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Depends on the worksite. If there is a documented safety reason to justify their banishment, fine.
Otherwise…please remember that this kind of thinking is exactly why so many people wanted to Work From Home. It alleviated so much drama over silly stuff.
If you have ugly feet then just say that. I have never worked in a professional setting that frowned on open-toed shoes. There are plenty of hills to die on and you choose to be hater of shoes??? Do better.
Why do you think they should be banned?
I think a nice sandal is different than a flip flop. Judgment for a business casual workplace is subjective and it really depends on company norms.
I run a small company. Several years ago, I decided to focus on what matters in the company and wearing comfortable clothes or Birks doesnt impact work and if anything, helps. Pick your battles.
Do you also tell women what colour underwear you approve of??
It depends on what type of shoes, there are definitely appropriate and inappropriate open toed shoes that can be worn. There needs to be a clear line drawn.
If you are in a manufacturing or other workplace where safety is an issue, then no dress shoes (those without tread, high heels, and/or don't have protection for the foot) should be worn, only shoes that protect the feet. However, if you are in an office where there are no safety concerns about wearing dress shoes, so long as the shoe fits into the dress code, there's no problem with open toe. I hate to say it, your personal opinion on how a dress shoe looks shouldn't enter the dress code discussion.
Is this a serious post? Imagine going back to the stone ages to tell people what to wear to work in the age of inclusivity and diversity.
Rising Star
Why do you think they should be banned in an office setting? And why should your personal opinion be the arbiter of whether they are permitted?
The team hates this because it's ridiculous unless there is a *genuine* safety issue, and you're helping all of us HR professionals be hated by everyone.
Traditionally, women have often worn open-toed footwear in casual or even in some professional settings.
With the advent of equal rights administration in recent decades, undoubtedly men will want the same things afforded to women.
Birkenstocks would be my guess.
And hence, the old tension between freedom of expression and professional boundaries comes back into view.
That’s why k-12 schools often have “uniform” policies.
The workplace is not so different.
I would tend to focus on safety and, customer impression—as my means of dealing with a dress code in the workplace.
Just put guardrails in place. "Nothing between the toes". It worked for well for us.
As an HR leader with over 3 decades of experience I'm here to offer a new perspective. This sucks. This is why HR has such an awful reputation. Unless there's a safety reason to ban open toed shoes don't ban them. In fact, unless there's a good BUSINESS REASON to have any type of dress code then let people wear what they want. Be generous with the people who do the work for the company. Handle problems on an individual basis as needed. But please don't ban certain shoes simply because you don't like them.
My feet hurt when I wear closed up shoes, for medical reasons. So I wear open toe shoes most of the time. Never judge a book by it's cover.