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.

 
A Return to “Schedule F”? What Every Policy-Facing Fed Needs to Know civil service protections federal employment mspb appeals opm rulemaking schedule f May 15, 2025

If your federal job involves influencing policy—through writing, advising, or analyzing—you could be on the verge of losing your civil service protections. A newly proposed rule by the Office of Perso...

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OSC Flip-Flops on Probationary Firing Rules federal employment mspb appeals osc reversal probationary status rif law May 15, 2025

In a startling reversal, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) now argues that federal agencies can terminate probationary employees with few limits. For probationers—especially those impacted by Februa...

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OPM Cancels Workday Deal: What It Means for Federal Employees federal employment hr system failures opm contracts rifs May 13, 2025

In a move that caught many off guard, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) abruptly canceled its sole-source contract with Workday—a key piece of its HR overhaul. This wasn’t just a tech procureme...

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How RIF Plans and Hidden ARPs Could Shape Your Federal Career agency reorganization federal employment legal defense mindfulness at work rif lawsuit May 13, 2025

A recent legal standoff over Agency Reduction in Force (RIF) and  Reorganization Plans—called ARRPs—offers a powerful glimpse into the legal chessboard shaping federal careers. Judge Susan Illston has...

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Proposed Pension Cuts Would Slash Federal Pay and Delay Public Services congressional budget cuts federal employment fers retirement mindfulness at work pension reform May 12, 2025

Federal employees, especially those at the GS-9 level and above, are staring down a troubling new proposal from House leadership: cuts to retirement benefits masked as budget discipline. But these are...

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Federal Judge Halts HHS Layoffs Amid Constitutional Concerns constitutional law federal employment hhs layoffs public health rif notices May 12, 2025

On Friday, May 9, a senior U.S. District Judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) that blocked sweeping layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the CDC. This judicial ...

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Federal RIF Pause: What the TRO Means for You federal employment legal rights mspb appeals probationary employees rif suspension May 11, 2025

On Sunday night, a federal judge issued an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) halting the Biden administration’s controversial reduction-in-force (RIF) plans that threatened thousands of fede...

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Federal Judge Signals Possible Block on Trump-Era RIF Orders afge v. trump executive orders federal employment mindfulness at work reduction in force May 09, 2025

Federal employees facing a potential layoff under a controversial executive order may have just gained a powerful ally: the U.S. Constitution. On May 9, a federal judge in San Francisco signaled she’s...

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Fired for Telling the Truth: The Fallout from FEMA’s Leadership Purge federal employment fema mindfulness at work retaliation whistleblower rights May 09, 2025

The sudden dismissal of Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and acting head of FEMA, has shaken Washington—and for good reason. Fired just one day after testifying before Congress that eliminating FE...

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What to Do If You Receive a RIF Notice at Interior federal employment interior department mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif notices May 09, 2025

Thousands of federal employees at the Department of the Interior—including the National Park Service, USGS, and BLM—are facing sudden uncertainty as the agency prepares to issue Reduction in Force (RI...

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What Federal Benefit Cuts Could Mean for Your Pension and Job Rights federal employment fers mindfulness at work mspb appeals pension reform May 08, 2025

Congress is weighing proposals that could significantly impact federal retirement and job security. While none of the changes are law yet, they’ve sparked real anxiety—especially for FERS employees pl...

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OPM’s Workday Contract and What It Means for Your Federal HR Rights federal employment hr modernization mindfulness at work opm reform retirement processing May 08, 2025

In a surprising admission of internal breakdown, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently handed Workday a sole-source contract to overhaul federal HR systems. No competitive bidding. No...

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