MNHQ here: Have you been made to wear high heels at work?

[RowanMumsnet]

Greetings!

Parliament's Petitions Committee has been in touch to ask whether MNers would like to feed in to its investigation into women being required to wear high heels at work.

The investigation is in response to a petition on the Parliament website asking the government to 'make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work'. The petition has had nearly 150,000 signatures, and as a result the petitions committee is going to look into the matter more thoroughly.

This is what they say:

"If you've been personally affected by this issue we want to hear from you."

"Your experiences will help us understand the problem. It will also give us an idea of how many people this affects and help us to decide what action to recommend to the Government."

"When sharing your experiences, please include:

• What were the circumstances that led to you being made to wear high heels? For example: what type of work was involved? Were you a permanent or a temporary member of staff?
  
• Did you challenge the requirement? If so, what was the outcome?
  
• Did you think that the requirement was reasonable?
  
• What does a reasonable work dress code mean to you?"
  
  "Please note that the user name you choose will appear with your comment. Please do not name specific companies/employers in your post."
  
  If you prefer, you can respond directly to the Committee via this link.
  
  Thanks
  MNHQ

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

1cm is about right

Actually "zero drop" or no heel is best, anything else throws your whole body out of alignment.

[KatieKaboom]

What about those little pygmy hunter chaps who run around on the balls of their feet with their heels off the ground?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

What about those little pygmy hunter chaps who run around on the balls of their feet with their heels off the ground?

You shouldn't really be using your heels when you run anyway - I very much doubt they spend their entire lives without their heels meeting the ground.

[HeadDreamer]

I can't believe people equate ties to heels. I couldn't walk in heels. Even 'sensible' kitten heals. I have no problem wearing a pencil skirts or tights even though I find them very very uncomfortable. I wouldn't choose to wear pencil skirts or tights, but I would refuse to wear heels.

I can't see why I'm not professional looking with a pair of nice flats.

[HeadDreamer]

I haven't been asked to wear heels because my chosen career is very casually dressed. I can wear whatever I like to work. I had this conversation with DH today. I think the only standard of dress I object to in the office is swimwear. I don't even have a problem with cycle gear. Both DH and I have people in cycle gear in our office. They don't smell so I don't see a problem with it.

[HeadDreamer]

Same as @specialsubject

anyone in a suit without customers visiting would be asked 'did you get the job?'

Yes, get a job in science.

[EBearhug]

anyone in a suit without customers visiting would be asked 'did you get the job?'

Same with us (IT). I do sometimes wear a dress. I usually just respond with, "who knows?" if asked if I got the job. I don't mind them wondering if I might be looking elsewhere.

I am currently wearing shoes with a heel that's about 1cm; I got them online somewhere, but I can't remember where. (So that's helpful...)

[PixieGio]

www.cabinshoes.com/heels/square-toe-flat

I used to wear these on board for 10 hours plus sometimes. Bloody comfy.

[MadisonMontgomery]

I suppose I've been lucky - I've worked in a solicitors firm and although we were expected to dress smartly, heels weren't mandatory (and in fact no one wore them as the building was about 400 years old and all the floors and stairs were uneven) and I then went to the NHS - our dress policy states flat, closed toe shoes. Some office staff wear heels, but it's very rare, most people wear comfy shoes.

[tribpot]

Pixie - I'm pleased to see that kind of shoe for cabin crew because that actually does look sensible (as well as comfortable). Am even more mystified about the requirement for heels whilst on the ground. I have worked in an office where the opposite logic applied - people would stroll/stagger around in gigantic heels in the office and then have to put on trainers to go to the shop at lunchtime for their sarnie. This was at least all completely voluntary.

[KatieKaboom]

Cycle gear in the office? My managing partner would burst a blood vessel. (I'd LOVE to see that. )

[andintothefire]

If men feel strongly enough to start a petition objecting to the enforcement of dress codes that require a tie and prohibit the wearing of shorts, good luck to them.

Just because men feel discriminated against in some ways (albeit that I don't accept that wearing heels is actually comparable to those examples), that doesn't mean that discriminating against women in other ways is right!

[officebairn]

Seconded burntheblacksuit.

Have been made to wear make-up in a job before, especially customer-facing roles.

