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Civil Rights for Civil Servants
Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.
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FEMA Retaliation Concerns: What Federal Whistleblowers Need to Know
On August 26, 2025, more than a dozen FEMA employees were placed on paid administrative leave just hours after signing a public letter criticizing leadership decisions. The letter,...
Probationary Feds: Why “Fully Successful” Ratings Won’t Always Save Your Job
A recent watchdog report revealed that the IRS terminated over 7,000 probationary employees—even though 99% of those with ratings were marked “Fully Successful” or higher. Performa...
VA Cuts Extra 4 Weeks of Parental Leave After Union Contract Termination
On August 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated most of its union contracts — an unprecedented move that immediately impacted between 377,000 and 400,000 workers. ...
HHS RIF Pause in Rhode Island Case: Here's What You Need to Know
Federal employees at HHS have been hit with a whirlwind of updates in the Rhode Island litigation. Last week, a federal judge extended the pause on certain reduction-in-force (RIF)...
IG Oversight Under Strain: Safeguarding Your Federal Career
Every federal agency has an Inspector General (IG) office, established to serve as the independent watchdog. Their role is to audit, investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, and to ens...
CFPB RIF Ruling: What Federal Employees Must Know
On August 15, 2025, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., issued a major decision on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Reduction in Force (RIF) case. The rulin...
When Workplace Violence Strikes: Mindful Guidance for CDC Employees
On August 8, near CDC’s Roybal campus in Atlanta, a gunman opened fire. More than 500 rounds were discharged, 150 windows shattered, and a DeKalb County police officer—David Rose—w...
ICE Hiring Bonuses: A Tale of Two Federal Workforces
Recent DHS announcements confirm that the push to hire Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel is both real and aggressive—up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, student loa...
Missed the MSPB Deadline? HHS RIF Employees May Have Until Aug. 21
If you were separated from HHS on July 14 as part of the recent RIF and thought you missed your Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) filing deadline, you may still have a window t...
Public “Watchlists” Target Federal Employees: Legal & Safety Risks
Imagine waking up to find your name, photograph, salary, and career history posted online—not by your agency, but by a private group branding you “subversive” for lawful work you p...
Why Forced Bell Curves Fail Federal Performance Management
Federal performance isn’t a classroom test or a corporate sales contest—it’s complex, interdependent work that often requires everyone performing well at once. Forced distribution,...
EPA Ends Union Recognition Under Executive Order 14251
On August 8, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will no longer recognize its unions, terminating all collective bargaining agreements effective immediatel...
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