A third of women have been told by their bosses to ‘look prettier’ at work

New research has found that a third of female employees have been told by their bosses to change their appearance because it’s ‘better for business’, because 2016 is a great year.

Another third were told that clients expected “a certain style of dress”. The survey, carried out by law experts Slater and Gordon, shows managers still believe it’s acceptably to tell women to wear more make-up, high heels and shorter skirts.

One in 10 women were told to wear more make-up so they can “look prettier”, and the same amount said their bosses preferred them to wear high heels in the office or while working with clients because it made them “more appealing”.

Nearly one in ten were told to wear more make-up by their boss so they ‘looked prettier’, and almost one in ten said their bosses preferred them to wear high heels in the office or with clients, because it made them ‘more appealing’. 10 per cent even reported being criticised for their appearance in front of colleagues.

In an unsurprising foil, over half of all men surveyed said they had never received comments about their appearance and only three per cent had ever been told to dress more smartly by senior colleagues.

The study comes just months after a receptionist at PWC was controversially sent home from work for not wearing heels. In response over 100,000 people signed a petition asking the government to protect women from outdated dress codes at work.

Josephine Van Lierop, an employment lawyer at the firm, said: ‘The findings of this survey are very disappointing but not surprising.

‘There are still far too many employers who think it is acceptable to make disparaging remarks or comments about a woman’s appearance.

‘This sort of sexism is all too prevalent in the workplace, particularly in sectors such as financial services, hospitality and the City.’