[N/A] Strategic Push out masked as "natural attrition"

Hey folks, I’m dealing with something at a company a lot of people know by three letters. I’ve been with them for over 10 years, and this is the first time I’ve ever had a “does not meet” rating. Now, we’re under a hiring freeze, and they’re blocking us from transferring out of our department. They used to allow “does not meet” performers to apply internally with manager approval. That’s gone now. But they kept an exception for people on disciplinary action—they can apply, but those of us with a performance issue cannot. They made this change quietly with no announcement. Honestly, it feels like they’re trying to push people out. Note: it is widely known that the business is on a headcount initiative and they need people to leave the company...this is not a small company its one of the biggest in its field.