who I must admit I only really read when someone links to him) wrote an article awhile ago about his thoughts on the chair you use for work. He's a fan of Herman Miller, and for the most part this is rightly deserved. When I worked with Accenture, everyone had Aeron's, and while it is possible to be uncomfortable in them, most of the time I was very happy with it and didn't think anything of it.
At my latest job, everyone has one of these. The Ahrend 350 looks alright, but I every day I sit in it I dislike it more. There is really one usable control, height. Recline is a joke, you can push your back up against it and it'll budge a little, but that's all you really get. The seat cushioning is equally uncomfortable for longer periods of time. I wouldn't go so far as to say the Ahrend 350 sucks, but I would say the $60 chair I bought at Office Max 5 years ago is more comfortable than this. We've even had one completely break on us after less than a year of use... all for the price of more than an Aeron.
I was also at a conference last July where Herman Miller sponsored all of the seating for the whole show. Even backstage we had H-M chairs, featuring this one which I found particularly comfortable.
Echoing Jeff, yes, seating does matter. It also matters that you choose something for comfort and usability and not looks or chic. If you're a small company, consider just letting your employees choose their own chairs rather than trying to standardize... not everyone is one chair fits all!
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