Should you Wear Open Toed Shoes at Work

There is no obvious yes or no answer to the question as to whether it is okay to show your toes at the office. The answer depends on a lot of different factors, including the company rules, company culture, behavior of the management and other staff.
The first place you want to look to find out whether you can wear open toes shoes is the company manual. Most companies put out some sort of handbook that lists a dress code. See if it makes any mention of shoes. If it says that you are not supposed to wear open toed shoes, then you should not, no matter how many others are wearing them.
Another way you can find out for certain is to simply ask. Make sure that you ask someone with the authority to know; do not ask a colleague who is lateral to you. You might ask the human resources department or your boss. However even this is not foolproof. For instance, the human resources person might say that it is fine according to company policy but your boss may still not like it in which case you are better off not wearing it.
Consider the dress code in general at the job. If it is extremely comfortable and people are walking around in jeans then it may be fine. If everyone dressed in business suits, then it will be less likely to be acceptable.
Think about what you are doing while you are at work. If you are a lawyer and need to put forth a professional image in a courtroom, the you probably do not want to show your toes. This may also be the case if you are meeting clients.
Consider what others are wearing. If you have one supervisor and she shows her toes every day then you might be okay. If no one else in the office wears it then you probably do not want to be the only one.
Also consider the actual shoe itself, suggests Work-Fashion Balance. You may have a business shoe with just a tiny bit of toe showing that is okay. Obviously a sandal, sexy shoe or casual shoe will be a different story.
If you are not sure, then you may want to forgo shoes that show off the toes. Why take a chance that someone will think you are less professional? Some people do not like them, and you do not want to be looked at poorly for such a simple thing.

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