Nicola Thorp is the corporate receptionist who turned up to work and was expected to spend nine hours on her feet wearing heels. She was given the choice to wear heels or go home. Instead, she launched a petition demanding women should not be subjected to such ‘outdated and sexist’ views.

Gender-specific dress codes are permissible in the UK, as long as they don’t treat one or other of the sexes less favourably i.e you can set up different codes for men and women, as long as there’s an equivalent level of smartness.

If an employer imposes a dress code that requires a woman to wear, say, a short skirt, because they think that makes them look sexy that is blatant sexism. That is where employers have to be careful.

The issue of requiring females to wear heels in the workplace has been debated for some time – even though it is only attracting wider media coverage in the last few days. Frankly, it’s about time. Wearing high heels at work should be a choice not a requirement – no one should be forced to wear footwear which can not only be uncomfortable but cause health issues.

It will be interesting to see how many companies follow outsourcing firm Portico (the firm that sent Nicola home) in reviewing their policies and allowing females the choice to wear plain flat shoes.

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