Is it appropriate to wear shorts in office?

Speakers: Li Ningjing and Sam Duckett

[Photo: Baidu.com] 

A defiant call centre worker who was sent home for wearing shorts to the office in this week's heatwave came back wearing a bright pink dress as a 'protest' against the dress code.

Joey Barge, 20, from Buckinghamshire, England, turned up in a pair of smart blue shorts on but bosses deemed them inappropriate despite the sweltering heat.

They sent him home just minutes after he posted on Twitter asking his followers: 'If women can wear skirts/dresses at work can I wear smart shorts like so?'

But rather than changing into a stuffy suit, the call centre worker decided to don a bright pink dress as a 'protest' against the rules.

Predicting that he'd be sent home again, Joey posted a chic selfie to Twitter, racking up dozens of likes and retweets.

Instead his act of defiance sparked a change in the rules - with bosses sending out an email allowing 'gentlemen in the office' to wear three-quarter length shorts in 'black, navy or beige only'.

Despite the u-turn - which Joey branded a 'partial win' - he opted to wear the colourful dress for the whole day in an act of defiance against the policy.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.