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.

 
Privacy Act Lawsuit Offers Hope After HHS RIF Errors federal employment hhs employees mspb appeals privacy act reduction in force Jan 28, 2026

A federal judge has allowed a significant Privacy Act lawsuit to move forward, and for former HHS employees impacted by last year’s Reduction in Force (RIF), that decision matters. The case does not p...

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HHS Rescinds NIOSH RIF Notices: What It Means for Feds administrative leave federal employee rights federal employment hhs reduction in force Jan 15, 2026

The Department of Health and Human Services has officially rescinded every Reduction in Force (RIF) notice issued to employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). For...

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Courts Force Disclosure of Federal RIF Plans federal courts federal employment mspb appeals reduction in force workplace mindfulness Jan 12, 2026

For many federal employees, last year’s wave of reductions in force (RIFs) and reorganizations felt abrupt and opaque. Decisions appeared to come from nowhere, with little explanation about why certai...

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Shutdowns, RIFs, and Reclassification: A 2026 Reality Check for Federal Employees federal employment mindfulness at work probationary employees reduction in force schedule policy career Jan 02, 2026

Walking back into a federal building at the start of 2026, many employees feel a familiar tightness in the chest. That reaction is not overblown. It reflects an accurate reading of the landscape—espec...

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HUD’s 2025 RIF and Fair Housing Rollbacks fair housing act federal employment hud mindfulness at work reduction in force Dec 31, 2025

For federal employees, HUD’s 2025 “wrapped” under Secretary Scott Turner is less a summary and more a warning. It shows how quickly an agency’s workforce, mission, and culture can be

...
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CFPB Mass Firings Blocked Again: What the New Court Ruling Means cfpb executive power federal employment mspb appeals reduction in force Dec 19, 2025

Federal employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have endured a year of professional whiplash. One moment, mission-driven work continued as usual. The next, rumors of sweeping reductions ...

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Shutdown RIFs Frozen Until 2026: What the Injunction Means federal employee protections federal employment mspb appeals reduction in force shutdown rights Dec 18, 2025

For federal employees caught in the uncertainty of shutdown-related reductions in force (RIFs), a recent court order delivered rare clarity—and immediate relief. On December 18, Judge Susan Illston is...

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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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After DOGE’s Implosion: The Silent Shift in Federal Workforce Cuts doge collapse federal employment mindfulness at work omb policy reduction in force Nov 24, 2025

When news broke that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had effectively collapsed, many federal employees felt a surge of relief. But the reporting behind DOGE’s implosion tells a far more...

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MSPB RIF Appeal Deadlines: Why Filing Early Matters federal employment filing deadlines mindfulness at work mspb appeals reduction in force Aug 08, 2025

When a federal Reduction in Force (RIF) strikes, the clock starts ticking fast. Under Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) rules, you generally have 30 days from the later of (1) the RIF’s effective ...

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How to Challenge a RIF at the MSPB Using the 3-Layer Error Hierarchy federal employee rights federal employment mspb appeals reduction in force self-representation Aug 05, 2025

If you're facing a Reduction in Force (RIF) and appealing to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)—especially on your own—there’s one legal insight that could change everything: the three-layer er...

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How to Fight a RIF Without Paying $5,000 For an Attorney federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals reduction in force rif defense Jul 30, 2025

When a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice lands in your inbox, it can feel like the floor’s fallen out from under you. The panic, confusion, and urgency are real—especially when you learn the deadline to...

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