forced to wear stilettos

LegacyUser · 11-09-2011 9:15pm #1

is this legal? weve been told its now uniform to wear black stilettos all the time at work and will be in trouble if we dont wear the uniform shoe, men just wear normal flat shoes. im really wobbly and uncomfortable in stilettos and dont trust myself to walk in them for 5 mins let alone 8 hours!

qwertz · 12-09-2011 1:34pm

What trouble? Will they fire you over it?

Try the health and safety angle (ie you potentially falling, injuring yourself and them being responsible...).

nibtrix · 12-09-2011 3:38pm

Wow, it's hard to imagine a company trying to do this - what industry do you work in?

listermint · 12-09-2011 3:39pm

nibtrix wrote: »

Wow, it's hard to imagine a company trying to do this - what industry do you work in?

Shoe Model

Sky King · 12-09-2011 3:42pm

Aside from the danger of falling etc I would imagine that if you spend a lot of time on your feet in work stillettos would be seriously bad long term for your feet / posture etc .

wmpdd3 · 12-09-2011 7:28pm

The are def leaving themselves open to hassel further down the line. If you trip in work and injure yourself, the fact you were instructed to wear these shoes could come up. Also as the last poster said, there could be long term effects on your feet. Do you sit or stand all day?

Esoteric_ · 13-09-2011 7:18am

It's well known that heels, worn over a long period of time, can cause damage to the arches of the foot and also to the back. I'm not sure of the legalities but I'm pretty sure you'd be well within your rights to refuse on health and safety grounds.

LegacyUser · 13-09-2011 9:56am

Thanks for the replys!I work in a store so am on my feet all day every day. Theyve said we have to buy a particular dunnes shoe and the cost will be creditted to our wages slip. Its like 30 euro or something. Also the shoes has now become the uniform so if we don't wear it we won't be following the uniform standards and this could lead to disciplinary procedures

Pandora2 · 13-09-2011 2:02pm

This happened, well kind of, in a hotel I worked in back in the 90's......after breakfast service the Restaurant Manager called all the waiting staff together and tore them a new one regarding their 'appearance';) Clothing/shoes was not the issue but hair & make-up (Breakfast is a bloody early start in a hotel!!) He left the staff under no illusions that they would be in trouble if they were not fully made up and hair 'done'..."No more scraggly pony tails!" were his last words.

6.30am the following morning 6 ladies arrived obviously having taken his warning seriously............along with 3 male colleagues in full make up and leaving trails of perfume in their wake, a few hair clips in evidence!! End of issue..just as with your high heels, if you must wear them then so must the lads!!! Otherwise it is just plain sexism in the workplace:eek::eek::eek::eek:

Corruptedmorals · 13-09-2011 11:08pm

stilettohatred wrote: »

Thanks for the replys!I work in a store so am on my feet all day every day. Theyve said we have to buy a particular dunnes shoe and the cost will be creditted to our wages slip. Its like 30 euro or something. Also the shoes has now become the uniform so if we don't wear it we won't be following the uniform standards and this could lead to disciplinary procedures

That's an added insult- you should at least be allowed choose a shoe that will be comfier than Dunnes ones- which from working there (in flats thank god) are not exactly good for standing up all day in, they're not made for that.

I think you should refuse on health and safety grounds. You can't be the only one protesting- the more the merrier. Are you a member of mandate? They should be well able to tell your employer where to go with this new rule. If all else fails, perhaps you could say you have a damaged bone or some sort of foot problem which would cause you pain were you to wear heels for a long period of time. They might want some sort of GP letter- but most GP's would be horrified at the damage this WILL do to your feet and would probably write you something to get out of it.

R.D. aka MR.D · 14-09-2011 12:11am

This is difficult! especially if they are saying you HAVE to wear them. i work in retail and i am the only one who doesn't wear heels to work. they try to make comments and tried for a while to force my hand but i just stuck to my guns and said no. I said i'd probably be running around in bare feet after half an hour.

I agree with another poster that you could get a letter from the doctor.

gerrycollins · 15-09-2011 5:56pm

your place of work should have a safety statement check it out about footwear there night be something in in. The safety statement is complied by an independant expert. Its worth a shot.

also be prepared, even a small business can have a 500 page safety statement.

ElleEm · 15-09-2011 8:14pm

gerrycollins wrote: »

your place of work should have a safety statement check it out about footwear there night be something in in. The safety statement is complied by an independant expert. Its worth a shot.

also be prepared, even a small business can have a 500 page safety statement.

Usually the statements say heels are not to be over 2" or something.
If this becomes the rule, just get your doc to write you a note saying you can't. Most GPs would do that with no issue.

tatli_lokma · 17-09-2011 3:06pm

that is weird - if anything I have only known places to insist that shoes over x height NOT be worn, no flip flops, open toes etc - all for H&S reasons.

When I was in college I worked in boots. At the time they had the most awful grannyish polyester pleated skirts and blouses! part of the uniform was a pair of navy court shoes. This was a must - no other shoes unless you were in the stores. However, even at this insistance, there was a limit on how high the heel could be.

Can I ask - what do you consider a 'stilletto'? A stilletto is a thin spiked heel, usually 4" or more. Now, to my MIL anythin over 2" would be a stilletto!

Perhaps you can give more info on exactly what type of shoes you have been instructed to buy? Also it seems strange for them to specify Dunnes shoes, as if this is part of the contract of employment then what do you do in 6 mths when the shoes are no longer available? get a new revised contract?

not to be negative OP, but is there any possibility that you are overstating the issue?

If it really is an issue for you (regardless of th height of the shoe) perhaps pay a visit to your doctor, explain the situation, tell him/her that wearing said shoes would cause you discomfort and I am sure they will give you a letter to this effect, and this should exempt you from the requirement.

amdublin · 18-09-2011 2:15pm

Are we really talking a stilleto

Or are we talking a heeled court shoe?

tatli_lokma · 18-09-2011 4:34pm

amdublin wrote: »

Are we really talking a stilleto

Or are we talking a heeled court shoe?

that is what I was wondering. Seems a bit strange for it to be a 'stilletto' specifically. But maybe she works in a Robert Palmer video and is also required to wear a black lycra dress and red lipstick!

amdublin · 18-09-2011 4:44pm

Little Ted wrote: »

that is what I was wondering. Seems a bit strange for it to be a 'stilletto' specifically. But maybe she works in a Robert Palmer video and is also required to wear a black lycra dress and red lipstick!

Muwaha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

Op - whats the shoe like? Can you post us a link to something similar.

There is a major difference between a stiletto shoe and a heeled court shoe.

forced to wear stilettos

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