GOOD has often reported on the harsh working conditions and low wages that many servers are forced to deal with in the United States. Now, a recent news story out of Canada shows that the U.S. isn’t the only place that treats its servers poorly. Recently, a Facebook user shared a disturbing photo on Facebook of her anonymous friend’s bloody feet after a night of serving tables at a chain restaurant in Alberta, Canada. The photo calls attention to sexist dress code policies that force women to wear painful high-heel pumps while men are allowed to work in comfortable shoes.
Here’s Gavins’ full post:
Even though the server’s socks were soaked in blood and she was missing a toenail, Gavins’ friend was told by the restaurant she’d have to wear the same shoes to work the next day. According to a spokesperson for the restaurant, the high-heel policy was the result of a miscommunication. “There is no minimum height when it comes to our shoe policy,” she told ATTN. “Shoes range from black dress flats, wedges, and heels. For those employees wearing heels, we require the heel height to be no higher than [two and a half inches].”
Although there may have been a miscommunication at the store level about policy, for a restaurant to demand their female employees work in painful uniforms and to not require the same of men is sexist. Also, regardless of company dress code policy, to force a woman with injured feet to wear painful shoes to work when she can easily wear something more comfortable is despicable.
UPDATE: SINCE THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED, ALBERTA HAS TAKEN MAJOR STEPS TO UPDATE THIS LAW.
This article was originally published May 11, 2016.