AN actress claims she was sent home on her first day at a receptionist job in
London without being paid – for refusing to wear high HEELS.
Nicola Thorp says that when she arrived at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers’
(PwC) offices in flat shoes she was told that she could only come to work
wearing two to four inch high heels.
The 27-year-old, who was employed as a temp by PwC’s outsourced reception firm
Portico, claims she was “laughed at” by a manager when she complained that
she was being discriminated against as men were allowed to wear flat shoes.
Incredibly, she claims she was sent home after she refused to go out and buy a
pair of heels.
Nicola, who lives in Hackney, north east London, also says she was told she
had to wear make-up and was handed a colour chart of “acceptable shades”.
She told the : “When I arrived on site, I was turned away from work
because I was not wearing high heels.
“I expressed my confusion as to why, 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.”
The actress, who is originally from Blackpool, was employed by corporate
reception services firm Portico in between acting roles after graduating
from drama school.
PwC said the dress code was not its policy and that the member of staff
involved worked for Portico.
The 27-year-old said she called an employment rights helpline for advice but
was told that bosses have the right to enforce a formal dress code in the
workplace.
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Refusing to back down – Nicola has now launched an online petition to try to
make it illegal for companies to force women to wear high heels to work.
“I started this petition because I was outraged that in 2016, employers still
have the right to make women wear heels against their will in the
workplace,” she said.
“A woman deserves the choice to wear smart heels or smart flats, whichever is
more comfortable or practical for work.”
However after posting it on the “I’m a Promo Ho” Facebook group – a
page for “resting actors, models and dancers” – Nicola’s petition
received mixed reviews.
Most women were supportive but several men slammed the actress for complaining
about an insignificant “gripe”.
Mark Bracken-Loughnane said: “As a male I resent having to wear a suit on
hot days!! Where is the ‘go to business meetings in a t-shirt and be taken
seriously’ petition??”
Jay Valentine added: “If the job description requires high heels because
the manager or owner is after a certain ‘look’ and you don’t want to wear
high heels don’t take the f****** job you whinge bags.”
The petition demands that the Government “make it illegal for a company
to require women to wear high heels at work”.
Since being launched on Monday it has already gained almost 5,000 signatures –
with supporters taking to social media to raise awareness of the case.
A spokeswoman for PwC told the London based newspaper: “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 Portico spokeswoman added: “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.”
SEXIST RUBBISH
SAM Smethers, of women’s rights charity the Fawcett Society, said: “It is
completely unacceptable in 2016 for high heels to be an essential
requirement for a woman to do her job.
“A dress code should be professional. It doesn’t have to be sexist.
“Let’s focus on what enables employees to do their jobs well and what drives
productivity.
“Since when did four-inch heels drive performance?”
THE LAW SAYS…
BOSSES can tell staff what to wear to work for reasons ranging from
maintaining a corporate image to health and safety.
But employment dispute agency ACAS says firms must avoid discrimination and
all dress codes should apply to men and women equally. Guidance also says
employers should not ban staff wearing clothes which manifest a religion.
Those failing to comply with a dress code or standards face disciplinary
action.
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