Is it rude to walk past someone on the stairs?

[Helpmeup]

At my workplace, people don’t pass each other on the stairs. If someone reaches the staircase and there is already someone going up or down, they wait at the top or bottom for them to finish using the stairs. I don’t really understand why, it’s very wide and can probably fit 3 or 4 people next to each other, so the space isn’t the issue. Is it considered rude? If so, why?

When I read the thread title, I assumed it was going to be about overtaking someone who was walking slowly or struggling to climb the stairs.

This is the first time I'm hearing about this superstition though, and I've never seen anyone wait for the stairs to clear before using them. If it's wide enough to pass someone comfortably (like 99% of staircases in public buildings are), I'm continuing on my way.

ok….so you’re talking generally, then. I just mean at a given moment in time, someone’s coming up, someone’s going down. They both see each other and pick a side. Both can pass easily. Unless extremely wide hipped I guess.

My mum says it's bad luck to cross on the stairs.

You can stop the bad luck if you spit over your shoulder after passing them and manage to hit them with it though.

I have never attempted this.

I suppose it depends on the working environment? Professional offices where formal manners are expected versus a more casual workplace retail or similar environment 🤷‍♀️