Girls going barefoot at my workplace... - YouLookFab Forum

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Girls going barefoot at my workplace...

Jennifer1985

Member

Hello peeps first post here thought I would start it off with a subject that I'm sure I'm not alone with to talk about.

Recently here in UK we have had quite the heatwave and at the moment in the office I work at I have seen at least 5 ladies walking around barefoot.

Personally I would never do this as A: I think it's a bit unprofessional and
B: the carpet here is gross and not exactly clean.

I can understand if it's hot you want to feel more comfortable and if wearing uncomfy shoes like high heels I would understand but these girls I notice come in wearing either sandals, flip flops or ballerina pumps (flats) .

Sorry not being a office gustapo just I think it's a bit much to have your actual barefeet out.

I nearly wretched the other day as one girl sitting in front of me sat with her legs crossed on her seat and bottoms of feet look like she had been tarmacking a road!

Thoughts? Opinions?

General

21 replies

Latest reply was from anne

Murph11

Veteran

Horrors! I'm assuming your office is very casual and these colleagues do not meet with clients barefoot! Management hasn't chimed in? Ugh.
(Comment from a barefoot, self-employed, work-from-home, rarely sees clients fabber)

viva

Veteran

I'm a big thumbs-down on this behavior in the workplace! From a pure hygiene point of view, yuck.

crutcher

Veteran

I won't walk across my own floor without shoes...I cannot imagine walking across a public floor barefooted...
This is just too gross to further comment upon...
But there are many virus' out there that can be had from bare feet...

Anonymous

Yikes! I imagine the company could get sued by barefoot employees who get injured stubbing and breaking a toe on a piece of furniture or getting an infection after stepping on a staple.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I agree that this is 1) gross from a hygiene perspective, and 2) unprofessional. I think that this needs to be addressed by management as a policy. You don't say what kind of environment this is, but it sounds like some sort of office. Unless it's a swimming pool, I just can't see it being acceptable. I totally get (and embrace) the cultivated casual office environment, but this is going too far, IMHO. It would kind of feel like going to the office in pajamas.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

EWWWWWW!!

Beth

Veteran

Yikes. I'm a devoted bare foot girl at home, but never, ever outside of my house unless I'm on the boat.

jackiec

Veteran

Yuck....

Anonymous

Are they barefoot or are they wearing flip flops and balerinas?
Balerinas are fine at my workplace.
Flip flops are fine for the guys but most women don't wear them although it #should# be fine from a gender-fairness perspective. I wear open-toe sandals every day at work.
Just doesn't seem that bad to me. Maybe you're working in a very formal office?

Our company is growing and we've recently had a very big hiring spree and a lot of the new-hires are younger. They actually dress much more fashionably (and nicer, IMO) than the rest of us fogies, but are definitely not as rules oriented. For example, a girl was wearing an off-the-shoulder t-shirt with her bra strap showing. Hair and makeup were nicely done and overall, I think she looked great!

Other women wear very beautify suits and shoes, while yet others wear jeans and t-shirts. It's really anything goes. I like it

So I guess m'y opinion Is that it's not So bad.

ETA: If people are actually walking around with no shows on at all at the office, then that's really weird.

Anonymous

Thumbs down. Very unprofessional. And a lot of times, I don't want to see their feet.

Anonymous

Not especially safe for them, especially in a semi public climate controlled environment without the extremes of temperatures that kill microorganisms. Ever since a pediatrician described the parasites and bacteria that can enter through cracks and tiny cuts in the feet I've been pretty discriminating.

rachylou

Veteran

MARIME (maree-may) - as in UNCLEAN

Debbie

Veteran

We have had this problem in my new office. They finally talked to the girl and told her to keep her shoes on.

Gaylene

Veteran

I'm not a fan, but I think my reaction is more cultural than rational.

