When you work closely with someone, it becomes easy to spot the telltale signs that they may be in some kind distress. It could be a change in behavior, something different about their appearance or grooming, or something about their emotional state may seem off. That’s how it came that the staff of one New Haven, CT store became very worried about one of their own.

Markus Jacobson, a merchandiser for big box retailer All-In-One, was the first to notice a change in his coworker Caden French.

“It was a lot of small things at first,” says Jacobson, “so that you’d almost never notice. Like his breaks becoming less erratic and he’d disappear off the floor less often. Then I heard he was pushing carts or volunteering to jump on a register in his down time. I don’t know, maybe I thought he was just bored.”

“He kept calling me over the radio,” says Miles Boyd of the bedding department, “to tell me things like I had go-backs waiting in the sorting area. Like okay, there’s always go-backs, you don’t have to tell me. It was weird but I didn’t think anything of.”

“Something seemed off to me,” says coworker Liz Burrow, “when I was heading to break and he told me to make sure I called it in first, you know, to make sure the managers were okay with it. I just said ‘yeah, okay, buddy’, and went on my way. I didn’t even think it could be a cry for help.”

“He definitely seemed a bit off”, adds Jacobson. “I saw him one day in the locker room and his shirt was tucked in and he was clean shaven with a fresh haircut, shorter than I'd ever seen it. There was something so unnatural about that, but I just kind of rationalized it by thinking maybe he had to go to a wedding or that he was meeting his girlfriend’s mom or something, I don’t know.”

The changes in Caden’s behavior went ignored by most, and those who did notice brushed them off as isolated incidents, bizarre as they may have been. But then something happened that Markus Jacobson just couldn’t ignore.

“I was just kind of condensing stock for that night’s truck in Cookware,” says Jacobson, “and I was straightening up the spice jars when Caden came over. He was all like ‘Hey Markus, you ever think of re-merching the spice racks?’.”

A simple suggestion, the kind you’d promise to consider and then never think of again, but French was quite particular on how he felt the product could be better highlighted.

“It’s not even our job to worry about that kind of thing,” says Jacobson, “not on our level anyway. But he just kept going about how ‘the spice racks should really be the star product and the jars the add-ons’ and ‘you can make a much bigger statement over by kitchen utensils and really drive up the articles per transaction in this department’. And this isn’t even his department! He’s supposed to be over in Lawn and Garden!”

It was certain phrases that stood out, such as “star product” and “articles per transaction”, that tipped Jacobson off to the horrible truth.

“It dawned on me right then and there,” says Jacobson, swallowing the emotional lump in his throat, “Caden was on… the management track.”

Jacobson brought his concern to some of his coworkers and discussed the possibility that Caden French was being groomed for a position in management.

“A lot of things that didn’t make sense before suddenly did,” says Liz Burrow. “I can’t believe we didn’t see it earlier….”

At this point in the interview Burrow becomes too emotional to continue.

“We should have known,” says Miles Boyd. “This happens every performance review season. People ask how to move up and they’re always told the same: Take on extra responsibilities, communicate more with management on everything, and just kind of start acting like a boss. We’ve all heard it before, and most of us don't follow through because it's stupid, but every once in a while someone…. I’m sorry, can you just give me a minute?”

“I should have caught it sooner,” says Jacobson. “I don’t talk about it a lot, but I was actually a manager at my old job, and as a recovering manager I should’ve seen the signs before Caden got in too deep.”

But was it too late to help?

One slow weekday night Caden called all hands on the sales floor to sort a middling amount of go-backs and the crew knew it was time to intervene.

“We kind of cornered him in the go-back area and said our piece,” says Jacobson. “I remember saying I missed the old Caden, the guy who would goof around on the clock, make fun of customers when they were barely out of earshot, and talk shit about managers with us.”

“I talked about the dangers of going into management,” says Burrow, “that we’d never be able to just talk or hang out again without it being creepy or robotic. And also that he wouldn’t be able to leave work at work anymore or just walk away from a rude customer, that the rude customers would be his life now, and that I didn’t want that for him.”

“I just said managers are total dinguses,” says Boyd, “and if he became a manager he’d be a dingus too, end of story.”

What the coworkers failed to understand is that you can’t help somebody who isn’t yet willing to accept your help. Caden, unfortunately, was not ready to heal.

“He just told us that our attitude is why we’re still in the position we’re in,” says Jacobson, “as if there’s something wrong with not wanting to move up. He said that it was time for him to take on a bigger role in the store and earn some more money. I tried to tell him, I’ve been a manager, and the money is never worth it. Of course, he didn’t listen, but we had to try.”

Then one day it happened, an incident that proved that it was indeed too late to save Caden French from the management track.

“I was in cookware again,” says Jacobson, “and I needed to replace the knife displays, but they’re in a locked display case. I called over the radio to have someone unlock it for me and it was Caden who answered.”

As it turns out, Caden had been entrusted with the department keys.

“They don’t open much,” says Jacobson, “just like display cases, supply rooms, the baler breakers, stuff like that. But getting the department keys is a gateway to store keys. Right then and there I knew our Caden was gone and one day, sooner or later, he’d be Mr. French, a total dingus.”

As of the publishing of this article, Caden French has reportedly applied for the job of Sales Lead, an assistant manager position. We have no word on whether or not Caden stands a good chance of landing the job, but we do know once someone is on the management track it’s usually only a matter of time before they land a position and take the keys.

Yes, it’s a sad story every time it happens, but you can help ensure this doesn’t happen to your coworkers by remaining vigilant and acting early!

Know the Signs!

If you see a coworker demonstrating three of more of these symptoms, you might have a future manager on your hands:

• Appearance and grooming is neater and cleaner than usual. This is to show that they can “look the part” of a manager.

• Attempting displays of authority such as telling others what to do, offering criticism but no suggestions (common among first-time managers), reminding coworkers to do tasks they don’t need to be reminded to do, and needlessly explaining aspects of others’ jobs to them. This is to show they are comfortable delegating and commanding.

• Suddenly insists on adhering to every rule and policy, even the ones that contradict each other, including rules most employees have never heard of or seen enforced. This is to show they’re willing to play corporate’s game.

• Thanks coworkers for simply doing their job as they’ve always done it. This is to show they can earn the respect of their former coworkers as a figure of authority.

• Constantly leaving the sales floor to work on “projects” or have “meetings” with current manager(s). These are usually discussions on what the candidate could be doing to demonstrate their readiness for management as well as to outline progress the candidate has made.

• Doesn’t talk shit about other managers or the company as much as they used to. This is because they now see managers as future coworkers and the company as a boot they have to lick.

• Being nice to even the rudest of customers. They know even the smallest customer complaint can sink their chances of becoming a manager as powdering customer donuts is the main thing floor managers do.

Remember to not come on too strong if you believe a coworker is on the management track as the confrontation may push them to double their efforts out of defiance. Come to them as a friend and try not to be too confrontational. Remind them that managers are complete tools and rarely ever happy with their jobs. Sadly and most importantly, be prepared for them to refuse your help. If your coworker does intend to continue on to management it’s best to cut them from your work clique and move on with your job without them and hope, but don’t expect, that they one day come to you for the help they need.

And never forget: Friends don’t let friends take keys!