High heels in the workplace

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Member for

10 years 8 months

Posts: 2,748

A receptionist claims she was sent home from work at a corporate finance company after refusing to wear high heels.

Nicola Thorp, 27, from Hackney in east London, arrived on her first day at PwC in December in flat shoes but says she was told she had to wear shoes with a “2in to 4in heel”.

Thorp, who was employed as a temporary worker by PwC’s outsourced reception firm Portico, said she was laughed at when she said the demand was discriminatory and sent home without pay after refusing to go out and buy a pair of heels...

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/11/receptionist-sent-home-pwc-not-wearing-high-heels-pwc-nicola-thorp

I have seen nothing to indicate that she was told that she must wear heels to do her job and can only assume that the requirement was cosmetic rather than for any kind of health and safety aspect (steel toe-capped heels, anybody?). On BBC radio she said she was told that all staff must wear them, but when she pointed out a man working at reception without heels she was laughed at - demeaning to her and a somewhat sexist regulation.
Looks bad for PriceWaterhouse Cooper since they are in charge of the safety of employees in their buildings, and publicity about someone being sent away from their office for refusing to wear heels for a job involving standing and walking around a building for nine hours a day - which she said she could not do - will not be in their favour.

Original post

Member for

13 years

Posts: 6,535

A non story. I wear them all the time, especially when I'm attending Price Waterhouse to check my financial portfolio.

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Yes, damn this sexism...

...it is about time that attractive, twenty-seven year-old, actresses, temping as receptionists, were chosen for their academic and vocational skills rather than what they look like in high heels!

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/temp-worker-sent-home-from-pwc-office-for-refusing-to-wear-high-heels-a3244956.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/high-heels-receptionist-sent-home-pwc-nicola-thorp_uk_573324b4e4b0e6da49a72f9f

All this publicity (six months after the event) is probably going to do her acting career no good at all either!

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 4,996

A non story. I wear them all the time, especially when I'm attending Price Waterhouse to check my financial portfolio.

I bet you get a lot of admiring glances :love-struck:

Member for

10 years 8 months

Posts: 2,748

...From other crossdressers?

I'll get my coat - a rather manly snorkel parka...

Member for

13 years

Posts: 6,535

I bet you get a lot of admiring glances :love-struck:

Yes Alan, Plus a few comments !