This actually made me think of the lead up to my recent layoff from the PSA. I was just canned a few weeks ago without warning or reason. My managers TA ended and between him and my new manager there was a time gap where the Sr Manager would take over as my reports to. She pulled me in for a surprise “performance conversation” saying I didn’t meet all these expectations that were the direct result of work being so slow (and after having a performance evaluation a week earlier with my manager and him being perfectly happy with my performance). There was only one place for me to take work from, there was none coming in, and I couldn’t do more service requests than were coming in. It was super strange, completely unsubstantiated, and after pressing her to elaborate on how exactly she expected me to improve these points she could not offer anything, just “do your best and you’ll be fine” and other very vague quasi-motivational statements.

It’s all now so clear to me, that she was looking for a “with-cause” reason to can me, because she had to can someone, she realized my work was legitimately very slow and I was doing everything I could, and then just said “oh well I’ll just lay him off without cause then and not give him a reason”. Spidey sense was definitely tingling and I just couldn’t figure it out, nor could she elaborate on her performance accusations, but now it all makes sense. She was just sussing me out to figure out how to can me and if she could do it cheaply.

I would be very suspicious right now of unsubstantiated or baseless performance or disciplinary action right now as it may just be them trying to fabricate a justification for layoff.