“How are you doing? Just checking in.”
Your manager’s “check-in” a few weeks before the restructuring is not a check-in. It’s a temperature check. They’re gauging how you’ll react. Calm? Good, the exit will be smooth. Volatile? Better have security nearby.
The check-in questions are scripted even when they sound casual. “How’s the team?” means “will anyone cause a scene when we announce this?” “What’s your workload like?” means “how much of this can we redistribute before we pull the trigger?”
The manager asking doesn’t always know what they’re gathering data for. Sometimes they’re told to check in without being told why. They find out when you do. And then they have to deliver news they helped prepare for but didn’t know was coming.