In the last few months, an increasing number of workplaces around the UK have been implementing shoeless working arrangements. These changes are rooted in the “move fast and break things” culture of the Valley’s disruptive startups. This inventive idea increases productivity and accessibility, adding to the overall staff happiness. A host of leaders from the business community are leading the charge on this front.
Amanda Nicols, deputy chief exec of the Delapré Abbey preservation trust, has got ahead of the curve by going shoeless. This is the story we explore with her as she plays a vibrant role in overseeing the living history site going back to 1145. Most of the time, she runs around the grand 550-acre park. Nichols maintains that when it’s time to get down to work, he removes his shoes. Inside or out, come rain, sleet, or snow, he’s all in! If my feet get dusty or muddy, I just wash my feet.
Her approach has encouraged her events team to adopt a green practice. Today, they all kick off their shoes when they sit down for meetings. This change is meant to set a less formal tone that fosters collaboration, creative brainstorming, and innovation.
Natalie James, founder of helloSKIN has taken this trend one step further by instituting a sock-only policy at her UK-based office. She has established specific guidelines: no bare feet, clean socks only, and shoes must be worn in kitchens, bathrooms, and outside. James feels that these tiny shifts have made a big difference to placing dynamics. She added, “There’s certainly been an improvement in peacefulness, and with that has come better concentration and more imagination.”
Gary Brynes, CEO of Tao Climate, and chief champion of the shoeless working movement. He asserts that providing the most congenial atmosphere possible for workers enhances their efficiency. He goes on to argue, “An office is a super boring, super difficult place to be. A common story about unhappy offices is that nobody wants to work in them. But anything that reduces the friction is a positive development for productivity, wellbeing and happiness.”
We’d be remiss not to mention that Andy Hague, CEO of Tech West Midlands, is a fellow proponent of shoeless work. He goes into detail about how wearing shoes disconnects us from the ground, in turn causing us to elevate our levels of concentration. “Putting shoes on suddenly makes me less aware of the ground,” he told me. Hague continued, “That emotional deficit is deeply disorienting. I’d pick 90% — the impact is so strong that I’m never more than 30% able to focus. The rest of me is just thinking: ‘This feels wrong.’” But don’t worry, he tells students, because “frankly no one cares after a day or two.”
Practitioners and experts who have shown support for shoeless policies warn of the unintended consequences that can trap communities. As Professor Mustafa Özbilgin cautions, these practices may unintentionally increase the burden on women in the labour market. He points out that when men are casual, there are no repercussions. Conversely, women are criticized for their clothing in the workplace. Özbilgin further adds that generational differences might affect the way informality comes across in the office. Younger workers may interpret informality as an indicator of creativity. Older workers might see it as unprofessional. That gap can lead to a hierarchy in terms of how people are valued,” he continued.
Several British companies are currently trialing no-shoes policies as part of a broader effort to combat record levels of work-related stress in the UK. By introducing simple measures like going shoeless, they hope to foster a more comfortable work environment that encourages creativity and reduces anxiety.
As this trend catches on across more sectors, more leaders are starting to see the benefits of this approach. Enterprise Nation CEO Aaron Asadi agrees, saying that everyone is a little bit split on this shoeless style of working. Ultimately, the idea is to create a healthier workplace culture. “We believe in shoes. We challenge all startups to grow their company ecosystem. When giving guidance, we focus on the collaborative environment of tools, financial implications, and AI usage ethical considerations rather than in-office chat culture.