Podcast
Civil Rights for Civil Servants
Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.
Listen to the podcastNews, rights, tools & learning
Federal Employee Resource Center
Search timely updates, plain-English explainers, practical guides, podcasts, and mindful-action resources. Start with the question you are trying to answer.
MSPB Back Pay Tax Relief for Federal Employees
One of the most frustrating realities in federal employment law is that even a successful case can carry hidden costs. A recent Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) decision offer...
HHS RIF Lawsuit Survives: What It Means for Feds
A federal court in Rhode Island recently refused to dismiss the challenge to the March 27 HHS reorganization and reduction in force (RIF). That decision matters because it confirms...
FY2027 Federal Job Cuts and Growth Explained
The FY2027 budget proposal offers something federal employees rarely receive this clearly: a roadmap of priorities. While it is not yet law, it reflects where leadership intends to...
Negotiated Settlements Terminated: What Feds Should Know
A recent federal decision to terminate long-standing Title IX settlements protecting transgender students presents a legally unusual situation. These agreements—some negotiated ove...
MSPB RIF Cases: What Federal Employees Should Expect
For federal employees challenging a Reduction in Force (RIF), the instinct is often to focus on the outcome—the job loss. But early MSPB litigation is rarely about that alone. Judg...
VA Arbitration Ruling Reinforces Union Rights
Recent reports involving senior military promotions raise a deeper concern that extends beyond any single agency: the erosion of merit-based decision-making. Allegations that promo...
Merit vs. Politics in Federal Promotions
Recent reports involving senior military promotions raise a deeper concern that extends beyond any single agency: the erosion of merit-based decision-making. Allegations that promo...
Religious Messaging in Federal Agencies: Legal Limits
Federal employees often ask where the line falls between personal faith and workplace conduct. That line became especially important after a Cabinet-level, agency-wide email framed...
IRS W-2 Errors Force Employees to Amend Tax Returns
Few stories capture the strain on today’s federal workforce more clearly than this one: the IRS reportedly told employees that their W-2 forms were incorrect just weeks before Tax ...
Federal Workforce Cuts vs Defense Spending
When leaders promise “efficiency,” federal employees should always ask two questions: what is being cut, and what is being protected? The contrast in this transcript is stark. Hund...
DOJ Leadership Changes and Federal Employee Risks
Recent leadership changes at the Department of Justice highlight a deeper concern for federal employees: the potential erosion of institutional independence. While political turnov...
Birthright Citizenship Case and Federal Rule of Law
The Supreme Court’s recent oral arguments on birthright citizenship may seem far removed from federal employment. They are not. At its core, the case tests a foundational question:...
More ways to learn
Choose the format that helps you understand what is happening.
The Mindful Federal Employee is part of a broader public-education ecosystem from Shaun Southworth, Lydia Taylor, and Southworth PC. Use the resource that fits the question and the moment.
Mindfulness
Work Peacefully
Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.
Explore mindfulness resourcesAbout the people behind the work
Shaun Southworth & Lydia Taylor
Meet the federal employment attorneys behind this public-education work and the podcast Civil Rights for Civil Servants.
Meet Shaun & LydiaThe Federal Employee Briefing
The important developments, without the all-day scroll.
Join 3,900+ federal employees getting sourced workforce news and practical next steps on weekdays. It is a free public-service resource from Southworth PC.