The Federal Employee Survival Blog

Cut through the jargon and get the clarity you need to stay a step ahead of agency politics. Each article unpacks new policy shifts, court rulings, and workplace trends, then turns them into actionable tactics—so you can head off discipline, invoke EEO or whistleblower protections with confidence, and keep your documentation airtight. We also archive our most popular social-media explainer threads here, giving you the same insights followed by more than 150,000 people online even if you never scroll on those sites. Read, prepare, and keep your federal career firmly in your control.

Southworth PC Proudly Sponsors Feed the DMV Dec 16, 2025

This Saturday, December 20th, Southworth PC is proud to sponsor Feed the DMV in partnership with Radio One DC. This is a community food drive focused on something simple and urgent: helping make sure ...

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Feed the DMV: Let's Show Up for Our Community community support dmv federal employees federal employment food insecurity mindfulness at work Dec 15, 2025

Federal employees are no strangers to uncertainty. Shutdown threats, benefit cuts, inflation, and recent federal job losses have pushed many households across the DMV to the edge. Against that backdro...

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TSA Union Contracts and the Risk of Agency Whiplash collective bargaining federal employment federal unions tsa labor rights workplace mindfulness Dec 15, 2025

Federal employees expect their workplace rights to operate like guardrails—not like a light switch that flips on and off depending on who is in charge. Yet Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) are ...

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VA Cuts “Vacant” Jobs: Why Staff Feel the Impact Anyway federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals va employees workforce reductions Dec 15, 2025

For many VA employees, being told “it’s not layoffs, it’s just vacancies” does not feel reassuring. When teams are already stretched thin, vacant positions represent hope: reinforcements, backfill, an...

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Federal HR 2.0: Why Your Records Matter More Than Ever federal employee rights federal employment hr records mspb appeals opm policy Dec 15, 2025

Federal employees know the frustration of being told, “The system says…,” even when personal paperwork clearly shows something different. That moment—when a computer record outweighs reality—isn’t jus...

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MSPB Certifies Rare Class Appeals for HUD and OPM Probationary Firings federal employee rights federal employment mspb appeals probationary employees reduction in force Dec 12, 2025

For many federal employees, being labeled “probationary” has long felt like being disposable. February 2025 seemed to confirm that fear when HUD and OPM terminated hundreds of probationary and trial-p...

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Can Congress Restore Federal Union Rights in 2025? collective bargaining executive orders federal employment federal unions mspb appeals Dec 12, 2025

Federal employees across several agencies felt the shift almost immediately this year: bargaining tables went quiet, contracts suddenly felt fragile, and management decisions began landing as announce...

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DOJ Memo Tells Auditors to Ignore PREA Protections doj policy federal employment mindfulness at work prea compliance whistleblower protections Dec 10, 2025

A leaked Department of Justice memo has left many federal employees, especially those in corrections, law enforcement, and oversight roles, asking the same anxious question: What happens when your own...

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IRS Ends Hardship Telework — What That Means for Your Accommodation Rights federal employment irs telework reasonable accommodation rehabilitation act return to office Dec 10, 2025

IRS employees are waking up to a harsh reality: the agency has closed out pending hardship telework requests without individualized review, citing a top-down return-to-office mandate. For employees na...

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How OPM’s Push for Forced Distribution Could Impact Your Federal Career federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm policy performance ratings Dec 10, 2025

OPM’s recent announcement that it wants to “normalize” agency performance ratings should get every GS-9 and above employee’s attention. Behind the technical language is a major shift: capping how many...

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How the 2026 NDAA Draft Could Reshape DoD Civilian Careers dod civilians federal employment mindfulness at work ndaa 2026 workforce policy Dec 09, 2025

For GS-9 and above employees navigating an already shifting federal landscape, the draft 2026 National Defense Authorization Act carries quiet but significant implications. While this bill is not yet ...

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Federal Workers and the New Management Agenda: What It Really Signals federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals performance management workforce restructuring Dec 09, 2025

Every federal employee eventually asks the same quiet question: Is this it, or is more change coming? The newly released President’s Management Agenda — a brief two-page document — provides a surprisi...

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Stay informed, stay protected. The Federal Employee Briefing delivers expert insights on workforce policies, legal battles, RTO mandates, and union updates—so you’re never caught off guard. With job security, telework, and agency shifts constantly evolving, we provide clear, concise analysis on what’s happening, why it matters, and what you can do next.

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