Listen up, American workers: There's an economic crisis on the horizon that threatens each of us.

And we have only ourselves to blame.

A new government report shows U.S. labor productivity last year recorded its weakest performance in almost a decade.

"So what?" you might be saying.

So what, indeed.

Workbytes won't bore you with the details, but worker output not only determines what businesses charge for their products, it directly affects what they are able to pay employees. That fact is important to America's economy, but also to America's youth. (Because it doubles as the correct answer to questions 2, 16 and 33 on tomorrow's Econ. 102 midterm. You're welcome.)

The U.S. Department of Labor said output per hour worked in 2006 grew at its slowest pace since 1997. Workbytes thinks it's no coincidence that the numbers started to drop off about the time the so-called "Gen Xers" (at least the ones who passed the midterm) entered the work force.

But rather than engage in the "blame game" (some assembly required) I immediately went to work on a solution.

I started with a nap.

That was the advice of our new friend, William Anthony. He's a professor at Boston University. He is also steadfast in support for midday naps to clear the cobwebs, recharge the creative juices and, as a result, put America back on track to robust economic growth.

"The Art of Napping at Work" is a book Anthony wrote with his wife, Camille. It examines the physical and psychological benefits of catching a nap during the day.

Here's the best part: The Anthonys have declared March 12 National Workplace Napping Day.

"Instead of your usual break activity, join us in a 20-minute workplace nap and experience the many benefits," Camille said.

If you're anything like us, you enjoy a midday snooze. But while there's nothing better than 40 winks to break up the day, gainful employment can put a serious crimp in the activity.

The boss will put up with your Jeff Gordon tank top on casual Friday. He or she will even overlook the occasional personal e-mail to Nigeria. But snoring?

You'll be gone before the pillow crease leaves your cheek.

There was a time when it was more acceptable. They called them "power naps" in the '80s, when greed was king and jeans were tight. Then "the man" (also known as "the woman") cracked down.

By 2005, according to the Wall Street Journal, fewer companies were buying into the idea, and more were punishing workers caught snoozing. The move was fueled by a NASA report that called napping "a double-edged sword" that can cause "sleep inertia," in which the catnapper becomes catlike and stays groggy all day, or until he hears the sound of a can opener.

Today, sleeping on the job is a definite step toward a pink slip.

"They call it a siesta, right?" said Rhonda Clark-Leyda, spokeswoman for Principal Financial Group, which employs 9,000 in Des Moines, Iowa, at least a few of whom you'd figure could use a little shut-eye after lunch.

"No, we don't do that," she said. "But it would be delightful, wouldn't it?"

Yes. And healthful, too.

Dimitrios Trichopoulos, a Harvard professor, says siestas even reduce the risk of heart disease. His study was published last week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"I'd say the public health message is clear: If you can take a midday nap at work, do so," his study advised.

The Anthonys' National Workplace Napping Day has attracted some corporate sponsors, including the Union Pacific Railroad.

So on March 12, lie down and be counted. Just like in kindergarten, we'll roll out the mats, slap on a little "Peter and the Wolf" and sip tepid moo juice until the power of the nap takes over.

Wonder which will wake us first: the simultaneous snore of 9,000 Principal employees or all the train derailments?

Larry Ballard writes for the Des Moines Register.