Sometimes the shortest journey is the one we take up and down every day. Yep, I’m talking about the elevator.
Most people embark on this journey with little or no thought. Push the button, get in, get off. Simple. And yet, we’ve all had those uncomfortable elevator moments which can make even the briefest of trips an annoying nightmare.
It is usually your fellow passengers who ruin an otherwise perfect elevator trip; the cell phone yapper, the button pusher, the non-button pusher, the groper and the flatulent. Personally, I hate those who shove their way into the elevator before others can disembark.
Elevator etiquette is not something one learns in Finishing School. Nor is it taught in the home. Elevator etiquette is one of those things you learn on your own.
But now, there is someone to help out.
ElevatorRules.com clearly spells out the appropriate way to act when riding an elevator with other passengers.
The site is broken into four sections: Waiting, Boarding, Once the Doors Close, and Exiting. Most of the information is simple common sense–or so you’d think. I’ve seen most of the suggestions broken nearly every time I ride an elevator. For example; If you find yourself close to the button panel in an elevator, you have the additional responsibility of button management. It is your job to make sure the other riders have had the button for their floor pressed.
This above rule is broken constantly. On the other hand, the writers of the site felt it necessary to include one suggestion I’ve thankfully never seen occur in an elevator:
Never, under any circumstances urinate or defecate in an elevator. It is not, and never will be considered funny by anyone. It presents a serious health risk to elevator riders as well as maintenance personnel.
Duh!