The Town of Greenwich has changed its policy about required footwear for municipal employees.
As of June 1, flip flops are no longer allowed.
The idea is to improve workplace safety, rather than impose a dress code.
The policy reads as follows:
The Town of Greenwich is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment as evidenced by Human Resource Policy 8.2 and the Town of Greenwich Safety Plan.
As part of the Town’s commitment to workplace safety, the Town of Greenwich has established a footwear safety policy in an effort to reduce slips, trips, and falls by ensuring employees wear safe footwear, suitable for the work activities they perform.
The policy goes on to say that footwear must be appropriate for the employee’s work environment and job requirements and that the wearing of flip-flop sandals and slide sandals is prohibited.
Flip flops are defined as backless sandals with a Y-shaped strap that passes between the first and the second toe. Slide sandals are defined as backless and open-toed footwear, that includes a single strap across the top of the foot.
There are exceptions to the policy.
Lifeguards, camp staff, and swim instructors working at the beaches or pools are allowed to carry on wearing flip flops.