USB Devices disconnecting when connected to TB16 Dock

I have a dell xps 13 and TB16 dock.

I have two USB devices that keep disconnecting when connected to the TB16 Dock.
They work when connected to a USB hub connected directly to the laptop.

Is the dock doing some power saving, perhaps its turning off the ports after a certain time out or inactivity and is there a way to prevent this?

Note, i have done the following:
- updated firmware.
- tried multiple cables.
- ensured drivers are all up to date.
- tried different USB ports on the dock. same behavior on all.