At times wearing heels can be very uncomfortable, however did you know that it’s legal at various workplaces to send their female employee back home if they are not wearing them?
This is exactly what happened to Nicola Thorp, 27, when she showed up for a receptionist temping job at PwC’s offices in central London wearing flat shoes.
She was send back and was asked to wear a "two-to-four-inch heels".
Throp is now campaigning against this and wants it to be made illegal to force women to wear heels and make up at work.
I expressed my confusion as to why [I was being turned away from work], and they explained that flat shoes are not part of their dress code for women. The supervisor told me that I would be sent home without pay unless I went to the shop and bought a pair of two to four inch heels. I refused and was sent home.’ she told the Evening Standard.
Her employer also asked her to wear makeup and handed her a colour chart.
She also raised a point how men were allowed to wear flat shoes while working and this rule for females was discriminatory.
Throp has now started a petition and demands for it to be to illegal for companies who force women to wear heels.
“It’s still legal in the UK for a company to require female members of staff to wear high heels at work against their will. Dress code laws should be changed so that women have the option to wear flat formal shoes at work if they wish. Current formal work dress codes are outdated and sexist," she writes.
A friend's been sent home without pay for refusing to wear heels. SAY WHAT??? https://t.co/r07M6Im4Oz @CCriadoPerez @caitlinmoran @WEP_UK
— Sophie Scott (@MsSophieScott) May 10, 2016
The petition is filed at Parliament.uk and if it receives 10,000 signatures the Government will send her their response and it maybe considered for a debate in Parliament.
PwC outsources its front of house/reception services to a third party supplier. We first became aware of this matter on 10 May some five months after the issue arose. The dress code referenced in the article is not a PwC policy. We are now in discussion with the suppliers about the policy,” A spokesperson for PwC told Metro.co.uk.
“In line with industry standard practice, we have personal appearance guidelines across many of our corporate locations. These policies ensure staff are dressed consistently and include recommendations for appropriate style of footwear for the role. We have taken on board the comments regarding footwear and will be reviewing our guidelines in consultation with our clients and team members,” he added.
