Modern University Elevator Etiquette

When riding the elevator, there is nothing more irritating than stopping one short level away from the end of an interminable ride.

There is nothing pleasant about being jammed into the elevator with a group of strangers. You may never have been bothered by claustrophobia before coming to UCSF, but after riding our elevators for a while, you may notice you are developing symptoms. We’ve all experienced the horrors of the morning elevator ride, packed like sardines and watching as the elevator stops at each and every level. The door slides open to reveal a person who always seems nonplussed that the elevator is so full! Or maybe they act nonplussed because everyone inside the elevator is glaring at them for interrupting the ride. At such moments, we have all had the thought “there's got to be a better way” while crawling slowly upward. Here are some ideas to make the ride a little easier for all of us: 

• Don't take the elevator if you're only going one floor! (Important note: this does not apply to anyone with disabilities). When riding the elevator, there is nothing more irritating than stopping one short level away from the end of an interminable ride.

• Watch those backpacks. Most students boarding the elevator are toting a large backpack. Have a care when boarding the elevator, particularly when you swing around to face the front. Any poor person standing too closely behind (and in UCSF elevators, we’re all standing too closely behind), can take the full brunt of your swinging backpack. It's not a fun way to start the morning. 

• Don’t lean against the control panel.  The observant among us have noticed that there is a second control panel located on the side of the elevator, provided for those with disabilities. The unobservant among us do not notice this panel, and lean against the wall on which it is located, and then the fun begins. The wide-bodied can light up as many as four buttons at a time. The time it takes for the elevator to stop at levels D, E, F and G gives others in the elevator plenty of time to reflect on just how self-aware the inadvertent button pusher isn’t. 

• Please let us suffer in silence. The elevator ride is bad enough; don't make it worse by squeezing in and making some lame joke. No one feels like laughing, especially in the morning. And after you've been here for a few months, you've heard all the jokes there are about squeezing into a crowded elevator. Take a vow of silence for the duration of the ride. 

Elevators, like life, have their ups and downs. Here's hoping all your rides are smooth ones. – From an article by T. Neagle, for The Synapse, 2003

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Etiquette for Elevators and Lifts

Rarely will you need surgery in an elevator, but if you fear a power outage, or you are adverse to standing in a limited space with a crowd of other people, you can always take the stairs.

Elevators have a way of magnifying the stresses limited space can bring on. It's a scary thought to many people. You have a group of strangers packed into a small room, suspended by only cables, as it moves up and down. It's often a very uncomfortable experience. 

In the summer, you'll most likely be dodging a variety of odors that heat simply exacerbates. You may get strong whiffs of people's breakfasts, lunches and perspiration. In winter, you can wind up squished in between heavy coats and wet umbrellas of others in the elevator with you. 

 Here are the etiquette rules one should keep in mind for elevators or lifts, to make everyone's ride a bit smoother:

1. Before Entering Let Others Exit: Don't block the doors. Wait momentarily as the doors open to see if anybody moves or appears to be preparing to leave. If everyone stays where they are at, you've got a green light to get in.
2. Always Face the Door if Possible: If you're looking everybody else in the face, turn around. You might be having a conversation with somebody, but let the conversation rest while you travel up or down.  
3. What Not to Wear: Take caution not to bump others with your backpack, tote, messenger bag, yoga mat, etc... If it is hanging off of you and taking up space, attempt to put it on the floor in front of you. Do not remove your hat, coat, or gloves; again, you may bump into others or make others more anxious. 
4. Stand Near the Control Panel: If you're among the first to enter on the ground floor and will be getting off at one of the lower floors, stand off to a corner near the door and let the others who get on, fill in the space behind you. If you're in the front and are getting off at a higher floor, step out at intervening stops, hold your hand on the door to prevent it from closing, and re-board after others have gotten off. Especially polite is to press the hold button to keep the doors open until everyone is aboard, if you are standing near the control board and won't be in anyone's way.  

   

   Don't block the doors.  No one can leave before you enter.

5. Ask "Which floor?": If the lift is overly crowded and you are nearby the buttons, ask people to call out their floors so that you can press the floor buttons for them. Don't make them reach through the crowd, making everyone else uncomfortable.
6. Hang Up Your Phone: No one wants to listen to a one-sided conversation of someone they don't know. Fortunately, many elevators have poor mobile phone reception, but for those that don't, please make your call before or after getting in the elevator.
7. The Little Pleasantries: Never whisper to another adult in the presence of others. It will only make people around you try to listen more to what you are saying. Teach your children to be quiet in elevators as well.  It will reflect well on you as a parent, and those riding with you won't be annoyed.  If the elevator isn't too crowded, and you have a moment, make eye contact, smile, and say hello if you want to. – From a variety of sources online and in books

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia