When performance management becomes a tool for 'quiet firing' - werkgeversreview Assistant Manager bij KPMG

I’m currently in the TA team, and the lack of empathy is honestly draining. Since we don't have a formal TA head right now, the Senior Associate Directors seem to have free rein. If you aren't in their 'inner circle,' the environment becomes incredibly hostile. I’ve noticed a pattern where my performance manager documents every tiny day-to-day interaction over email, not to help me, but to build a case for the appraisal cycle. Instead of guidance, I get 'paper-trailed' on tasks to make me feel unwanted. It feels like they are intentionally creating circumstances to make people quit on their own rather than letting them go. I used to enjoy the fast-paced nature of recruitment, but now I’m just constantly on edge. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of tactical documentation during an appraisal cycle? How do you defend your work when the goal isn't improvement, but exits?