A London receptionist refused to wear heels and was dismissed from her job. Now she’s petitioning...

[Orrex]

42. I agree that that *is* an issue to be addressed.

I can see how different sites might maintain different dress codes (my company's office in PA has different requirements than the office in AZ). It's entirely possible that the Embankment location has different requirements. If all sites are the same, though, then the fault is with the site that created the confusion. In this case, it's ultimately a good fault, but still a fault in terms of consistency.

Also, I would draw a distinction between strictly "professional appearance" dress codes - no jeans, t shirts etc. and something like heels, which have health implications, when I suggest that some parts of dress codes may not be enforced. And there actually is evidence here that this might be the case.

I'm down with that, but I think that enforcement would be a problem. If a given dress code is permitted by law and by OSHA safety standards, then it might be up to the employee to demonstrate that a given factor represents a health risk.

Certainly one would hope that the employer recognizes that professionalism and safety/comfort are not mutually exclusive!