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Updated: Aug 2, 2020 79 Comments · by

Coffee Break: Naot Pixie

Coffee Break

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I've long admired Naot sandals but only got my first pair a month or two ago — I haven't taken them out and about yet because I'm trying to decide whether I like another pair (a deeply discounted Eileen Fisher pair) instead. 

These sandals fill a great slot in your wardrobe, at least for 2020 purposes: they're super comfortable, walkable, easy on/off — and they look a little bit fancy but not, say, stiletto heel fancy. They're a good middle ground between flip flops and stilettos, at least.

I particularly like the tan ankle strap on these sandals, but there are a lot of options for colorways! They're $159 at Nordstrom, Zappos, The Walking Company, and Shoes.com. 

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Sales of note for 9.30.24

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Comments

  1. First Gen Question

    Reposting for more eyes –

    Is this worth a consult w an employment lawyer? I‘m the first person in my family to go to college and have a professional job so I don’t really have a strong trusted network of people where I can get a gut check on this type of thing.

    I’m in a sales role at a company and our commission schedule has been the same for the past two years that I’ve been w the company. I’m (hopefully) about to close our biggest deal ever. It’s been a long process – over a year of relationship building and work and we are finally at the finish line.

    Now, our commission schedule is changing effective immediately for all deals closed going forward. The new plan reduces my expected payout on this one deal by at least $100k (a massive amount of money to me and significant portion of my overall compensation).

    I have friends who have had commission plans get updated over the course of their jobs at other companies, but it’s always been systematic, like you sign the year’s commission plan in January. This feels so targeted, like they’ve gotten me to do all this work under the old plan but now don’t want to write such a big check and are changing the rules when I’m 95% of the way there.

    I’m scared to make a fuss and lose my job in the middle of a pandemic with such high unemployment (I help support my parents and really need an income) but this just feels so unfair. Is there anything that I can do about this?

    • Anon

      Do you have an employment or compensation agreement you sign? I’m a W2 employee but 100% commission. Any changes to the comp waterfall would be outlined in that agreement and agreed to on an annual basis in January. Definitely not saying the change they made is ethically right, but it may be perfectly legal.

      Also, what does your company’s transaction volume generally look like? Are you a large, national company and there are enough transactions going on that this isn’t about you/your transaction, despite the fact that it feels super personal? Not that a ‘yes’ answer would make it suck any less, but might help you internalize and move past this if it really is just not up for debate. I’m sorry – commission gigs are hard enough, especially for long-duration transactions in volatile times.

      • Op

        I signed a commission plan january 2019 and nothing since. No changes outlined at the start of this year.

        I’m the company’s top performer and this is our largest deal ever. The changes are clearly aimed at deals like this so I am the only one impacted right now. No other salespeople have anything even in the pipeline that would be impacted.

        • Anon

          Talk to a lawyer. I tried a case like this. In my state you can change plans prospectively but not retroactively so the deal already in the works could fall under your pre-existing plan. But at what point your commissions are “earned” is very state case law specific.

          • Anon at 3:26

            Our firms’ approach is that if the deal is already ‘in marketing’ (a step beyond just a prospect, but a truly engaged deal that is being worked on) then you are grandfathered in to the old plan if there are any changes. I imagine that’s to avoid the exact type of litigation Anon at 4:39pm is referring to.

  2. Aunt Jamesina

    These don’t look remotely fancy to me because of the cork footbed.

    • FFS

      Agreed. That and the brown leather screams casual. They’re cute enough, but I can’t imagine wearing them with anything but casual summer clothes.

    • Anonymous

      I think that they are 2020 fancy: wear with non-sack dress into office to pick up things, wear with cuter athleisure for distanced drinks shouting across the alley to neighbors, etc. My baseline is sneakers or my newer crocs. These are legit fancy compared to that. Would require presentable toes for one (but what does that matter as I am so far apart from people).

      • Anon

        +1. I’m looking to be able to wash/spray disinfect any shoes I wear to work, so cuter Crocs wedges and sandals it is for me (their Tulum sandals and mini wedge huaraches from a few years ago are cute and non-leather.)

    • Pompom

      Not fancy, no.

      But my go to sandals are Naots (Kaylas) and if you have narrow feet with high arches and can’t keep birks or gizehs on your feet, these are gems.

