Where do you stand on "High Heels" & The workplace

[Shanti]

Pretty much a doomed position for that British company to keep trying to force on its employees, as daily wearing of high heels can indeed be responsible for permanent medical problems.

 

[sam_gordon]

High heels for women but not men is discriminatory.

So requiring men to wear ties or suit coats would also be discriminatory?

I wasn't aware that ties or suit coats or white shirts caused injuries over time the way that high heels do. Do you wear high heels to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

Do you wear ties to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

This is simple in my mind. If enough people don't like a policy, they won't take the job and the company will have to reevaluate the requirement. I'm guessing I can find studies that say standing on your feet all day (whether in heels or not) can lead to health problems. I guess all those companies should make sure everyone has chairs.

Folks don't like women being required to wear heels? Fine, don't take the job. I'm guessing there are people who don't like the uniforms at Hooters too. Should we make those illegal?

Regarding the potential health issues... wear flats until you get to work, and once your seated behind your desk, take your heels off. Put them back on if you need to go somewhere. She's a receptionist. She's (presumably) sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Is sitting wearing heels bad for your health?

 

[anneboleyn]

So requiring men to wear ties or suit coats would also be discriminatory?

Do you wear ties to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

This is simple in my mind. If enough people don't like a policy, they won't take the job and the company will have to reevaluate the requirement. I'm guessing I can find studies that say standing on your feet all day (whether in heels or not) can lead to health problems. I guess all those companies should make sure everyone has chairs.

Folks don't like women being required to wear heels? Fine, don't take the job. I'm guessing there are people who don't like the uniforms at Hooters too. Should we make those illegal?

Regarding the potential health issues... wear flats until you get to work, and once your seated behind your desk, take your heels off. Put them back on if you need to go somewhere. She's a receptionist. She's (presumably) sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Is sitting wearing heels bad for your health?

I actually have worn a tie before...not to work but as a part of my majorette uniform when I was in school. It was a hell of a lot more comfortable than high heels, which you obviously have no experience with.

 

[mnrose]

So requiring men to wear ties or suit coats would also be discriminatory?

Do you wear ties to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

This is simple in my mind. If enough people don't like a policy, they won't take the job and the company will have to reevaluate the requirement. I'm guessing I can find studies that say standing on your feet all day (whether in heels or not) can lead to health problems. I guess all those companies should make sure everyone has chairs.

Folks don't like women being required to wear heels? Fine, don't take the job. I'm guessing there are people who don't like the uniforms at Hooters too. Should we make those illegal?

Regarding the potential health issues... wear flats until you get to work, and once your seated behind your desk, take your heels off. Put them back on if you need to go somewhere. She's a receptionist. She's (presumably) sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Is sitting wearing heels bad for your health?

So, if she's sitting behind her desk all day, why the need for heels? What's the point? Heels are for MEN, who (study's have shown) like the way women are forced to walk in them.

Try wearing 2+ inch heels. Better yet, get yourself a pair of 4 inch heels. Bet you'll be screaming to have your suit and tie back.

And, yes, back in the day (think 1980's) lots of women attorneys wore "ties" to work in an effort to look like the men (egads, what were we thinking). I had a whole collection. They weren't in the least "uncomfortable." Heels? ALWAYS uncomfortable for me. Hated them with an unmitigated passion.

 

[anneboleyn]

So requiring men to wear ties or suit coats would also be discriminatory?

Do you wear ties to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

This is simple in my mind. If enough people don't like a policy, they won't take the job and the company will have to reevaluate the requirement. I'm guessing I can find studies that say standing on your feet all day (whether in heels or not) can lead to health problems. I guess all those companies should make sure everyone has chairs.

Folks don't like women being required to wear heels? Fine, don't take the job. I'm guessing there are people who don't like the uniforms at Hooters too. Should we make those illegal?

Regarding the potential health issues... wear flats until you get to work, and once your seated behind your desk, take your heels off. Put them back on if you need to go somewhere. She's a receptionist. She's (presumably) sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Is sitting wearing heels bad for your health?

Oh, and Hooters girls get to wear sneakers. The only uncomfortable aspect of that uniform are the shorts, which is easily fixed by just picking your wedgie.

You seem to care an awful lot about something that doesn't remotely affect you.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I find it hilarious that workplaces still do this at all.

We moved to a casual dress code years ago. Even our CEO wears jeans everyday. People look put together in a casual chic kind of way - lots of jeans, nice shirts/blouses with scarves for the women, and polo shirts for the guys. We pretty much wear anything short of slippers on our feet. Heels, flats, (nice) tennis shoes, boots, etc. I couldn't imagine having a dress code that was more strict.

