London receptionist sent home without pay for refusing to wear heels

ceadaoin. · 12-05-2016 04:21PM #1

A receptionist showed up to her first day of work in flats and was told that she had to go out and get a pair of heels, up to 4 inches high, or go home. She refused and the company followed through with their threat. Is this a reasonable demand? We've all seen women barefoot with their heels in their hands after a night out, because they hurt! No way would I wear them for work where I would be on my feet all day

A smart pair of flats can look just as professional, the only reason I can see for this is purely for aesthetics, ie women are expected to look "sexy" for work.
Men aren't required to wear painful or damaging items as part of their dress code as far as I can see, maybe if they had to wear high heels for the day this policy would change!

The petition has now over 100,000 signatures so will be debated in parliament.

A 27-year-old woman working for a City firm in London says she was sent home for refusing to wear high heels. But is this legal, fair or healthy?

Nicola Thorp says she was laughed at when she told her bosses that she didn't want to wear high heels on her first day as a corporate receptionist.

"I was expected to do a nine-hour shift on my feet escorting clients to meeting rooms. I said I just won't be able to do that in heels," she told the BBC.

She had arrived at the accountancy firm PwC wearing flats and she says she was told to go home without pay unless she went out and bought heels that were between two and four inches high. She refused and alleges Portico - the firm that runs PwC's reception at its office in Embankment, central London - followed through with its threat.

Now Thorp has set up a petition to the government, demanding "women have the option to wear flat formal shoes at work". It has picked up more than 7,000 signatures. The petition says the law as it stands is "outdated and sexist".

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36265545

Ruu · 12-05-2016 04:24PM

Hope she takes them to the cleaners.

darkpagandeath · 12-05-2016 04:25PM

I can imagine the outrage of "Woman sent home for Refusing to wear flats to work."

cml387 · 12-05-2016 04:25PM

She certainly put her foot down.

beach_walker · 12-05-2016 04:25PM

Did she know about the requirement before taking the job? I've worked places with stupid uniform/appearance rules, sucks but I knew what I was getting into.

The Sidewards Man · 12-05-2016 04:26PM

Ruu wrote: »

Hope she takes them to the cleaners.

Were her flat shoes dirty?

LizT · 12-05-2016 04:29PM

They reversed their decision about requiring heels.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/high-heels-dress-code-company-7951327

Suppose they had to with all the backlash.

RedemptionZ · 12-05-2016 04:31PM

Stupid requirement. Wouldn't want to work for a place like that.

12-05-2016 04:31PM

They possibly had to.

On the other hand, if it was a term of employment, surely that's that. Much like a cabin steward can hardly refuse to wear make up.

Lackey · 12-05-2016 04:31PM

Left out the part where Thorp signed a contract agreeing to the company dress code

Alf Stewart. · 12-05-2016 04:32PM

Her boss has a black sole.

alchemist33 · 12-05-2016 04:32PM

It's a silly rule, for receptionists of all people, who spend most of their work time on a chair behind a desk.

blue note · 12-05-2016 04:34PM

It would be like if a place forced guys to wear ties but not the girls. You'd have equal outrage then, without doubt!

ScumLord · 12-05-2016 04:34PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Is this a reasonable demand?

No, They could maybe demand she not wear high heels on safety grounds.

Company should have seen this coming as soon as she said "no" and mentioned males workers.

cowboyBuilder · 12-05-2016 04:35PM

Attention seeker seeks attention.

Ruu · 12-05-2016 04:36PM

Deleted User wrote: »

They possibly had to.

On the other hand, if it was a term of employment, surely that's that. Much like a cabin steward can hardly refuse to wear make up.

That's a load of old cobblers.

ceadaoin. · 12-05-2016 04:37PM

blue note wrote: »

It would be like if a place forced guys to wear ties but not the girls. You'd have equal outrage then, without doubt!

Are ties painful to wear and do they have the potential to cause permanent damage?

maudgonner · 12-05-2016 04:37PM

Ruu wrote: »

That's a load of old cobblers.

Heel regret that comment, for shoe-er.

AnonoBoy · 12-05-2016 04:38PM

cowboyBuilder wrote: »

Attention seeker seeks attention.

