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.

 
DHS’s $220M Border Ads: What Federal Employees Need to Know dhs federal employment government ethics mindfulness at work procurement integrity Nov 17, 2025

When a 43-day shutdown left federal employees scrambling to cover rent and groceries, another story unfolded almost unnoticed: DHS quietly pushed out a $220 million “emergency” media campaign that byp...

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Federal Unions After the Discharge Petition: What This Means for You collective bargaining federal employment federal unions mspb appeals workplace rights Nov 17, 2025

For the first time in years, a bipartisan majority of the House has signed a discharge petition forcing a vote on the Protect America’s Workforce Act—legislation aimed at undoing the sweeping executiv...

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Schedule F Returns: What the New FOIA Lawsuit Means civil service rights federal employment opm policy careers schedule f Nov 17, 2025

A new FOIA lawsuit seeks OPM’s secret Schedule Policy/Career lists. Here’s what federal policy employees need to know about potential at-will conversion.

Federal employees in policy-facing roles—atto...

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Avoid Costly FEHB Surprises: Open Season 2026 Changes You Must Check federal benefits federal employee rights federal employment fehb open season mindfulness at work Nov 17, 2025

Open Season brings predictable adjustments each year, but 2026 carries a less familiar risk: eight FEHB plan options are disappearing, including NALC High and NALC CDHP—two plans with tens of thousand...

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RIF Notices This Fall: What the New OPM Rules Really Mean for You federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm guidance rif rules Nov 17, 2025

If you received a RIF notice this fall—or even heard rumors of one—the new guidance tied to the Continuing Appropriations Act changes your legal footing in very real ways. Under that law, agencies can...

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Shutdown Aftermath: What Federal Employees Need to Know Now federal employment federal pay mindfulness at work rif rights shutdown guidance Nov 17, 2025

Five days after a 43-day shutdown, many federal employees describe the same emotional mix: relief that the lights are back on, anger at the instability, confusion about pay, and fear about what Januar...

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Returning After a 43-Day Shutdown: What Federal Employees Should Expect federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals shutdown guidance workplace stress Nov 14, 2025

When a shutdown ends, most people assume the crisis is over. But for GS-9 and above federal employees—especially those handling audits, contracts, IT systems, compliance, or mission-critical deadlines...

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DoD Shutdown Back Pay: What Federal Employees Should Expect dod civilians federal employment mindfulness at work payroll issues shutdown back pay Nov 14, 2025

For many Department of Defense civilians, the first question after a shutdown ends is simple: When will the money arrive? Agencies have already signaled that back pay may start landing as early as Sun...

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Avoiding AWOL After a Shutdown Ends awol federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals shutdown guidance Nov 13, 2025

When a shutdown ends, most federal employees feel immediate relief—pay will resume, operations restart, and uncertainty loosens its grip. But there’s a lesser-known risk that surfaces the very first d...

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Shutdown Back Pay, RIF Rollbacks, and Your Next Steps federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif rollback shutdown back pay Nov 13, 2025

When a shutdown finally ends, relief often mixes with uncertainty. Many federal employees wake up wondering two things: When will the paycheck land? and Am I safe? This week’s reopening answers both q...

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Your Workplace, Your Data: Why This Survey Matters federal employment fevs mindfulness at work rto challenges workplace surveys Nov 12, 2025

Federal employees have been through a year of exhaustion, sudden policy shifts, and record uncertainty. When many were asked recently what hit the hardest, the surprise wasn’t legal complexity or shut...

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Shutdown Deal 2025: What the Senate Plan Means for Federal Employees back pay federal employment mspb appeals rif freeze shutdown 2025 Nov 12, 2025

Federal employees have lived through 41 days of uncertainty—missed paychecks, frozen operations, and a flood of RIF notices that never should have been issued. With the Senate’s passage of a bipartisa...

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