Work elevator behaviors show ups and downs

Every job has its downsides, but riding an elevator seems like an unlikely source for stress. However, it may be that a 15 second ride can really push some people’s buttons: CareerBuilder’s latest study identifies the most unusual and annoying behaviors workers have witnessed in their office elevators. More than 3,800 workers nationwide spoke up, sharing some of the weirdest stories and irritating habits they’ve witnessed in work elevators.

The weird and the feared
Somehow pushing the wrong button doesn’t seem so annoying in comparison to some of the most bizarre real-life examples of weird behaviors people have observed in work elevators. While we hope some of these were just pranks, the forced close quarters and short riding time should really make it easy to understand how preferable it is for everybody to just stand quietly and ignore each other. Here were some of the top examples of weird habits workers observed:

• “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
• Dancing throughout the ride

For some workers, riding the elevator is a source of anxiety, with 16 percent of workers saying they’re afraid of getting stuck in an elevator due to a malfunction.

A daily dose of annoying
Even without the odd behaviors sometimes observed in elevators, how can a 15 second ride be the cause of so much irritation? It seems quite a few people may have missed the memo on appropriate behavior in an elevator. Although it’s one of the top annoying habits, we don’t really blame you for closing the elevator doors on somebody if they’re a known offender of any of these bad habits when riding the elevator:

• Talking on a cell phone – 35 percent
• Not holding the door open when others are running to get on the elevator – 33 percent  (Incidentally, 16 percent of workers admitted to purposely closing the elevator door when they saw someone approaching.)
• Standing too close when there is plenty of room in the elevator – 32 percent
• Squeezing into an already crowded elevator – 32 percent
• Not stepping off the elevator to let other people out – 27 percent
• Holding the elevator doors open for an extended period of time while waiting for someone else to get on – 26 percent
• Cutting in line to get on the elevator when other people have been waiting longer – 23 percent
• Taking the elevator to go up one or two floors instead of using the stairs – 20 percent
• Pushing the wrong button, so the elevator stops at more floors – 17 percent
• Facing away from the elevator door, instead of toward the door like everyone else – 7 percent