Government rejects call to make mandatory high heels illegal

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39667912

This is stupid, I think.

Aside from being uncomfortable and painful, nobody should be expected to wear certain shoes for work unless they are required for safety reasons.

I can understand the need to dress smart in some work environments but high heels are not necessary for this. Standard, flat-bottomed shoes would be sufficient - anything more than this is based purely on sexist tradition.

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Reply 1

Nirvana1989-1994

Ah, and they say double standards don't exist :h:

Reply 2

Vikingninja

Why do you need to wear high heels to look smart?

Reply 3

Meany Pie

if the current laws are sufficient then why add more?

lets see what the new guidelines say first.

Reply 4

MildredMalone

Shirts and ties are uncomfortable, especially in hot weather. Shall we get some whingers to support removing them from mandatory dress codes too?

Reply 5

SHallowvale

Original post by Meany Pie

if the current laws are sufficient then why add more?

lets see what the new guidelines say first.

If the current laws allow companies to force people to wear these clothes then I do not believe the law is sufficient.

Original post by MildredMalone

Shirts and ties are uncomfortable, especially in hot weather. Shall we get some whingers to support removing them from mandatory dress codes too?

Shirts and ties are not damaging to your body or painful to wear. High heels very often are.

Buttons can often be undone and ties remove in hot weather, and when the weather becomes too hot it should not be mandatory to keep the up/on.

Reply 6

Meany Pie

Original post by SHallowvale

If the current laws allow companies to force people to wear these clothes then I do not believe the law is sufficient.

well are they actually allowed?

didn't the company involved in the article get into trouble for it?

Reply 7

Kravence

Original post by Vikingninja

Why do you need to wear high heels to look smart?

The law is ironically not a smart idea

Reply 8

chazwomaq

It's quite heavy handed for the law to start dictating what people can and can't wear at work.

Will we start needing laws covering every conceivable dress code an employer might come up with?

Reply 9

SHallowvale

Original post by Meany Pie

well are they actually allowed?

didn't the company involved in the article get into trouble for it?

As far as I'm aware companies are allowed to make it mandatory. PwC got a lot of PR :innocent:

for it though I don't believe it was against the law for them to do so.

The article linked wouldn't make sense if it were already illegal.

Reply 10

SHallowvale

Original post by chazwomaq

It's quite heavy handed for the law to start dictating what people can and can't wear at work.

Will we start needing laws covering every conceivable dress code an employer might come up with?

If an employee is being asked to do something that isn't relevant to their work or their productivity then why should a company be able to force them to do it?

Nobody is saying that people can't wear high heels if they want to.

Reply 11

yeled ez

Original post by SHallowvale

As far as I'm aware companies are allowed to make it mandatory. PwC got a lot of PR :innocent:

for it though I don't believe it was against the law for them to do so.

The article linked wouldn't make sense if it were already illegal.

Isn't it only legal as long as there's an "equivalent level of smartness" for men, no idea what an equivalent smartness to high heels is though, maybe a codpiece?

Reply 12

mojojojo101

Original post by chazwomaq

It's quite heavy handed for the law to start dictating what people can and can't wear at work.

Will we start needing laws covering every conceivable dress code an employer might come up with?

The law already does that, mainly in the realm of safety equipment.

This wouldn't stop people wearing high heels at work, it would just make illegal for employers to force you to do so.

Personally I am not a fan of mandatory dress codes at all, except in the obvious case where health and safety make it a necessity.

Reply 13

Meany Pie

Original post by SHallowvale

As far as I'm aware companies are allowed to make it mandatory. PwC got a lot of PR :innocent:

for it though I don't believe it was against the law for them to do so.

The article linked wouldn't make sense if it were already illegal.

people break the law all the time, knowingly or not.

i don't think it is unreasonable to have a dress code and if you don't want to follow that dress code that is your problem. if there is a specific medical reason for being unable to follow the dress code then your employer should accommodate this and if not it could be a case of disability discrimination.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 14

DogeOfDisaproval

Original post by Kravence

The law is ironically not a smart idea

There is now law that says you have to. Just employers can choose their own dress codes, but yes it is stupid to force people to wear high heels.

Reply 15

chazwomaq

Original post by mojojojo101

The law already does that, mainly in the realm of safety equipment.

Of course, for this I agree for need laws.

This wouldn't stop people wearing high heels at work, it would just make illegal for employers to force you to do so.]

I appreciate that. But you could have people challenging whether they should have to wear ties, or shirts, or whether they can wear shorts etc. etc. I think this is best left to employers rather than lawmakers.

Personally I am not a fan of mandatory dress codes at all, except in the obvious case where health and safety make it a necessity.

Fine, but employers should be allowed dresscodes if they want, no?

Reply 16

Meany Pie

Original post by SHallowvale

If an employee is being asked to do something that isn't relevant to their work or their productivity then why should a company be able to force them to do it?

because they are the ones paying you at the end of the day, if they want you to dress a certain way then so be it.

Reply 17

SHallowvale

Original post by Meany Pie

because they are the ones paying you at the end of the day, if they want you to dress a certain way then so be it.

If one day your boss decided to replace your chair with one that was lumpy and had spikes on the seat would you comply simply because they paid your salary?

As workers we have rights and one of those, I would like to believe, is being free of rules/requirements that are not directly relevant to your job.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 18

Meany Pie

Original post by SHallowvale

It's not unreasonable to have a dress code. In many businesses it's suitable (eg a company uniform). However if your dress code includes items that are quite obviously uncomfortable and damaging/painful then that's where the line gets crossed, at least in my opinion.

If one day your boss decided to replace your chair with one that was lumpy and had spikes on the seat would you comply simply because they paid your salary?

As workers we have rights and one of those, I would like to believe, is being free of rules/requirements that are not directly relevant to your job.

if it affects your health then it is unreasonable and that should be taken to your employer.

lets not use hyperbole, it is is boring, also my boss is a really nice guy.

we have rights and companies have rights, should be an equal balance between them. dressing smart is often relevant to the job when in professional settings.

Reply 19

mojojojo101

Original post by chazwomaq

Fine, but employers should be allowed dresscodes if they want, no?

Sure, where the manner of your dress affects your ability to perform your role, high heels do not have an effect on one's ability to be a receptionist, much like shorts do not prevent someone from being a decent corporate lawyer, as an example.

I don't think a law would achieve anything though as dress codes would just become more of a verbal/peer pressure type thing. There are of course other ways to change people's actions other than by setting hard and fast rules.