4 ms·

I have a friend whose boss likes to 'go for a walk' or 'catch up whilst we head over to X'. Naturally she's wearing high heels and it's a fucking nightmare for

I have a friend whose boss likes to 'go for a walk' or 'catch up whilst we head over to X'. Naturally she's wearing high heels and it's a fucking nightmare for her.

speedgoose 7y ago
Is she forced to wear high heels at work or she simply likes it?
NikolaNovak 7y ago
I'm afraid I feel my level of sympathy would be 100% correlated with how mandatory the heels are for your friend :-/ On aside, I'm also (genuinely, not snarkily) curious to understand the "Naturally" part in front of "wearing high heels". Don't get me wrong - I personally think they're a fabulously attractive if completely impractical article of clothing, but it feels like in many places in the world they are far from the norm/regular/Natural assumption.
- nikofeyn 7y ago
  > I'm afraid I feel my level of sympathy would be 100% correlated with how mandatory the heels are for your friend :-/ that's a rather sexist position. someone's wardrobe, if in the entirely reasonable range in which high heels are, should not be dictated by someone else's preferences, particular a boss.
  - plorntus 7y ago
    I mean it's not 100% clear cut like that. Has the person told the boss that it is uncomfortable? They could easily just be oblivious to the problem. Secondly, if it's not mandatory there has to be a point where you decide to do what's best for you. For example, it gets really hot outside where I live in the summer but my office puts the AC at ridiculously low temperatures. For me that means I can't wear shorts in the office because it gets too cold. I wouldn't wear shorts every day and act all surprised about it when nothing has changed nor think anything is sexist or even a personal attack on me.
  - mcv 7y ago
    If your work is likely to involve walks, I'd wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in. For some, that might include high heels, for others not. A bigger issue might be that such walking meetings may exclude some disabled employees.
  - chairmanwow1 7y ago
    I’m confused by this comment. If this person knows they are going on walking meetings I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to bring shoes to walk in. If they want to wear high heels regardless of this knowledge and have no requirement to wear high heels, I feel no sympathy.
    - mcv 7y ago
      On the other hand, if they're required to attend walking meetings in footwear not suitable for walking, then that's a serious labour conditions issue.
philsnow 7y ago
Sounds like an opportunity to keep a pair of tactical flats in a desk drawer. "opportunity" here sounds kind of crappy because of the boss/employee power dynamic and the man/woman thing to boot, but if she's not offended by the implication that she should bend to meet the demands of her boss, it could be seen as a plain savvy thing to do. edit: just noticed I assumed the boss was a dude, maybe that's not the case, but the boss/employee power dynamic is the main bit
hinkley 7y ago
I think some of us miss that step in growing up where you're supposed to realize you can own lots of shoes for occasions other than fashion. You can have some that are fit for only one activity or used in one location (eg, the gym or exercise class). Keeping a spare pair of shoes at work would solve this problem.
kaybe 7y ago
Height differences can also be quite annoying when walking, especially when there are more than two people (eg two taller ones and one shorter).
DreamSpinner 7y ago
I also wonder if encouraging this form of meetings could be viewed as discriminatory if you have employees who have physical disabilities that might make walking unpleasant or slow.
- mcv 7y ago
  My wife has done walking meetings, particularly with very small groups (2 or 3) or phone meetings. But she currently has a knee problem that makes walking unpleasant and slow. I guess checking whether all participants are fine with a walking meeting is an essential part of the process. CEOs demanding a certain style of favourite meeting does not go well with that.
_sbrk 7y ago
Sounds like a personal choice. She has the option to adapt to the circumstances, and has failed to do so. We aren't allowed to wear flip flops to work. I don't see why heels are tolerated, either. Work isn't a fashion statement.
- gbear605 7y ago
  For a lot of people, heels in the office isn’t a choice. Usually that’s not the case in the tech industry, but it still is in many other fields.
  - mcv 7y ago
    Requiring uncomfortable footwear is the problem, not the walk. I'd take the walking meeting as an excuse to ditch the heels. It's entirely possible to find good-looking shoes that have low heels and are comfortable to walk in.

