British govt issues guidelines outlining discriminatory work dressing policy

LONDON - The chair of the House of Commons Petitions Committee on Friday welcomed new government guidelines saying women can't be fired for refusing to wear high heels at work.

New guidelines have been issued by the government about dress codes and sex discrimination following calls from the Women and Equalities and Petitions Committees.

It follows a petition to the British parliament in 2016 signed by 150,000 people calling for it to be illegal for an employer to require a woman to wear high heels.

The petition was started by Nicola Thorp who made headlines in after going public about an experience she had in London as a temporary worker and was sent home from work without pay after refusing to wear high heels.

It led to a parliamentary inquiry prompted by the petition, with the Women and Equalities and Petitions Committees hearing shocking stories of women suffering discrimination in the workplace, especially young women in insecure employment. The inquiry called on the Government to produce guidance to help employers and employees to understand the law.

Chair of the Petitions Committee Helen Jones MP, said: "Our inquiry showed that the shocking treatment suffered by Nicola Thorp, who was sent home from work because she refused to wear high heels, was not an isolated incident."

Jones said guidance is a good first step in helping employers and employees to understand their rights and legal duties.

"There is now a great deal of work to be done to promote this guidance so that its message is heard by as wide an audience as possible," she added.

The new guidelines say that if a boss requires female staff to wear high heels as part of a dress code but places no footwear requirements on men it is likely to constitute direct discrimination on grounds of sex because there is not an equivalent standard imposed on male staff.

The guidelines say forcing women at work to dress in a provocative or revealing fashion could contribute to an environment in which employees may be vulnerable to unwanted sexual attention and harassment.