As we enter year two of the workplace evolution brought on by the pandemic, it’s important to take stock in what has worked well and what could be improved.

If you haven’t done so already, establishing personal office norms can help you be as effective as possible when working from home. Norms can vary widely based on personal preference and work cultures, including your Zoom etiquette, maintaining healthy work life balance, staying active, etc.

One such norm gaining mainstream attention is the idea of wearing shoes, once a common practice for in-person office life that in most circumstances did not require further thought.

With so much attention placed on protecting ourselves from infection and mental health, many are overlooking foot health. With an increased amount of time being spent indoors during quarantine, podiatrists Dr. Mark Weissman and Dr. Tamer Younan suggest that going barefoot around the house is leading to soreness and, in many cases, injury.

“Walking around barefoot, with socks or house slippers can put you at increased risk for foot problems, including plantar fasciitis, tendinitis and metatarsalgia (pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot),” says Dr. Weissman.

While this may feel like you’re giving your feet a rest from constricting work shoes and the daily bustle of pre-COVID-19 days, not wearing shoes puts increased stress on the foot. Thus, experts are encouraging people to wear proper shoes that provide adequate foot support. Wearing supportive footwear indoors may be the solution to quarantine foot.

It may seem silly, but I have a strict no-shoe policy in the house. So naturally I welcomed the bare foot approach initially, especially on hot summer days. It eventually caught up with me as I started to experience some foot pain, so I decided to buy a new pair of comfortable slides with some additional support for indoor use only – foot experts note it doesn’t have to be a traditional closed-toe sneaker, sandals with a good amount of support will suffice.

Foot care experts indicate that not wearing shoes puts increased stress on the ligaments, tendons and around the ball of the foot, which need support and cushioning. Without proper shoes and arch support, people are putting more strain on their arches and leading to foot conditions and maladies. If you are prone to those, or if you’re experiencing foot discomfort or pain, experts recommend wearing shoes in the house.

I can report that after a consistent commitment to wearing house shoes, the heel pain I started to experience in the mornings has dissipated and I also feel like I upped my remote professionalism, even if you can’t see my feet on our next Zoom call.

I’m fascinated to learn how others are approaching foot care while working remotely. Have you embraced the house shoe?