Should people be taking shoes off at work?

The post-commute changing from sneakers to office-friendly pumps is something well-known to many workers. But could it become a thing of the past?

At a growing number of startups and tech offices, workers are taking some of the comforts gained from work-from-home days… and leaving behind their shoes. 

“No shoes at Cursor NYC,” angel investor Ben Lang posted on social media in October, showing a pile of shoes at the AI company’s entrance. 

Wholly dedicated to the cause, Lang has created the website noshoes.fun, a “no-shoes office directory” for those who feel equally passionate about having their feet get some fresh air during the work day. 

Among the 21 companies listed are small startups, where a founding team works out of someone’s house, and taking off your shoes is simply common courtesy. Others are large: like productivity app company Notion, who adopted a no-shoes policy in their HQ until around four years ago, or AI-powered QA Spur, who offer branded slides upon arrival at their office in Manhattan.

Responses to Lang’s post were mixed. “Oh dear,” one user wrote. “Imagine the smell.”

“Are there slippers for the bathroom???” wrote another. Another: “Imagine bringing round a client.” 

The shoeless office is growing in popularity, as an unconventional approach to improve focus and create a comfortable environment as more workers return to the office. The trend has since made it across the pond, as the Guardian recently reported, with some British companies taking their cues from America’s West Coast as a way to improve focus, comfort and even staff morale. 

Shoeless offices might sound like a gimmick. But who knows? With record levels of burnout (76% of U.S. workers reporting at least one mental health condition), anything that can help the office feel a little bit more like home could have an impact on morale.

Of course, regardless of being a cute workplace trend, taking off outdoor shoes inside is widespread across countless cultures the world over.

It is common courtesy to remove your shoes upon entering the home in countries like Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries. In Muslim households, shoes are left at the door as a sign of respect. In Japan, taking shoes off and switching to slippers to wear inside is extremely common in schools and in many places of business; taking them off in people’s homes is standard practice.

It also has pop cultural precedent. Recall Alexander Skarsgård’s Succession character, tech mogul Lukas Matsson, walking sans-shoe between private jets in the show’s final season. Or Bert Cooper in Mad Men striding around his Manhattan advertising agency in socked feet. 

Many amongst us will have been guilty of slipping off a particularly uncomfortable pair of wingtips under the work desk at one time or another. And as the pendulum swings back on work-life balance, and the 9-5 is replaced by a 996 grind mentality, particularly among AI startups—the very least you can be is cozy while working a 72 hours work week.

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