Howard Stern reportedly faces criticism over an alleged workplace dress code at his New York offices. Sources say the rule prohibits female employees from wearing sneakers, while male employees can choose their footwear.
The reported rule has drawn backlash from Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi. Panahi stated that the difference in the rules for men and women was “out of bounds.”
Sky News’ Rita Panahi slams the reported difference between Howard Stern’s rules for men and women
According to The U.S. Sun, an insider claimed that women keep non-sneaker shoes at work in case executives visit. “There is this rule that it doesn’t matter what kind of footwear men wore, but the women are not allowed to wear sneakers at work,” the source said. A second source confirmed the claim. “I know of people that still like to keep non-sneakers in case certain execs are expected in the offices,” the person told the outlet.
Panahi criticized the reported policy while discussing the story. “I don’t have a problem with a workplace imposing those sorts of dress codes,” she said. However, she questioned why the rule would apply only to women. “You can’t just apply it to one gender. I mean, come on. That is just out of bounds,” Panahi said.
Staffers reportedly expected the footwear rule to change during the COVID-19 lockdown. Stern began doing his show from his home in the Hamptons during that period. But the rule remained after the office uniform policy changed. “Times have changed, but also maybe don’t have different rules for men and women. That’s insane,” an insider said.
The report also recalled Stern’s 2013 presentation to his staff about their appearance. Stern told employees they represented the show when celebrities visited the radio station. He complained that some staffers looked like “zombies from The Walking Dead” and that the workplace resembled a college radio station. He also instructed workers to change their clothes if he felt they looked “gross.”
Stern now has fewer employees after reportedly cutting more than 50 staffers. The first layoffs came in February, about two months after he renewed his SiriusXM contract. Stern then cut another dozen employees in July. According to The U.S. Sun and RadarOnline, he plans to reduce the show to one day a week starting in September while continuing to work remotely.
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Originally reported by Ayusi Adhikari on Reality Tea
