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Should Employers Be Able to Force Employees to Wear High Heels?

Should Employers Be Able to Force Employees to Wear High Heels?

  • Total voters
    64
Bodhisattva said:
If it part of a uniform that the employee knows they have to wear at hiring... yes.
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True. But also if it is known that 5 hours of typing a day may cause carpel tunnel syndrome and you have your workers do that, and they develop carpel tunnel... You owe um disability!

So if you require it... And they snap an ankle in half and tear a ligament... You owe.
 
Some of my co-workers suspected I would love to wear high heels.:lol:
 
Employers should be able to enforce fair and equitable a dress code, so long as it's uniformly enforced and understood at the time of hire. For the most part, bikini bars and strip clubs require a "dress code" that is well understood before the job is accepted. Now if a business office requiring "office attire" tried to force a bunch of legal aides, lawyers, to wear high heels, they'd probably be facing some gender discrimination issues... unless the required the men to wear high heels as well, lol.
 
MaggieD said:
I’m not real sure on this one. Seems like it’s part of a uniform. Men’s and women’s dress codes are often different. Women may be required to wear skirts or dresses. And nylon stockings. Men probably not. What if steel toed boots hurt your feet? Should you not have to wear them on a construction site as part of a crew? What if a hard hat gives you a headache? Scratch the hard hat? I’m twixt and tween on this...
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Are there really any places of employment that still require dresses, skirts and nylon stockings? Seems like something of the past. I don't think I've even ever said "nylon stockings" out loud.
 
To answer the OP, I don't think the shoe dress code should be so specific. A nice pair of flat dress shoes are just as professional as heels.
 
MaggieD said:
I’m not real sure on this one. Seems like it’s part of a uniform. Men’s and women’s dress codes are often different. Women may be required to wear skirts or dresses. And nylon stockings. Men probably not. What if steel toed boots hurt your feet? Should you not have to wear them on a construction site as part of a crew? What if a hard hat gives you a headache? Scratch the hard hat? I’m twixt and tween on this...
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Well, the difference is the sorts of things construction workers wear are things that are designed to save your life and limb. There are also things that can be done to improve their comfort (better quality, proper fitting, etc). But even if there weren't, a corn is preferable to having half your foot lopped off. A headache is better than being dead.

Heels are inherently damaging and serve no purpose. They make anything you're doing more dangerous, rather than less. For some women, they can result in life-long orthopedic and gait problems even after you stop wearing them.

Those two things are entirely different issues.
 
While I certainly respect the rights of businesses to set forth a dress code of their choosing, there has to be limits and certainly in this case, high heels are a physically damaging piece of clothing and no one should be coerced into wearing something, for any job that damages their body in any way.

I know many of the usual suspects, will come into the thread and say "well she can just work somewhere else" but that's really missing the entire point of all of this.
 
It's simple. If high heels are required for the job, then you don't take the job if you don't want to wear them.
 
dirtpoorchris said:
True. But also if it is known that 5 hours of typing a day may cause carpel tunnel syndrome and you have your workers do that, and they develop carpel tunnel... You owe um disability!

So if you require it... And they snap an ankle in half and tear a ligament... You owe.
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Put in their contract a no liabilty clause...
 
TurtleDude said:
I used to date a girl who served at a TGIF back when female servers mainly wore black miniskirts paired with red, white or black tights. One lady server asked to wear trousers which was granted. of course she then started complaining she didn't get the same tips as my GF who, being a serious tennis player, had the sort of legs that looked really good in tights. at another place I used to attend, the male bartenders complained about female bartenders wearing minis since the female bartenders got better tips. this problem was solved when the bartenders on duty for a given shift would split the tips down the middle-after that the male bartenders encouraged their female coworkers to wear as short a skirt as they could get away with
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I'm tired of all the expectations that everything should be blindly and absolutely equal. The world , and the human species, simply doesn't work that way.

As far as pooled tips, if I know tips are shared I will tip less. I don't feel obligated to reward someone who did nothing for me at all.
 
My son has back problems from wearing all the equipment he was required to carry as a police officer. Quite a few police officers end up with back problems. If we're making a list of things associated with work that can cause health issues it will be a long list indeed.
 