    • Anon

      They’re not fancy, but they are Naot, which means they will last forever and feel amazing. Kat – I wouldn’t choose an Eileen Fisher branded shoe made by who knows what manufacturer over Naot.

    • Anon

      I actually own these and am wearing them right now! The rose gold version if those are still available. I LOVE them.

      I mean, they aren’t wear-to-a-wedding fancy, but I would feel slightly more out together in say a sundress with them than flip flops or birks.

      • Anon

        I have these too, in more of a light nude shade.

        I feel like they’re fancy-ish, like more dressy than flip flops (which is what Kat said, for those of you hung up on the word), but not like I’d wear them to a wedding unless it was very casual. I wear them with dresses and ankle pants and feel a little more presentable for going to the back yard, and sometimes the front yard, because let’s face it, I don’t go anywhere.

        • Cat

          I think when Kat said “They’re a good middle ground between flip flops and stilettos, at least.” that it was a little too far… like rather than “middle ground” I would say these are 25% of the way :)

          Good for popping into the office on the weekend to print stuff when no one is there, for doing distanced happy hour on your own lawn, or running casual errands… not something I would think “these could be business casual or worn to a wedding.”

    • Worried

      I have a Naot store in my neighborhood and I have tried these shoes about a year ago (they come in lots of colorways too!) I am very tempted to purchase them and the shop is doing curbisde pickup:)

  3. Anonymous

    Women around 40+ – what do you all do to head off normal body stiffness (like when you wake up or sit too long)? I walk or hike 2-3 hours per week as exercise and used to take dance classes. I like stretching and I try to like yoga but I don’t. I don’t have the lifestyle or willpower for a complex routine – I’m interested in a couple simple things I can do to feel better when I am not working out. Will dance classes help again? Are there two or three stretches to try? Hydration? Getting up each hour? A better diet?

    • Anonymous

      The pilates move where you lift up your feet and roll backwards towards your shoulders and back and forth — it and just lying on my back and working in a tennis ball help a lot. I have upper back issues b/c I carry my annoyances there. Shoulders should not be by ears!

    • cat socks

      I think getting up and moving around is a good idea. One good thing about WFH for me is that I can stand at my dining table while working instead of sitting all day. Fitness Blender has lots of good stretching videos.

    • Anonymous

      I’d look at stiffness and flexibility as two related but slightly different things. I took a whole class on stiffness through DailyOm; the main thing I got out of it was “motion is lotion” — move everything. Wiggle your toes, for example.

      Stretching/flexibility is different — I thought I didn’t like yoga but the “restorative yoga” through downdog (basically just stretching) is a great. Still working on enjoying standing poses where I fall over. Lots more stretching videos on YouTube if you look.

      • Carmen Sandiego

        I was actually going to also suggest restorative yoga poses, but was hesitant since OP said she doesn’t care for yoga. There are some restorative poses where you position a bolster differently under your lower back, or longways down the spine, etc. and then just lay stretched out over the bolster for about 10 minutes and let gravity pull your body down around the bolster, and I love those and think they’re really helpful. And, I don’t think they’re too yoga-y in a traditional sense.

          • Carmen Sandiego

            I didn’t – but your question made me browse around and I found a youtube channel that looked pretty good! :) (I miss my studio so much, haven’t been since March and I’ve sadly fallen out of practice – maybe this will give me the little boost I need to get back into it at home!)

            This is the channel I found. I didn’t listen to it but watched a few, and she demonstrates some of the poses I’m familiar with and like: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQ7WxOEAdmxcE8TXMYHWOg

            My favorites in general, which you can google and see pics, are: supported recline pose, supported fish, and the restorative yoga twist.

        • Anonymous

          I’m the OP – yoga that feels like sleeping is something I can get behind :-) I’ll check out that phrase

        • Anon

          Oh I miss my yoga place that had bolsters
          for that move! So so so refreshing after a day spent huddled over the computer!

    • Anonia

      Getting up and moving around when sitting, hydration, and foam rolling. Foam rolling is awesome, but initially painful. If I do it correctly and frequently enough, any stiffness goes away.

  4. Anon

    With work from home, is anyone else on a schedule where they’d rather relax in the mornings and work further into the evenings? I live alone and work as an independent contributor, so it’s not really affecting anything so far. Obviously, I attend morning meetings if they are scheduled, but it’s not often that they are. Just wondering if I am the only one.

