I never take the elevator for one floor, unless I'm with people who'd moan if we took the stairs. The stairs are much quicker, and I'm impatient.

This is by far the easiest way to build some exercise into your daily routine. I have a hard time grasping why people stand on escalators, as well.

The problem with escalators is, that the steps are usually higher than those of stairs, as they are not optimized for walking. If you are very tall, this makes little difference, but for not so tall people, using the steps of an escalator is a bit uncomfortable. As a consequence, I usually step them only on very short escalators or when I am in quite of a hurry.

In the early 1980s, I would routinely walk up the escalators, including stopped ones, on the deepest Washington Metro stations. In the 2010s, I take the elevator two floors. I walk several miles per day, I run varying distances each weekend, but something in one knee doesn't like stairs these days.

Maybe it's a default cultural thing at your company. Possibly taking the steps is a "nudge" to suggest. Taking an elevator for one floor would seem almost weird where I work unless there were some physical issue.

Lots of people do it for the steps. I take the stairs pretty much anytime I know where they are. I guess I'd think about it for more than a few stories.