Employment law question - shoe shop and shoes that are wrecking my feet

Swishter

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum or if anyone can help.

I have been working for a shoe shop that sells fashionable shoes for about a year now. A condition of the contract is that you wear company shoes at all times. I get a free pair of shoes each season, all great so far.

The shoes are all high heel, pointed toes, cram your feet in jobs. Even the few flat pairs they have are narrow and tight, get a larger pair and they rub in different places and force me to claw my toes up to keep them still. There are no practical pairs.

My feet are destroyed, I am getting bunions, corns and all the rest, the skin is ripped on my feet. I went to see a chiropodist to see if I could get some insoles to help my feet. He told me that I should not be wearing these shoes and I was causing myself a lifetime of problems as my feet are starting to go into a claw shape already.

I'm in agony every day and on my feet the whole time at work. I spoke to my manager and if I don't wear my shoes then I am up for a disciplinary for not wearing the correct uniform.

What are my rights here? I am happy to be smartly dressed but in shoes that will not wreck my feet. The chiropodist says these shoes are deforming my feet and will eventually cause a disability, which will mean considerable time off work, and of course no or very low pay while I have painful corrective surgery after which I may never be able to do a job which requires me to stand all day.

My sister thinks that if they cannot require me to wear something that can cause permanent debilitating harm to me. If they insist that I must do despite the damage I should have grounds to sue.

I'm not a compensation wh0re, I have no interest in trying to get money where I can. I just want to do my job whilst not being in agony and not worrying about the long term damage that I am causing to myself. I am getting really annoyed with this.

Thank you for your help.

reehsetin

is it a chain?

i would imagine it is against health and safety regulations, have you tried going above your manager, do you have a HR department, tell them you can provide a doctors note that you should not wear these shoes

wilf55

ask to speak to the companies occupational health dept or health and safety dept if they have one seek advice from them perhaps union there is a shop workers union usdaw I think you can ring them even if not a member for advice I am sure they would help

LADY_A_5

agreed, speak with hr and explain your situation and get a doctors note,
considering your on your feet doing this job in ill fitting and uncomfortable shoes maybe you can find a simular flat shoes to the ones they provide but comfortable?? would they really know the difference? i mean i got killer heels lol but i wouldnt dream of wearing them for a days work and besides they cost too much money but serious speak to hr asap
hope this helps x

Auzelia

I work for a shoe shop.
Deichmann, and we are also required to wear company shoes.
We get to buy a new pair every quarter (3 months) and get 50% off.
To this date I have yet to wear a pair of their shoes as I like my old shoes I had before I started there.

As others have said. Contact your doctor or maybe get your chiropodist to write a letter to your company outlining the reasons why you are unable to wear their work shoes, and if they must be shoes that they supply that they bring in a different pair for you.

Good luck

jumpycheese1

When working in retail, they always say work in comfortable shoes (no high heels) as you are on your feet all day. Plus high heels aren't practical as if you drop something on your feet (heavy boots) then they don't protect the top of the foot. Plus a relative did work in a shoe shop and needed to go on kickstools fairly often as the shoes are in boxes at the back. High heels or inpractical fashion shoes and kickstools don't mix and that's a hazard as well.

If there are any other shoe shops in the town/out of town shopping centre, just take a look at what their employees wear for shoes. Bring the subject about what the competitors' employees wear on their feet in a professional way. Not 'Well, the staff at Annie's Shoes wear flats and other practical shoes'.

It's a similar case to my friend and her trousers as the work trousers give her awful ezcema.

You were only given one pair of feet and your employer cannot simply destroy them with some poxy rule stating you must wear our shoes. Everyone's feet are different and not everyone can wear any shoe on the market. Your employer should know about this and apply this to their employees. There must be other colleagues, both at your store and other stores, if your employer is a chain.

I think it would be better if you were able to select a pair of shoes from the shop and get the manager's OK. This means you wear comfy shoes for you whilst the manager is happy with your selection.

chuckley

i guess you talking about faith....

anyways get the chiropodist to give you a letter about it. sounds mad dangerous!