Should Your Office Have Flu Etiquette? How One Silicon Valley Tech Company Is Keeping Its Workers Healthy

SAN JOSE (KPIX 5) -- With flu season at epidemic levels in California, many companies are adopting a flu etiquette that includes no shaking hands and having sanitary face masks available.

In downtown San Jose, one company has a distinct policy with rigid rules for employees who are sick.

Greg Woock, CEO of mobile app company Pinger, takes the sick policy seriously because his workers share common spaces, and it's a small office.

"Rule number one: don't come to work if you're sick. Rule number two? Really, don't come to work if you're sick," Woock said. "And is there a number three? Really, Really, Really don't come to work if you are sick."

Woock even picked on his own head of finance who may have hurried back to work after being out sick the last two days.

"I think people feel the pressure to be productive, but we all have laptops we can take home," said employee Larry Fleischer. "If you feel well enough but maybe a little contagious you can get most things done remotely."

Last year, Pinger provided free flu shots at the office and has plenty of vitamin rich snack foods on hand.

The lunch room is also stocked with company-based hand sanitizer, vitamins and over-the-counter meds for employees if they feel something coming on.

Plus, a company policy that gives a virtually unlimited number of paid sick days also takes the pressure off the employee. It's all resulted in mostly healthy workers, plowing through one of the worst flu seasons ever.