Are you trying to places a personals ad in After Hours?

DEFTLEFTHAND · 12-05-2016 04:39PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Are ties painful to wear and do they have the potential to cause permanent damage?

Only if you got it caught in a lathe or something.

AnonoBoy · 12-05-2016 04:39PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Are ties painful to wear and do they have the potential to cause permanent damage?

The way Michael Hutchence used to wear them they were.

stoplooklisten · 12-05-2016 04:40PM

ScumLord wrote: »

No, They could maybe demand she not wear high heels on safety grounds.

Company should have seen this coming as soon as she said "no" and mentioned males workers.

Wear the high heels
Trip across them
$$
Money

mahoganygas · 12-05-2016 04:40PM

A friend of mine has a medical problem which makes wearing a tie uncomfortable for him.

His team moved to a new office building. The dress code in the new office was shirt, slacks and tie for the men.

He didn't want people knowing about his medical problem. So he refused to wear a tie and told anyone who asked that it was sexist men had to wear a tie but women didn't.

HR weren't going to touch that with a barge pole so he got away with it!

12-05-2016 04:40PM

Ruu wrote: »

That's a load of old cobblers.

Here you go. Know it's for Virgin, but a friend who works for Aer Lingus says you turn up without make up or hair in a certain way, you're not gonna last long...

http://www.cabincrew.com/forums/makeup-requirements/28296/1

AnonoBoy · 12-05-2016 04:41PM

mahoganygas wrote: »

HR weren't going to touch that with a barge pole so he got away with it!

Joke would have been on him if they just started making women wear ties too!

blue note · 12-05-2016 04:41PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Are ties painful to wear and do they have the potential to cause permanent damage?

I summertime they can be a nightmare - absolutely suffocating. You're sweating buckets and there's nothing you can do about it and you're looking around at the women in the office in dresses, skirts and summer blouses.

I've felt like I was going to pass out from the heat in summer before!

maudgonner · 12-05-2016 04:41PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Here you go. Know it's for Virgin, but a friend who works for Aer Lingus says you turn up without make up or hair in a certain way, you're not gonna last long...

http://www.cabincrew.com/forums/makeup-requirements/28296/1

What sound do aeroplanes make? Whoosh?!

12-05-2016 04:42PM

maudgonner wrote: »

What sound do aeroplanes make? Whoosh!

Far far too subtle.

I'm refusing a whooshing!

DEFTLEFTHAND · 12-05-2016 04:43PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Here you go. Know it's for Virgin, but a friend who works for Aer Lingus says you turn up without make up or hair in a certain way, you're not gonna last long...

http://www.cabincrew.com/forums/makeup-requirements/28296/1

I know somebody in the profession also. All airlines are very strict on dress code and appearance.

AnonoBoy · 12-05-2016 04:44PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I know somebody in the profession also. All airlines are very strict on dress code and appearance.

Not so much on rest and soberness though!

Walter H Price · 12-05-2016 04:45PM

Seeing allot about this today floating around Facebook and the Twitisphere. I agree with most of the sentiment regards it being utterly ridiculous to send anyone home from work for having the wrong footwear. My big issue with allot of the posts articles tweets etc is that its all focused on sexism.

The real issue here is not that she was a woman it's that so many businesses still have pointless draconian out of touch with the modern work force dress codes. Why should men have to be clean shaven , wear a suit or collar and tie , no long hair , formal shoes etc ... and the same for women regards having to wear heels or make up, how does this improve an employees productivity ? i would argue it does the opposite and can be a demotivating , demoralizing factor for both men and women in work.

My fiance previously worked for the Irish branch of the same recruitment company that sent that woman home for not wearing heal.s she had the same dress code and it went beyond shoes you had to wear make up in specific shades and were only allowed were navy or black dresses or skirts and white blouses , it was enforced rigidly by management who were all women , in fact all of them in the office with the exception of one gay dude were women. Dress codes are an issue but id refute that they are a sexist issue they can be equally irritating and uncomfortable for men and women, ever had a buttoned up collar and tie and a freshly shaved neck lady's ? not pleasant.

London receptionist sent home without pay for refusing to wear heels

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