Not in the Elevator, Please

While most people follow the standard elevator etiquette of facing forward and generally keeping to themselves, quite a few workers surveyed by CareerBuilder reported less-than-ordinary experiences while in transit.   

Workers shared the following real-life examples of weird behaviors they observed in work elevators: 

• “Pantsing” a co-worker; 
• Changing a baby’s diaper; 
• Flossing teeth; 
• Clipping fingernails; 
• Fist fighting; 
• Showing someone a rash and asking for a diagnosis; 
• Moving the entire contents of a co-worker’s office into the elevator, including the desk; 
• A woman with her arms full of papers using her head to keep the doors from closing on her; and 
• Dancing throughout the ride. 

When asked to identify the most annoying elevator habits they see more commonly at the office, workers most often cited people talking on cell phones (35%), standing in close proximity for no apparent reason (32%) and deliberately letting the elevator's doors close when someone is approaching (33%). However, 16% of workers admitted to purposefully closing the elevator door when they saw someone approaching.   

Other annoying habits cited include:  

• Squeezing into an already crowded elevator – 32%; 
• Not stepping off the elevator to let other people out – 27%; 
• Holding the elevator doors open for an extended period of time while waiting for someone else to get on – 26%; 
• Cutting in line to get on the elevator when other people have been waiting longer – 23%; 
• Taking the elevator to go up one or two floors instead of using the stairs – 20%; 
• Pushing the wrong button, so the elevator stops at more floors – 17%; and 
• Facing away from the elevator door, instead of toward the door like everyone else – 7%. 

For some workers, elevator rides are a source of anxiety. Sixteen percent of workers said they are afraid of getting stuck in an elevator due to a malfunction.