And I work on the 10th floor. When/if we have to evacuate, it would be very hard for women in heels to walk down 20 flights of stairs (we have very high ceilings, so each level has two flights of steps), not to mention how much it would slow down people behind them who just want to get out of the building quickly! Twice since we've been here (2 year in June) we have had the non-drill fire alarms go off and we have had to get out quickly. It takes a while to get out!

 

[elphaba91]

So requiring men to wear ties or suit coats would also be discriminatory?

Do you wear ties to your job? Do you find them comfortable?

This is simple in my mind. If enough people don't like a policy, they won't take the job and the company will have to reevaluate the requirement. I'm guessing I can find studies that say standing on your feet all day (whether in heels or not) can lead to health problems. I guess all those companies should make sure everyone has chairs.

Folks don't like women being required to wear heels? Fine, don't take the job. I'm guessing there are people who don't like the uniforms at Hooters too. Should we make those illegal?

Regarding the potential health issues... wear flats until you get to work, and once your seated behind your desk, take your heels off. Put them back on if you need to go somewhere. She's a receptionist. She's (presumably) sitting behind a desk for 8 hours a day. Is sitting wearing heels bad for your health?

I wore a white collared shirt and tie for 5 days a week for half of the year for 6 years - it was part of my winter school uniform as well as my pipe band uniform. I also had a blazer as part of my uniform year round and still frequently wear one to work now. I didn't find any of them the least bit uncomfortable.

While I love the look of high heels, more than a couple of hours in them, even sitting down, can be absolute hell. I am sitting down for most of the day but could not cope wearing my most comfortable heels for a full day. I wear a low wedge after walking to work in a sneaker-type shoe.

Yes, men are expected to dress a certain way in some workplaces, but women are subjected to the same standards, but even worse, they are expected to be fashionable with varying outfits throughout the week. An Australian morning show presenter wore the same suit everyday for a year. Not one person commented on it. His female co-host, however, was subjected to daily emails about her wardrobe. http://m.smh.com.au/entertainment/t...ars-same-suit-for-a-year-20141115-11ncdz.html

Give me suits and ties over high heels and high expectations any day!

 

[sam_gordon]

Oh, and Hooters girls get to wear sneakers. The only uncomfortable aspect of that uniform are the shorts, which is easily fixed by just picking your wedgie.

You seem to care an awful lot about something that doesn't remotely affect you.

I apologize if sharing my opinion is somehow offensive to you. Do you work for the company in question? Do you work in England (I believe that's where the company is based)? If the answer is no to both questions, the issue doesn't remotely affect you.

I simply tired of people complaining when they don't get their way, or even worse, crying "discrimination". Personally, I don't care if a business has a dress code or not. I don't care whether women wear heels or not. But don't accept a job where your "morals" or whatever have to be compromised. That makes more logical sense to me than making dress codes requiring heels illegal. You want to say the dress code is ridiculous, outdated, or not necessary, fine. But illegal and discriminatory? Get real.

I compare this lady complaining to the teen who had a tattoo and then complained when Disney said she couldn't work there.

 

[PigletsPal2]

I worked as an Executive Assistant to several high level government officials and while there was no written requirement to wear heels, it was kind of expected. I wore flats every day but I kept of pair of heels under my desk and when I had to accompany my boss to a meeting or something with higher level officials, he would say "Put on your big girls shoes, we have to see the Ambassador."

Queen Colleen

 

[loves to dive]

The shoes I'm wearing today have a 2 inch heel. We don't really have a dress code any more where I work, we used to especially for office staff since we are the ones that anyone sees when they walk in but through the years that has kind of gone away. Our techs that go out to client sites can wear jeans if they aren't dirty or ripped and no graphic tees, actually I don't think they can wear tees at all but polo shirts are fine with jeans and most of the guys wear a tennis shoe of some sort. My co-worker, the receptionist here, wears jeans most days but usually wears a fairly nice blouse. I only wear jeans on Fridays, otherwise I'm in sort of business casual and I'm the bookkeeper hidden back in the dark corner for no one to see or talk to (evidently I can be a little ahem abrupt). So I can wear what I want (after 27 years here and the only one knowing how to do the books is he going to fire me? I don't think so) and I'm wearing 2 inch heels. They matched the blouse I'm wearing, but they are a slide/sandal kind of shoe and currently they are not on my feet. If I get up and walk around my desk they will be. I think it's a silly rule but if it's a rule that is posted, it is what it is. Don't like it, work somewhere else. Could she wear a wedge or did it have to be a stilleto. Could it be a chunk heel? Could it be a platform? As a height challenged woman I've worn heels most of my life to work, otherwise my pants are too long and I'm too cheap and too lazy to get them hemmed. 2 inch heels aren't all that bad, I actually thought mine were much shorter so I had to get a ruler out to measure them. I am surprised if there were any women in upper management that they didn't lobby to change the rule before this though.