I have a friend whose boss likes to 'go for a walk' or 'catch up whilst we head over to X'. Naturally she's wearing high heels and it's a fucking nightmare for her.

speedgoose 7y ago

Is she forced to wear high heels at work or she simply likes it?

NikolaNovak 7y ago

I'm afraid I feel my level of sympathy would be 100% correlated with how mandatory the heels are for your friend :-/ On aside, I'm also (genuinely, not snarkily) curious to understand the "Naturally" part in front of "wearing high heels". Don't get me wrong - I personally think they're a fabulously attractive if completely impractical article of clothing, but it feels like in many places in the world they are far from the norm/regular/Natural assumption.

nikofeyn 7y ago
> I'm afraid I feel my level of sympathy would be 100% correlated with how mandatory the heels are for your friend :-/ that's a rather sexist position. someone's wardrobe, if in the entirely reasonable range in which high heels are, should not be dictated by someone else's preferences, particular a boss.
- plorntus 7y ago
  I mean it's not 100% clear cut like that. Has the person told the boss that it is uncomfortable? They could easily just be oblivious to the problem. Secondly, if it's not mandatory there has to be a point where you decide to do what's best for you. For example, it gets really hot outside where I live in the summer but my office puts the AC at ridiculously low temperatures. For me that means I can't wear shorts in the office because it gets too cold. I wouldn't wear shorts every day and act all surprised about it when nothing has changed nor think anything is sexist or even a personal attack on me.
- mcv 7y ago
  If your work is likely to involve walks, I'd wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in. For some, that might include high heels, for others not. A bigger issue might be that such walking meetings may exclude some disabled employees.
- chairmanwow1 7y ago
  I’m confused by this comment. If this person knows they are going on walking meetings I don’t understand why they wouldn’t want to bring shoes to walk in. If they want to wear high heels regardless of this knowledge and have no requirement to wear high heels, I feel no sympathy.
  - mcv 7y ago
    On the other hand, if they're required to attend walking meetings in footwear not suitable for walking, then that's a serious labour conditions issue.

philsnow 7y ago

Sounds like an opportunity to keep a pair of tactical flats in a desk drawer. "opportunity" here sounds kind of crappy because of the boss/employee power dynamic and the man/woman thing to boot, but if she's not offended by the implication that she should bend to meet the demands of her boss, it could be seen as a plain savvy thing to do. edit: just noticed I assumed the boss was a dude, maybe that's not the case, but the boss/employee power dynamic is the main bit

hinkley 7y ago

I think some of us miss that step in growing up where you're supposed to realize you can own lots of shoes for occasions other than fashion. You can have some that are fit for only one activity or used in one location (eg, the gym or exercise class). Keeping a spare pair of shoes at work would solve this problem.

kaybe 7y ago

Height differences can also be quite annoying when walking, especially when there are more than two people (eg two taller ones and one shorter).

DreamSpinner 7y ago

I also wonder if encouraging this form of meetings could be viewed as discriminatory if you have employees who have physical disabilities that might make walking unpleasant or slow.

mcv 7y ago
My wife has done walking meetings, particularly with very small groups (2 or 3) or phone meetings. But she currently has a knee problem that makes walking unpleasant and slow. I guess checking whether all participants are fine with a walking meeting is an essential part of the process. CEOs demanding a certain style of favourite meeting does not go well with that.

_sbrk 7y ago

Sounds like a personal choice. She has the option to adapt to the circumstances, and has failed to do so. We aren't allowed to wear flip flops to work. I don't see why heels are tolerated, either. Work isn't a fashion statement.

gbear605 7y ago
For a lot of people, heels in the office isn’t a choice. Usually that’s not the case in the tech industry, but it still is in many other fields.
- mcv 7y ago
  Requiring uncomfortable footwear is the problem, not the walk. I'd take the walking meeting as an excuse to ditch the heels. It's entirely possible to find good-looking shoes that have low heels and are comfortable to walk in.