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.

 
When Nepotism Becomes a Career-Ending Mistake conflict of interest federal employment mspb appeals nepotism law whistleblower protection Jul 24, 2025

The recent ousting of NIH’s Chief Operating Officer, Eric Schnabel, is more than office gossip—it’s a legal and career cautionary tale for federal employees across agencies. Schnabel allegedly steered...

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USDA’s Reassignments: What It Means If You’re Asked to Move directed reassignment federal employment locality pay mspb appeals usda relocation Jul 24, 2025

The USDA has announced a sweeping relocation directive impacting over half of its 4,600 D.C.-based employees. Staff are being told to report to duty stations in Raleigh, Kansas City, Fort Collins, Sal...

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Ninth Circuit Pauses RIF Disclosure Order—What It Means for Feds federal employment government transparency mindfulness at work ninth circuit stay rif litigation Jul 24, 2025

On July 18, 2025, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to disclose details of 40 reduction-in-force (RIF) plans affecting 17 federal agencies. That breakthrough offered a glimmer of transp...

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Trump’s OSC Nominee Raises Alarms for Federal Employee Protections civil service rights ethics in government federal employment osc nominee whistleblower protection Jul 23, 2025

Federal employees, especially those in GS-9 positions and above, know the value of having a strong, impartial Office of Special Counsel (OSC). It’s the last line of defense for whistleblower protectio...

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The VA Is Losing Frontline Staff—and It’s Hurting Veterans federal employment mindfulness at work va staffing crisis veterans affairs whistleblower protections Jul 23, 2025

In recent months, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has quietly shed nearly 7,500 frontline employees—the very people who serve veterans face-to-face every day. The result? A system already stra...

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VA “Mission Review”: No RIF, But Not “No Risk” Either attrition vs rif federal employment mindfulness at work rif alternatives va mission review Jul 22, 2025

There’s big news coming out of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): the feared mass RIF (Reduction in Force) affecting 80,000 employees is officially off the table. Instead, leadership is opting t...

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Judge Slaps Down OMB Secrecy: What It Means for Federal Employees federal employment government transparency legal rights for feds mindfulness at work omb apportionment Jul 22, 2025

Russell Vought, former OMB Director and self-styled “trauma king,” once said the quiet part out loud: that his goal was to make civil servants afraid to come to work. But last week, a federal judge pu...

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Surprise RIFs by Email: What Federal Employees Must Know competitive service rights due process federal employment mspb appeals rif notice Jul 21, 2025

Imagine logging off for the day—only to find an email notifying you that you've been separated from federal service, effective immediately. No warning. No exit ramp. If this scenario sounds familiar, ...

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Judge Orders Full RIF Plans Released by July 23 eo 14210 federal employment judge illston ruling mspb appeals rif Jul 21, 2025

A federal judge has ordered the release of agency-wide Reduction in Force (RIF) blueprints by July 23. If you’re a GS-9 or higher employee concerned about your job security, this ruling offers both cl...

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Will the Oyer Case Undermine Civil Service Protections? civil service reform federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals ses protections Jul 18, 2025

A lesser-known legal challenge quietly gaining traction could have major implications for senior-level federal employees. In Oyer v. Department of Justice, DOJ argues that a longtime career employee—L...

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What Federal Employees Should Know About Schedule G civil service reform federal employment mspb appeals political appointees schedule g Jul 18, 2025

Yesterday’s executive order unveiled Schedule G, a new employment category that could reshape the political staffing landscape across federal agencies. While it doesn’t directly impact most current ca...

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New OPM Telework Guidance Strengthens Religious and Medical Accommodation Rights federal employment medical accommodation opm guidance religious accommodation telework rights Jul 17, 2025

For federal employees navigating the return-to-office push, a quiet but powerful shift just occurred. Thanks to new guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and a pivotal Supreme Court d...

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