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The importance of a good sofa now branches into the working world.

Working from your sofa at home has grown in popularity over the past few years. This is largely due to technological improvements combined with a significant growth in the number of working parents. It is possible for people to work from home using a secure, remote connection. A home worker is able to securely access company resources from the comfort of their own home.

Whilst it may create motivational issues or possible distractions for some employees', the majority of people that do work from home are of managerial calibre or above. These are self-motivated individuals that can be trusted to perform their work duties, whilst relaxing on their sofa, efficiently and effectively. Messenger and telephonic services mean that it is easy for support and operational staff to stay in touch with their line manager or director.

During periods where business levels are escalating, it is often the case that desk space is at an absolute premium. Working from a sofa allows a business to free-up desks, allowing additional support staff to be recruited. This is far more convenient than moving to larger, more expensive offices. Sometimes moving office to a new location results in the loss of key support staff.

Employees that work from home also personally benefit in a number of ways. They avoid congested roads, possible accidents and spending hours each day commuting. It is difficult to financially quantify the improvements to peoples' quality of life, but the free time to spend with families is something that employees' greatly appreciate. Employees can potentially save a small fortune each month on transportation costs.

Although managers can stay in touch with key support workers via messengers whilst working from their sofa, it means that someone doesn't feel as close to their team. There is also a tendency to lose contact with day-to-day company policies and changes to procedure.

Although professional people are highly focused, it can be difficult to perform business tasks whilst relaxing on a luxurious sofa. Family distractions and social obligations can mean that it is hard to focus on daily work activities. There is also a tendency not to dress appropriately for work. Whilst this isn't an issue for a number of professional people, some working mind-sets are determined by wearing official business clothing.

Other employees' find that there is no official end to their working day this can lead to excessive working, unnecessary stress and even employee burn-out. The fusion of business and personal life really can make it difficult to turn off and make that all-important transition to the escape of family life.

The majority of employees' stand to benefit from the relaxing effects of working from home on a comfortable sofa, however, there is some degree of consensus that working from home should be combined with at least some office work. Provided that the employer is prepared to invest in the necessary technology, this allows both an employee and employer to enjoy the best of both worlds.