    • anon

      Many of my peers do this. My company doesn’t have a strictly defined working day – you need to be present for the majority of a regular working day for meetings, but otherwise – just get your work done. Many of my peers will start the day later and finish later still.
      On the flip side I have colleagues who log in at 6 am or earlier.
      Definitely do what works best for you! Especially if it makes WFH easier for you.

    • Anon

      My boyfriend would absolutely do this if he could. If he’s not on calls, I often see him just staring off into space until around 11… he’s much more productive in the afternoons and early evenings. I’m the opposite, after 3 I’m just reading this site!

    • Anon

      This is totally me. There are certain types of work I’m good at during the day – conference calls, reading and responding to emails, taking long breaks when the sun is shining… Then there are work tasks I’m better at in the evening, like coding or working with a lot of data. I’m also a procrastinator ( I call this “working well under pressure”) so very often I’m motivated to work late at night because of a tomorrow deadline. For whatever reason this is and has always been my work style. It hasn’t hurt me yet!

  5. Servant Terminology Used by Employers

    I’ll likely repost this in the morning but would appreciate opinions on whether I am overreacting.

    The credit union I use and which I used to work has adopted this we are “servant leaders” approach. It’s used on their “who we are” page and in job descriptions (“Are you a servant leader?”). When I saw it, I was agast at the use of the word servant to describe employees. My mind immediately jumped to servant = slave. Now, I know that servant is more commonly thought of as a domestic servant and not everone is going to jump to the connection to slavery, but I couldn’t not make the connection in my mind.

    I reached out to the CEO who I have a very good relationship to express my concern about the terminology, especially in the current climate where we should really be thinking carefully about the words we use ESPECIALLY as a community focused organization. Not to mention that as an employee of that organization, I would NOT be fond of being referred to as a servant. WTAF?!

    Their CMO and I are setting up a call (it was his idea, based on my conversations with a friend who still works here) and I am sure he will try to explain it away as we are serving our credit union members! Well sure, then say that, not SERVANT.

    Does anyone else find this as ridiculous as I do?

    • Anon

      Insanity and I’d be pulling my $$ out of that credit union ASAP if I knew their employees were being called that. Aside from everything you pointed out, it’s just bad for the workplace culture.

    • Cat

      I don’t go to “slavery” with that, but agree it’s a weird message for a regular business to use. It sounds religious to me…

    • Anonymous

      No. I think you are reading this completely the wrong way. It is just a take on “to lead is to serve,” which I think is 100% the correct attitude.

      And FWIW, servants are hired and paid. It is acknowledging their agency and volition in chosing their engagement.

      Waitstaff are also called servers; would “server” suit you better? But the kernel of what it’s getting at is the same. The best boss you ever had was probably a bit of a servant: to staff, to clients, up the food chain but particularly down it. The worst doctor’s office: not embodying this at all.

    • Carmen Sandiego

      To be honest, I don’t personally see this as a big deal because my mind immediately went to “public servant” and to me the phrase “servant leaders” would mean leadership through serving the community. But I don’t see the harm in you reaching out if you feel strongly about it, and clearly they’re at least willing to hear your feedback on the issue. Maybe they’ll agree with you!

    • Anon

      The phrase “servant leadership” is based in the Bible and on Jesus’ works to serve others. It’s not a dirty phrase or a racial phrase. Very common phrase/concept that Christians are familiar with that means putting others before yourself. Would the members of your CU belong to a group that understands the religious connotations of the phrase? (Are you in the south and perhaps not southern or Christian yourself?)

      https://www.openbible.info/topics/servant_leaders

      • anonchicago

        I’m not evangelical but familiar with the concept of “servant leadership” as it’s a buzzword in the South. I can think of a few companies that try to practice this but use different verbiage; 7-11 is an example and I have a former client (F100 company) in the South with a similar mindset.

        I actually think the intent behind the term is great and something I try to practice with my teams. However, the term “servant leader” is IMO a coded religious phrase, and given I’m in an interfaith marriage now I make an effort to use secular terminology (e.g., happy holidays).

      • Anon

        This is where my mind went. It’s weird to me that someone made it a racial thing.

    • Anon

      I find it ridiculous also, but on seeing “servant leaders”, my mind went first to a biblical association and the thought that need to tone it down in a business setting. That being my immediate thought may be a result of being a not particularly religious white person living in the Bible Belt. I think your take on it also rings true. It sounds like it’s the result of not using pr professionals and instead relying on Bob and Sharon in accounting to come up with something they think is meaningful and catchy.

