Opinion: Women shouldn’t have to toe line on shoes

When Nicola Thorpe turned up for her first day of work as a receptionist at PwC's global headquarters in London, she was sent her home without pay for wearing the wrong shoes.

The problem, according to managers from the staffing agency Portico – which supplies workers to the accounting firm – was that Ms Thorpe was wearing flat shoes. She then refused to go out and buy the two to four inch heels that are part of its dress code.

To be fair, some employment lawyers say this kind of dress code is not illegal, as long as men and women must meet a similar level of “smartness”. Men can be required to wear a jacket and tie, for example, even when women are not.

Faced with all the negative publicity – and a complaint from PwC – Portico announced that it was changing its policy.

Scantily clad

But one has to wonder about the purpose of the heels requirement in the first place. Did Portico think it was supplying waitresses to restaurants in the Hooters chain?

A sexualised dress code might be deemed appropriate for a casual restaurant chain that advertises with pictures of scantily clad waitresses and describes itself as “delightfully tacky yet unrefined”. (I confess I am not a fan. But at least the place is honest about what it offers.)

In fact, while Hooters waitresses are required to sport low-cut T-shirts and hot pants, even they are allowed to wear trainers.

Long hours on their feet carrying huge trays of drinks would make uncomfortable footwear an impractical addition to the uniform.

Here at the Financial Times, the newsroom includes women in ballet flats and four-inch spikes, while men don anything from brightly coloured running shoes to old-fashioned Oxford brogues.

I have my own rule that I only totter around on high heels when wearing a dress that would look out of place in the office.

Whatever your personal preference, a heels requirement certainly has no place in the lobby of an accounting firm that regularly bangs on about the need for diversity and even sponsors a blog about equality issues called “The Gender Agenda”.

PwC argues – in a letter sent to those who complained about the heels policy via its website – that Portico’s policy was “industry standard”.

The accounting firm notes that many of its own female employees do wear flats “because of the high mobility required by many of our roles”.

Avoiding pain

So highly educated PwC accountants and consultants, who could obviously seek employment elsewhere, have a choice and can avoid the pain that goes with wearing high heels. How nice.

But spare a thought for the receptionists in its lobby, who probably have fewer options in the job market. Until someone pointed out the disparity, they simply had to toe the line.

– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016