I have been working this job 100% remotely for about 3 months. All communication has been online, except for one in-person company meeting in which we discussed the success of the company and got to know each other better. My boss and I have discussed raises, promotions, and they have always given positive feedback about my work.
I recently went on a trip abroad to visit family for the holidays, and employer had approved for me to work remotely (I need the money and decided not to take unpaid time off, as I do not have PTO accrued.) Unfortunately I had very flakey internet, which I had not expected when planning the trip, and couldn't do as much work as I intended to. I communicated this to my boss, and I decided to just work overtime and make up for it when I returned home. What else could I do? I was stuck. I didn't miss any critical deadlines, just fell behind in my work.
About a week later, I returned home, and went to resume working, planning to bust my ass. I found I couldn't log into any of the accounts. I contacted my boss, and they responded that I should hang tight and they will reach out to me soon. Okay. I assumed things were down for the holidays.
Well, a couple days later, my boss's boss reached out to me and asked me to come in for an in person meeting in about 10 days. I asked what was going on and if there was any issue. They responded to please just show up to the meeting and we can discuss it then. Again I asked if we could discuss it over the phone, and if they could at least let me know whether I still have a job, to which they responded to be patient and show up at the in-person meeting in 10 days.
I can only assume that I am being fired. I'm really not sure what to do or what my rights are. The non-working period was during the holidays, for a reason partially outside of my control. Showing up in person to speak to my employer is a huge expenditure of time because I don't have a car (still trying to build my wealth) and the public transportation around here is not great. I also don't have access to any of the work I have done, the hours I logged, anything – I am locked out.
I have already started looking for a new job. How should I handle this?
Note: I do not have any company-owned equipment, I do everything from home on a personal laptop.