      • givemyregards

        Agreed – A version of this concept is big in my industry and basically just means that senior level individuals support front line staff and don’t hide in their offices. I think it’s a really weird thing to use in external marketing, since to me it’s always been an internal HR type thing, but I don’t think it’s a huge red flag.

    • Anon

      I’ve heard that language more in religious communities. I do think you are overreacting a bit in a credit union context. It’s not one typically tied to slavery. It would be a different story if it was the lingo being used for someone managing migrant workers picking strawberries.

      • Velma

        It’s evangelical-speak–a dog whistle to conservative Christians. I would worry far more about the credit union’s religious and political affiliations and lobbying support than a linguistic connection to slavery.

        • Of Counsel

          I am going to quarrel with you a bit here. It certainly has strong Christian overtones but not necessarily conservative ones. This is a common term in the Episcopal Church (there is literally a program referred to as Servant Leadership School for lay leaders), which is about as far as you can get from conservative Christianity.

          So it reads Christian but not necessarily conservative.

    • Anonymous

      I see the connection you’re making, but to me, “servant leader” is a phrase that to me is tightly tied to (Evangelical?) Christianity. That connotation is strong enough that it drowns out all others for me on any cold reading. I’m curious to hear if others here have the same association I do with the phrase. If so (and barring strong opinions from others, particularly from people of color, that the servant -> slave association is present and bothersome), I’d chalk it up to a personal proclivity and let it go.

    • Vicky Austin

      The phrase “servant leader” comes up in a lot of evangelical Christian messaging. I think you’re absolutely right to call them on it, however.

      • Anonymous

        The term “servant leader” has unfortunately picked up a lot of evangelical baggage. I encountered it in the form of “a leader is a servant” decades ago in decidedly secular student leadership training. I would never, ever use that exact terminology now, even though I still practice the general principles as a manager. It’s also weird to broadcast that message to an external audience. The “servant leader” discussion is one you have with your managers, not with customers or even with non-management employees.

    • Anon

      The thing that annoys me most about this is that the people who likely came up with this idea and enacted it are so far up the hierarchy chain that the word “servant” is no where near their titles. Regardless of whether it has slavery or religious undertones, it’s tone deaf and demeaning and they should be called out on it.

      • Anonymous

        You are completely misunderstanding the concept of “servant leadership.” It applies the most to those at the top. Read “Leaders Eat Last” for a good explanation of this concept and how it benefits organizations.

        • Ses

          I think what you’ve said is actually consistent with the point Anon 4:05 PM is making about it being out of touch. Asking someone who is lowest-level to adopt the “servant leader” attitude is misplaced, because the reason it applies to those at the top is that they are nowhere near being literal servants. The point 4:05 is making is that this is being applied to everyone in the organization, including people who may be nearly literal servants.

    • Anonymous

      Way overreacting in my opinion. I’m a member of a bar association that frequently uses this terminology to refer to a leadership style. I didn’t realize it had biblical connotations, but I know people that use it who are minorities and not religious. I’m a lifelong public servant and I’ve never found that term offensive so I don’t know why it should be different in this situation.

    • Anonymous

      I find you ridiculous frankly. Servant leadership has literally nothing to do with slavery.

        • Of Counsel

          +2 – Honestly I would drop this fast. It makes you look ridiculous. This is a religious concept (which is what I first thought of) but servant-leadership is an actual published leadership theory studied in universities.

          And it has nothing at all to do with slavery. Servants are employees. It is an old fashioned term I would not use to describe domestic help in the modern era but its origins and use are very distinct from slavery.

          • Anon

            I agree that it seems very, very strange to think of servants as the equivalent of slaves.

            I agree that reading about the leadership theory may help. Part of me also wants to recommend a book about non-enslaved household staff (maybe the Remains of the Day).

      • LaurenB

        I am northern, not religious, want nothing to do with religious concepts, but I understand the concept of servant leadership to be about service to others. Nothing whatsoever to do with slavery. I see your response as overreacting. This is a concept taught in secular books on leadership.

    • Anon

      What about “public servant”? I think that term is used in a complimentary way. How do you feel about that terminology?

      • OP

        Honestly, I worked in state government for a bit and I did not care for the terminology then either. For me, the connocation is that as a servant, you have no say in what you do and no autonomy. I understand that there are, of course, certain things that government workers cannot do and there is mission of serving the public, so I suppose I cannot rationally explain my aversion to it!

