Comfortable Work Shoes for an Office Environment (Men)

ozone141 on 03/02/2026 - 10:25
Last edited 04/02/2026 - 18:15 by 1 other user

TL;DR: Any recommendations for comfortable office shoes for Men (to wear with pants/chinos) — VIC based?

Hi all, after working from home since COVID, I’ve started a new role that requires being in the office and wearing proper office shoes. I’ve basically lived in sneakers for years 😅

I tried a few pairs at Myer, but it’s hard to tell what’ll actually be comfortable for all-day wear. Looking for something office-appropriate but not painful by 3pm.

Any brand or store recommendations would be much appreciated!

Fashion & Apparel Footwear

Comments

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  • 87percent on 03/02/2026 - 10:40
    +1

    Saw some at Sketchers

    • Sinnerator on 04/02/2026 - 07:53

      rubbish quality, inside back of heels ripped apart in 4 weeks, lots of indoor walking fulltime hours

  • apsilon on 03/02/2026 - 10:48
    +1

    I used to wear some Ecco hiking shoes. They were completely black, no weird panels/stitching etc and just looked like a chunky shoe so IMO passed for office wear. Bonus that they were waterproof so puddles etc were never a concern. Not cheap and not sure if they still have the same shoe still available. Very comfortable though. I think it was called something like the Rugged Track.

  • playerzer2 on 03/02/2026 - 11:06

    Some nice school shoes are probably office-appropriate, and designed to be comfy all day.

    • mapax on 03/02/2026 - 11:40

      Blundstones or black chuck taylors were the school shoes at my school.

  • spackbace on 03/02/2026 - 11:44

    Not the cheapest, but Cole Haan is popular for salespeople due to the sneaker bottom, makes them pretty comfortable

    • freefall101 on 03/02/2026 - 12:41
      +1

      I really miss when Adidas owned Rockport, they did a bunch of shoes like that that were great. These days Rockport isn't what it used to be though.

      I keep meaning to buy a pair of Hush Puppies with their "bounce" sole but these days I just wear whatever to work and no one really cares anymore, and I can tolerate harder shoes for events. The Cole Haan ones look really nice though, I might give those a try.

    • Randxyz123 on 03/02/2026 - 14:07

      I love Cole Haan. Used to be hard to find in Australia. Because of my weird shaped foot I bought some in the US where I tried on quite a few pairs. They lasted ages after a lot of wear. Be careful when ordering, as you can't return/exchange orders from outside the US.

      • spackbace on 03/02/2026 - 14:42

        Yeah I bought a pair before the Aus online store shut down

        Saw physical stores in Tokyo when I was there but I didn't go in to check the prices

  • Muppet Detector on 03/02/2026 - 12:22

    You got comfy socks? It seems like some socks come with weather resistant air bags these days.

    Like $30 for a pair of experia socks. Just one pair. Not even a hyped up fashion label for the image conscious yuppy.

    How about comfy inserts?

  • ThithLord on 03/02/2026 - 12:30
    +3

    My daily-drivers are Hush Puppie Chelsea boots. Extra-wide, comfort fit, been going strong for three+ years https://hushpuppies.com.au/collections/mens-boots they're on sale for $151~

    • OhMaJuck on 03/02/2026 - 12:57

      If you have high arch avoid Chelsea boots

    • djkelly69 on 03/02/2026 - 13:46

      Hush Puppies Hanger are good chelsea-style boots as well, particularly if you managed to pick them up for $50 from Amazon last year.

    • Transient on 05/02/2026 - 00:54
      +1

      +1 for Hush Puppies - but Deacon Black leather boots with side zip. I think I bought them pre-Covid for about $100 on sale, and since then have been wearing only twice a week to the office. The soles are remarkably resilient and the Bounce technology reduces impact stress to the feet. They were roomy enough for a pair of orthotics and they soften well with age. Only downside is the heel is moulded so difficult to repair. I bought a tube of Shoe Goo, so just need to find some time to rebuild the heels.

  • Wiadro on 03/02/2026 - 12:59
    -1

    After working from home since COVID, I’ve started a new role that requires being in the office and wearing proper office shoes.

    have you tried just working from home in the new role

    • ozone141 on 04/02/2026 - 11:48

      yeah first thing I asked for but no deal

      • Wiadro on 04/02/2026 - 12:15
        -1

        Why you asking? Just do it

  • Randxyz123 on 03/02/2026 - 14:01
    +2

    I know they get a bad name sometimes but I can't recommend RM Williams enough. I've had mine since 2017 and they are just excellent. Worn probably 4+ times a week since 2017 every single week. Yes they are expensive but they are so comfy. I've also walked all over London wearing them.

    • try2bhelpful on 04/02/2026 - 08:39

      “The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. … A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. … But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.”
      This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socio-economic unfairness.

      • djkelly69 on 04/02/2026 - 12:01

        How much was re-soling?

        • Randxyz123 on 05/02/2026 - 11:46

          Wasn't that expensive. At my local cobbler who is a RM authorised repairer was about $80-90 I think.

    • Gdsamp on 04/02/2026 - 19:23

      Yes with care they will last forever for OP usecase

  • Muppet Detector on 05/02/2026 - 06:32
    +2

    Florsheim?

    • drhip on 13/02/2026 - 17:42

      My last pairs lasted for 10 years

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