That is usually caused by insufficient exercise. The pain can be ameliorated with exercise. I've known many officers who did the exercise, never experienced back issues.
 
In general I don't think an employer should be able to force an employee to wear high heels. Unless they're somehow relevant to the job.
 
Carjosse said:
I was reading The Globe the other day and I came across this article, an Ontario MPP has put forward a bill that would ban:


Mainly targeting employers who force women to wear high heels. Similar legislation was passed in BC earlier this year. The reasoning is that high heels are unsafe and often lead to foot pain and damage in employees forced to wear them for hours on end. There is also the case of discrimination, men are not forced to wear high heels so why should women?

I have to agree as someone with very flat feet wearing the wrong kind of shoe can cause great pain, especially after standing for hours, I could not imagine doing so in something even worse for your feet like high heels which cause problems even without existing foot problems.
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Unless your employer is selling you as a sex object or for sex, such as a stripper at a strip club, I can't think of a single reason why high heels would be a mandatory part of any uniform.

I'd just note that the Provincial Liberal government in Ontario is so corrupt and years past their best before date, if they ever had one, that I'm not surprised this is something that occupies our legislature. And thank God it's not something that drains money out of our pockets as most everything they touch does.
 
Carjosse said:
I was reading The Globe the other day and I came across this article, an Ontario MPP has put forward a bill that would ban:


Mainly targeting employers who force women to wear high heels. Similar legislation was passed in BC earlier this year. The reasoning is that high heels are unsafe and often lead to foot pain and damage in employees forced to wear them for hours on end. There is also the case of discrimination, men are not forced to wear high heels so why should women?

I have to agree as someone with very flat feet wearing the wrong kind of shoe can cause great pain, especially after standing for hours, I could not imagine doing so in something even worse for your feet like high heels which cause problems even without existing foot problems.
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Unless it is specifically stated in a contract or signed employee handbook (Check your local state laws) no. The wearing of high heels can cause damage to the feet.
 
If the employer desires a certain image for their company, so be it. Don't like high heals? Don't work there.
 
Yes. If the employer and the employee have agreed to the terms of a contract which demands a kind of dress code then that is fine. But if the employer knowingly insists on a contract which can be proven to harm employees' health and/or safety then the employer must be held legally responsible and liable for all or some of the injury done, once such harm is reported by the employee.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
OldFatGuy said:
That is usually caused by insufficient exercise. The pain can be ameliorated with exercise. I've known many officers who did the exercise, never experienced back issues.
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Well, OldFatGuy; He runs Marathons; I doubt exercise is the problem in his case.
 
CanadaJohn said:
Unless your employer is selling you as a sex object or for sex, such as a stripper at a strip club, I can't think of a single reason why high heels would be a mandatory part of any uniform.

I'd just note that the Provincial Liberal government in Ontario is so corrupt and years past their best before date, if they ever had one, that I'm not surprised this is something that occupies our legislature. And thank God it's not something that drains money out of our pockets as most everything they touch does.
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Canadians are renowned for being reasonable people, always ready to look for a compromise. So how about the employer being able to demand a high heeled shoe on one foot and the employee being able to choose for himself on the other? (In the interests of diversity and inclusiveness special rules must be devised for employees with fewer or more than two feet).
 
No, high heels should not be allowed to be required. Whoever wants to do that should themselves have to wear them for a few hours. They are uncomfortable, not good for long term physical health (backs, feet, legs). I'm sure they were invented by men.
 
Rosie1 said:
No, high heels should not be allowed to be required. Whoever wants to do that should themselves have to wear them for a few hours. They are uncomfortable, not good for long term physical health (backs, feet, legs). I'm sure they were invented by men.
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There is a little known joke in the martial arts world that if you want the best stance/kicking exercise in the world then stand up in high-heels without resting.
 
Simply depends on the reason.
For what I do, never.
 
I was deeply committed to my stilettos until I developed plantar fascitis this year.

I miss my heels, but I don't miss the excruciating pain.

It was definitely a lifestyle change, I had to completely replace my heels.
 
I would quit my job before wearing high heels :mrgreen: ...........
 
cuban smokes said:
I would quit my job before wearing high heels :mrgreen: ...........
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uh what sort of job requires a dude to wear high heels? a RuPaul stunt double?
 
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