Ha! Former HR person here. Some of what you said is true, but I'm not convinced there is a decision to let him go. But it does sound like the manager is dancing around something without saying it out loud.
To the OP:
- It is inappropriate for the manager to be tying your age (retirement) to your performance. He seems concerned that your age and financial status mean you won't work as hard for them, despite evidence to the contrary. This is a potential sign of age discrimination.
- He said your performance had previously dipped, but didn't really give you specifics on how. One or two little things, but hardly substantial. Again, a soon that he is either a poor communicator (very common) or he's decided you should be put out to pasture. If he thinks your performance dipped, he should be able to provide concrete examples. That's his job.
- as much as I blush to say it, there *are* some older folks (a small minority) who essentially retire in place and come to be seen as a drag on company coffers. These are the ppl who put in the minimum effort to scrape by, never sign up for new projects or share new ideas, and sprint for the door at 5pm precisely. In short, they are seen as less committed, more expensive to employ, and less productive than others. It can become an unfair stereotype too - if someone has just one of these characteristics and is gray haired, overweight, etc, a manager might pigeonhole them as "less motivated" for no good reason. I assume from your comments that you have not "retired in place."
A few suggestions:
1. Keep notes of these conversations. (Date, what was said, etc.) Email them to a trusted friend outside of work (not a spouse) to date stamp them, or at a minimum, date, sign, and save them.
2. Do a self-check of yourself compared to your peers. Do you demonstrate the same level of commitment that they do? It's not just about the hours. It's also about tone, willingness to change, and so on. Look inward first.
3. Bring a notepad to your upcoming review. Consider asking the following questions:
1) A while back you said my performance had slipped. It's important to me that this doesn't happen again. Can you tell me what specifically you did not like about my work? I want to make sure I understand.
2) Am I meeting all your expectations?
3) to improve my review rating, what do I need to do?
Document those answers, and make a point to take action on them. If you don't get answers, note that too. Be genuine and curious, rather than defensive. Try to understand his points, rather than dispute them. After the meeting, start taking action on the items he pointed out. Document that you have done so.
4. If you reach a point where you feel your job is in danger unfairly, gather all your notes. You can do the next part solo or with an attorney.
1. Go to HR.
2. "I've come to you with a problem. I hate doing this but I need your help."
3. "On date my manager came to me with some weird questions. He kept asking if I was planning to retire, and he said that I didn't seem motivated... This is weird because I had been working 12 hour days and...
4. "I took careful notes during my review and took action on all three items he listed.... "
5. "Despite this, he continues to question my motivation. On date he said...."
6. He is calling me out as a poor performer but I see no evidence of this.
6. "I've been very careful not to jump to conclusions, but I can't help but think my job is in danger because of my age..."
7. I no longer believe I'm being evaluated fairly and I'd like you to (move me to another department... Get him to stop threatening my job.....)
8. Please look into this, and let me know what you can do.
Companies may have a lot of attorneys, but they fear lawsuits like a beer fears a thirsty old man.
If your boss is just a weak communicator and this is a one time incident, there is no reason to make a case out of anything, but if this is a pattern of behavior with him, be prepared to protect yourself.
PS: be careful of what you sign. A common ploy is for a company to ask you to sign a "release of claims" saying you will not sue, sometimes in exchange for a small concession.
Good luck!
SIS
PS: standard legal disclaimer - I'm not an attorney, I don't provide legal advice, make your own damn decisions and live with the consequences.