For what it's worth, I can't rationally believe going barefoot is necessarily any more dangerous than wearing shoes--especially given the blisters, bunions, and other foot problems that so many of us accept as normal. I also know going barefoot is still common in many societies, especially for young children, and, historically, going barefoot was the norm since only the upper classes could afford to wear shoes.

It seems to me, if hygiene or disease is an issue, wearing strappy sandals in public would also be a rather risky undertaking. I'm thinking the thick sole one develops going barefoot would offer more protection than the flimsy, cardboardy soles found on many shoes, and the blistering and abrasions so many of experience with our footwear would put us at greater risk for infection.

As I said, I think my aversion towards bare feet in the workplace is obviously more cultural than rational, much like my preference for business dress while teaching. I'm frequently reminded, though, my own hang-ups about what is suitable don't necessarily mean others want, or need, to adopt my preferences. If leggings and off-the-shoulder tops can be worn in the workplace, maybe bare feet is just something else I also need to accept as the new normal?

Susie

Veteran

We have a very casual dress code. For instance, our handbook even talks about flip flops and says that plain rubber ones shouldn't be worn. (But add a little bling to them and you are good to go!)

We have one guy who often takes off his sneakers and walks around in his socks. And a couple of people wear house shoes (slippers.) But we would draw the line at bare feet and would tell them to put their shoes back on.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

Sounds like you should direct your feedback at the offenders...

Sal

Veteran

Interesting. NZers are quite a barefoot bunch but we would frown upon it at work. I think you need to find shoes that are comfortable enough to wear all day at work, even if it is flip flops. I think this more from a health and safety aspect than a hygiene one.

My sons are barefoot as much as they can be, mostly on the grass or in the house. Yes their feet get absolutely filthy. But they have a bath and get clean again. I regard bare footed children in summer as healthy. I know when I have visited the US and the UK there is a different perception though.

Personally I would have bare feet in the house or even popping out to the clothes line in summer. Many people expect shoes to go off at the door when visiting which can make wearing heels dependent looks hard!! And for Maori and many Asian cultures keeping your outside shoes on is seen as culturally inappropriate.

Diana

Veteran

Well, in addition to the hygiene issue, I am opposed to barefoot at work because *your workplace is not your home.* I don't ever wear shoes inside my home, but I'd never go around barefoot in the office (or for that matter in a store or restaurant) because you know what? It's NOT MY HOME. I don't wear pjs to any of those places either.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I'm not as horrified as most of you, I guess. I spent my entire childhood barefoot all summer in terrain that was much more dangerous and less clean than an office floor. I mean, yeah, you probably shouldn't be walking around an average office barefoot, especially if there are customers/clients around, but kicking off your shoes at your desk, or going barefoot in the unusual heatwave that's been happening a lot of places....

I think the "don't wear shoes indoors" thing (which I personally didn't grow up with and don't do myself, but I understand it intellectually) makes more sense than this automatic "never be barefoot at work" belief. Shoes are just as dirty as feet; even more so.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I frankly don't care if it's showing a cultural bias to say shoes must be worn in a workplace, if one is indeed living in a western culture where, yes, shoes indoors ARE the norm. i don't care how fussy their feet are, surely there are appropriate shoes they can tolerate keeping on their feet for an 8-hour work day. This is just disrespectful, unprofessional behavior. Take your shoes off when you're not at work.

ETA: I can see slipping off your shoes while you're at your desk, etc. but don't walk around the office that way. If I were visiting that office and saw that, I would not be impressed.

anne

Veteran

I agree that it isn't appropriate in the workplace.

I am with Kiwigirl and Laura, about kids. In summer at home, my girls go in and out of the house barefoot and in Australia many woman would do the same as Kiwigirl.
Even in winter I have trouble getting my younger girls to keep their shoes on (inside or out) and we usually have to go shoe hunting before we can leave church.
They have to wear them for school these days (even for running races, for which we always took out our shoes off) but when my Dad was a child in the 50s (and comfortably middle class) he didn't wear shoes to school year round)