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| Nicola Thorp |
Nicola Thorp was a temp receptionist at a finance company in the UK, PricewaterhouseCoopers. She was told that 2" - 4" high heels were required for women. “I was expected to do a nine-hour shift on my feet escorting clients to meeting rooms," stated Thorp. "I said ‘I just won’t be able to do that in heels.’” When she was asked to leave and return with heels, she said, "If you can give me a reason as to why wearing flats would impair me to do my job today, then fair enough." The company could not provide a valid reason. They fired her.
Getting even
Nicola Thorp, 27, decided to go about changing the laws that allow companies to force women to wear heels to work. She started a petition which so far has over 133,000 signatures; 100,000 signatures requires the government to respond. The petition simply states: “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 out-dated and sexist.”
The Fawcett Society, a UK organization that campaigns for women's rights, couldn't agree more. Chief Executive Sam Smethers commented: “It is completely unacceptable in 2016 for high heels to be an essential requirement for a woman to do her job. What matters is what enables people to do a good job and what drives productivity. It is not 4 inch heels.”
Read more at www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/high-heels-receptionist-sent-home-pwc-nicola-thorp_uk_573324b4e4b0e6da49a72f9f