Wish this could be petitioned too!

[HeadDreamer]

KatieKaboom I'm in software development. Dress standard is very low. We are definitely very professional however!

[specialsubject]

pixie thank you so much - they do exist!!

(sorry - will cease derail but I can actually buy wearable smart shoes at a not-ridiculous price! I thought they'd been outlawed!!)

[AdoraKiora]

No, but will get my best friend to respond.

She works for a Big 4 firm and was told she had to wear heels for 'client facing work'. She is a senior manager in Counter Fraud.

Seems absolutely fucking archaic, lets be honest! .

[DangerousBeanz]

I had to wear heels and skirt when I worked for a bank many moons ago. I have the world's smallest squarest feet (size 3 h width fitting) so getting a pair to fit well was impossible,so they rubbed horrendously. I kicked them off under the desk as much as I could but by the end of the first day my toes and heels were both a bleeding mess and I could barely walk. The next day I tried to wear them again and ended up in tears. Fortunately an assistant manager spotted me and realised the problem and I the boss excused me and ib was allowed to wear school type shoes instead.
Years later I was teaching at a school where the female head wanted all staff in the juniors to wear skirts and heels. I was moved from the unnamed to year 3 and wore a smart trouser suit with flat comfotable shoes. I was dragged into her office and hauled over the coals about professional appearance (no heels skirt) the next day I wore a dress and jacket and heels - I had blisters and bleeding get before play time and went to see the h and s rep and we threatened the union. Next day I was back in the trousers and flats.

Some of us just can't wear heels. They don't make them to fit us. And they cripple us.
I even went to a garden party at Buckingham palace in flats and none said anything.

[FrancesNiadova]

I couldn't wear heels even if I wanted to. I've had major surgery on my leg, ankle and foot; heels are now physically impossible for me. This does not affect my ability to think, be creative, work diligently, or to look smart and professional.

[OvariesBeforeBrovaries]

I used to work for a company where the dress code was usually smart-casual, but every so often clients would come and visit, and that would call for what they termed a "lippy day", where the women were expected to wear full business attire (which is fine) and full make-up (not so great) so that we looked like pretty little PAs. I hated that.

In my current job it'd be easy for them to insist on heels - we are customer-facing, professional environment etc - but thankfully they just want smart shoes. I'd be screwed if they demanded heels; they cause my ankles to dislocate (gotta love EDS). Thankfully I can wear smart black brogues.

[VenusRising]

High fives fellow scientists, engineers and IT workers!

[Theydontknowweknowtheyknow]

I feel proud to work in IT now . We're a scruffy lot and there's nowt better than being scruffy and comfortable IMO.

[MyAmDeryCross]

Until relatively recently (in the past 15 years) a company I used to work for wouldn't allow women to wear trousers. Interestingly it was a company founded by a woman.

Sorry if someone has already mentioned this, but it would be interesting to know what the company's response would be if a man came to work wearing heels. Or a dress or skirt? Or if a company declared it mandatory for men to wear skirts or dresses.

Or the company who mandated that skirts must be 50cm/20in and employed a dwarf?

[EBearhug]

I'm in Scotland at the moment. Plenty of men wearing kilts as part of their uniform, at least in touristy places.

[Spirael]

I have hypermobility in my feet and ankles, causing me to have flat feet, a significant inward roll and meaning I can barely find shoes that fit - let alone ones that are comfortable. A few years ago I fell down some stairs and went right over on my ankle, causing severe ligament damage that took over a year to heal entirely.

Several months after the incident, when I was still in significant pain, my manager pulled me aside at work to say that the plain black, suede leather, flat shoes I was wearing were not acceptable and he wanted me to be in smart, heeled, office shoes. I pointed out that I couldn't walk in them, so he told me I needed to have smart shoes to wear at my desk, but that I could change my shoes if I needed to walk anywhere.

I'm a database developer - I'm never client or public facing and spend the vast majority of my working life sat at a desk working on my computer. I fail to see how me being required to wear smart shoes is at all relevant to the job I do, besides providing entertainment to my colleagues as I totter unsteadily to the washroom, fall down stairs and waste my salary on useless and expensive footwear.

I have since moved to a different company that is more accepting of flat shoes.