        • Anonymous

          How about accepting that you are just wrong about what this word means?

    • OP

      I really appreciate everyone’s comments, thank you!

      I didn’t realize the religious connection until I Googled around a bit (I am not religious). This is not in the South (Northeast), but is in an area that has very rural pockets which I find to be more religious generally. The leadership of this organization is all white men, which is problematic to me and has bothered me for some time. The organization prides itself on its work in the community, and its service to its members, so I can understand why some might advocate for framing it this way. It rubs me the wrong way still. That said, I really appreciate the education and different perspectives.

    • Anon

      I work in public service in a very service based role (like I’m a civilian but almost all of the partners I work with are uniformed). In college, I worked closely woth my university’s student leadership programs.

      Servant leader is a very common phrase in both public service and leadership development circles. It would not give me pause in the least. I’ve only heard it in secular settings, but not surprised it’s also used be evangelicals (I live in the northeast so not many evangelicals here).

      • anon

        I know that its roots are biblical, but want to second what anon @4:28 said – this is a very common phrase. You may find the wikipedia entry on it useful for the context that your credit union is likely using it in.

    • Aunt Jamesina

      That sounds like evangelical Christian speak to me. I find it weird and inappropriate for a business no matter which way it’s spun.

      • Aunt Jamesina

        … and by “inappropriate” I meant that this phrase probably doesn’t reflect the reality of the hierarchy of the institution. Does the leadership always serve the interests those who report to them? Do those lower down the chain get to truly lead in any meaningful way? I dislike this phrase for the same reasons I dislike the “we’re all family here” phrase in a workplace. It seems forced and unrealistic.

        • MagicUnicorn

          Agree. My former workplace (not a religiously-focused organization, but the owners were religious) tried to change our confidentiality agreements to include a clause saying that we would all “in everything, lead with a servant’s heart” and it made me want to vomit. No way the CEO was serving anyone at all, it was definitely directed at the lower rungs and used as a reminder that demeaning crap tasks were something you agreed to do as a way to exemplify servant “leadership” even if holding umbrellas for VIP visitors was not exactly what accounting professionals envisioned doing as part of their normal workday.

    • anon

      Just another data point: The phrase “servant leadership” was used a lot (with a positive connotation) at my top 10 business school in the northeast. This was within the past 5 years.

      • Amberwitch

        It is also part of the scrum methodology conceptual framework if you are in the IT world. Nothing to do with slavery or religion in that context, and a wildly inappropriate overreaction.

  6. Anonymous

    TW – low carb diet — please skip if not for you.

    How important is choosing “which low-carb” plan you’re doing versus just cutting out bread/potatoes/sweets/alcohol? Rules on lentils/beans/carrots/fruit vary among Atkins, South Beach, Keto, etc.

    My main problem is alcohol/sweets and probably too much bread/potatoes also.

    • Anon

      Weight Watchers is good about showing what a reasonable carb portion looks like (note to self: it’s not a whole row of Oreos out of the package ;) ) – I’m down 20 lbs in 3 months! The WW option that lets you chat with a nutrition coach has been awesome for me.

    • Anon

      For your goals I might try the Pioppi diet or among those you’ve listed, South Beach. Why be stricter than necessary, I guess?

    • Anonymous

      If you are aiming for ketosis, perhaps it matters. I limit carbs and focus on eating lean protein and vegetables for the vast majority of my intake. But maintaining ketosis for any period sounds harmful to me and while I assume I occasionally reach it, I don’t have any desire to stay there. Thus, I do much better by constantly aiming to eat/drink less of those things than by giving it some kind of label, following a single prescription, or buying branded items or reading material evangelizing some branded/labeled diet. Just make good decisions. And if you are getting protein by eating lentils/beans/legumes instead of meat/poultry/fish, be extra mindful of how much sugar you are taking in elsewhere.

    • Anonymous

      I would just limit the foods that are causing you trouble. You could look into the concept of glycemic index or glycemic load for more guidance on which foods to limit.

      • anon8

        That’s my thought as well. I don’t do well on all or nothing diets. I would start by limiting the alcohol and sweets and don’t keep them in the house if it’s too tempting.

        If you have a lot of bread/potatoes with your meals, start including different veggies instead. Find low card recipes you like and start incorporating them into your meal planning.

        Or you could try something like Whole 30.

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