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.

 
OPM Orders Removal of COVID-19 Vaccine Records from Federal Files federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm guidance personnel file expungement Aug 11, 2025

On August 8, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a government-wide directive requiring agencies to delete all records of federal employees’ COVID-19 vaccination status, any related n...

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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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CBS Report Challenges Federal “Savings” Claims contract obligations federal employment mindfulness at work mspb deadlines rif appeals Aug 08, 2025

CBS News recently analyzed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) records and found a major gap between headline claims and actual numbers. On three high-profile HHS contracts—COVID-19 testing and...

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MSPB RIF Appeals: How the 30-Day MSPB Deadline Works federal employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif Aug 08, 2025

If you’ve been affected by a reduction-in-force (RIF), your right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) comes with a strict clock. Under federal rules, you have 30 days from whichever...

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VA Union Purge: What the Directive Means for You federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals unfair labor practice va union rights Aug 07, 2025

On August 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a sweeping order that voided every collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) covering its workforce—except for roughly 4,000 police, firef...

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OPM Just Killed the “Five Things” Email. Here’s Why That Matters. due process federal employment mindfulness at work opm policy workplace stress Aug 06, 2025

For months, federal employees were trapped in a Sunday-night ritual: condensing their entire workweek into five bullet points for leadership’s inbox. Born from a top-down directive with no grounding i...

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Ninth Circuit Ruling Revives Trump-Era Union Limits collective bargaining federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals union rights Aug 04, 2025

A significant legal shift occurred last Friday. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily lifted a lower court’s injunction that had been protecting federal employees’ collective bargaining right...

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IRS Rescinded 80% of RIFs Given to Civil Rights & Compliance Staff federal employment irs layoffs mindfulness at work mspb reinstatement rif appeals Aug 04, 2025

In a rare but dramatic pivot, the IRS has rescinded nearly 80% of its Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to Civil Rights and Compliance employees. The agency issued a one-sentence reversal memo stating ...

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Mindfulness After a DRP Decision: You Did the Best You Could drp decisions federal buyouts federal employment mental health mindfulness at work Aug 01, 2025

In the wake of a major federal workforce reshuffle—particularly with agency-wide buyouts and Directed Reassignment Packages (DRPs)—many of you are lying awake wondering: Did I make the right decision?...

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How to Prepare for a Possible Government Shutdown federal employment financial preparedness furlough guidance government shutdown mindfulness at work Jul 30, 2025

As of now, Congress has failed to pass 10 of the 12 required spending bills, with current funding set to expire at midnight on September 30. For federal employees, that means it’s time—again—to brace ...

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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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When Leadership Fails: What Federal Employees Deserve civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals toxic leadership Jul 29, 2025

A new survey shows what many of us already feel: 95% of federal employees are experiencing rising anxiety, depression, or insomnia in 2025. For those of you showing up to work despite chaos from above...

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