When I lived in Italy, I was fascinated with the lifestyle of the people there. In the mornings on their way to work, they ate their breakfast in the bar, at lunchtime they closed their shops to go home for a nap. They worked late into the evenings, and at the end of the day they still made time to sit down for dinner with a glass of wine. No rush. No stress.

I found it interesting that they could go home for a nap every day, and wished it were like that in North America. Here in Toronto, a subway fare collector was once photographed snoozing in his booth and his picture appeared on the front page of the newspaper. Truth is, we sleep-deprived North Americans could do with a nap during business hours, and that's exactly what William Anthony Ph.D., co-author of The Art of Napping at Work, recommends -- having a workplace nap program.

Anthony notes that lab studies show that if you take a nap you do feel better and act better, and employees would be more productive. Your attention, persistence, and mood would improve. This is not the same as sleeping on the job, he says. It's more like napping on a break, which is healthier than having a smoke.

A workplace nap program is painless for smaller employers to implement and costs next to nothing to add to the employee benefits package. A large HR department is not needed to handle the program. The program would include commonsense guidelines for when and where to nap, such as:

1. An employee won't lose their job for napping
2. Naps should be taken during approved break or lunch times
3. Employees find a private place for the nap.

Anthony surveyed nappers and found that 70 percent felt they had to hide their nap because they felt guilty.

Anthony is the founder of National Workplace Napping Day, which takes place on the first Monday after Daylight Savings Time in the spring, a time when workers could use a nap the most.

My question to you: Would you like to implement a nap program at your company? Let's have your comments!