 

[anneboleyn]

I apologize if sharing my opinion is somehow offensive to you. Do you work for the company in question? Do you work in England (I believe that's where the company is based)? If the answer is no to both questions, the issue doesn't remotely affect you.

I simply tired of people complaining when they don't get their way, or even worse, crying "discrimination". Personally, I don't care if a business has a dress code or not. I don't care whether women wear heels or not. But don't accept a job where your "morals" or whatever have to be compromised. That makes more logical sense to me than making dress codes requiring heels illegal. You want to say the dress code is ridiculous, outdated, or not necessary, fine. But illegal and discriminatory? Get real.

I compare this lady complaining to the teen who had a tattoo and then complained when Disney said she couldn't work there.

Well, as a woman who wears high heels and knows all the fun that comes with them (I actually enjoy wearing them, but I will be damned if someone is going to demand that I wear them all day, every day), I also can have an opinion on how absurd it is that people (usually men) are trying to dictate what we should or shouldn't wear, when they have zero clue whatsoever what it is like to wear said clothing. So I am much more affected by this sitation than you. And I didn't see anywhere where she claimed her "morals were compromised." She just wanted to wear more relaxing yet still professional shoes. Men's professional attire is a billion times more comfortable than women's. Why can't we also be comfortable?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

He doesn't sound angry at all. Having an opinion does not make one angry. Yet, you keep engaging him because he is male and you don't like his opinion. It comes across as hostile.

Oh--and I am a woman and don't really wear heels. I think the women need to come down over a shoe.

 

[MrsDuck]

No, thanks. I teach and rarely sit. I also have foot problems due to dancing for 18 years. I physically couldn't work at a job that required high heels!

 

[Christine]

I have worn heels most of my life. Not really high ones, but around 2-3 inches. I used to be able to run in them and actually found them to be mostly comfortable. That was in my youth. Once I got to my mid-40s, that all changed. I don't have great feet. They would be bad even if I never wore a heel. They are thin, not well "padded" and this only gets worse as you age. You start losing the collagen and fat in your feet, your joints and tendons relax, and everything starts to hurt. Now this doesn't happen to everyone but it happens to many. Often why you see older women with clunky shoes. It's not that they don't WANT to wear cute shoes, but it's downright painful.

I don't know what I think about this. I believe in dress codes for people who have to interface with the public and need to project a clean, professional look. It's a shame to say but when someone doesn't know what's inside, they only can judge by your outside (at first).

I don't find really high heels to be necessary to any type of job. High heels have been proven to cause pretty significant mechanical damage to the feet and affect posture, the hips and the spine. Sort of like smoking (which of course isn't a totally fair comparison), if you know the risks and you want to do it (wear them) fine, but knowing what we know, I do think it can be considered unfair to force a woman to wear them. So because my feet hurt awfully from a product KNOWN to damage the feet, I am out of the running for certain jobs. Seems to border a bit on discrimination.

 

[sam_gordon]

I also can have an opinion on how absurd it is that people (usually men) are trying to dictate what we should or shouldn't wear, when they have zero clue whatsoever what it is like to wear said clothing.

So you think it should be ILLEGAL for companies to force women to wear heels? THAT'S what this woman is trying to do. Wear heels, don't wear heels, I don't really care. But don't go crying "discrimination" when you accept a job with a requirement you don't like.

 

[robinb]

If I remember correctly they changed the dress code and now allow flats in response to all this?

ETA
here it is
http://abcnews.go.com/International...-women-wear-high-heels-work/story?id=39064162

There are TWO stories. One has to do with the restaurant chain in CANADA and the other with a temp firm in ENGLAND. The OP's story was about the firm in England.

Here is the video she tried to post:
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fa...s/news-story/1d81a5bf22c827139318945cc04939f3

It is the same story I posted previously.

 

[anneboleyn]

So you think it should be ILLEGAL for companies to force women to wear heels? THAT'S what this woman is trying to do. Wear heels, don't wear heels, I don't really care. But don't go crying "discrimination" when you accept a job with a requirement you don't like.

Yes it should be illegal to force women to wear only high heels. They should be allowed to wear any professional shoes, including flats.

 

[Heffalump2761]

The case was upheld and the company have been forced to remove this requirement. It was upheld on the grounds that men carrying out the exact same duties were not required to wear heels so it was discriminatory. Heels are not a necessity in order to be a good, efficient receptionist!

 

[AppleDumpling]

^^Good news. Absolutely, it is sexist and discriminatory and should be illegal.

 

[Chuck S]

Heels don't always cause injuries. My Mom wore high heals everywhere when I was young...to work in a chem lab...to Disneyland...everywhere...except the beach...until she turned 65 and broke a hip, she was constantly in heels. And you'd hear that clickity-click of the heels where ever she walked. But at the same time, if someone finds them uncomfortable, it would be best not to wear them.