A woman has told a shocking story of how she was sent away from work because she refused to wear heels which according to her, was against the dress code of the company.
According to reports, the 27-year-old, Nicola Thorp, who was employed as a temp by PwC’s outsourced reception firm Portico, said she was “laughed at” when she complained that the demand was discriminatory as men were allowed to wear flat shoes.
She said she was sent home without pay after she refused to go out and buy a pair of heels, adding that the company insisted she also wear make-up if she must retain her job as a receptionist.
The company also went as far as giving her a colour chart of “acceptable shades”. which she found rather upsetting.
Thorp has launched a campaign for it to be made illegal to force women to wear heels and make up at work.
She said: “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 [I was being turned away from work], 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.
““When I pointed out that my male colleague was allowed to work in flat shoes, and that I felt that I was being discriminated against, I was laughed at. I left feeling upset and confused.”
Nicola has now launched a petition on the Parliament website calling for it to illegal for companies to demand women wear heels.
She wrote: “It’s still legal in the UK for a company to require female members of staff to wear high heels at work against their will.
“Dress code laws should be changed so that women have the option to wear flat formal shoes at work if they wish.
“Current formal work dress codes are outdated and sexist.”
As with all Parliament.uk petitions, if it reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will send a response. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for a debate in Parliament.
A spokesperson said: “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.”
Additionally, a Portico spokesperson said: “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.
“We have taken on board the comments regarding footwear and will be reviewing our guidelines in consultation with our clients and team members.”
