So I work in a large office building (6 floors).
There are two elevators and 3 flights of stairs.
I always take the stairs because I want to get the steps in and also because it’s faster (except maybe to the sixth floor). Like over the course of a year if I had to go from one floor or the other, I and whoever walked with me would arrive at the meeting before the people who waited for the lift, except if you had to get from the first to the sixth floor where they would typically but not always, arrive just before us!
Now I’m not running or power walking or anything even slightly close to intense.
My new manager is overweight. I don’t judge her at all but I do think it plays a part in this story.
She is in all my meetings and noticed that I take the stairs.
She asked me a few times to take the lift with her and I always politely declined, said I preferred the stairs and asked her if she wanted to stroll with me.
She always politely declined too. Until today.
I got an email from her saying that the stairs were now for emergencies only and not to use them unless there was an actual emergency.
I was shocked and emailed her back asking why not, which stairs and pointed out that there are no emergency signs etc.
She replied saying they are all for emergency use only and that using them for non emergency could “block emergency responders” like that is not how stairs work.