Skip to content

News, 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.

Shaun Southworth leading a federal employment training session with members of the Southworth PC team
 

HHS RIF Notices May Violate Federal Regulations

By

Federal Reduction in Force (RIF) procedures are governed by strict timelines and procedural safeguards. So when employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began...

Read Resource
 

What to Do If You're Hit by a RIF at State or Any Federal Agency

By

Last Friday, over 1,300 employees at the State Department received notice of a Reduction in Force (RIF). Most were career civil servants; some were Foreign Service officers. For ma...

Read Resource
 

Supreme Court RIF Ruling: What Judge Illston’s New Order Means

By

Federal employees nationwide have been bracing for mass reductions in force (RIFs) after the Supreme Court lifted Judge Illston’s previous block on agency layoffs. But a late Wedne...

Read Resource
 

Southworth PC Hiring Remote Attorneys for Federal Practice

By

If you’re an attorney with courtroom fire and a heart for public service, Southworth PC invites you to consider joining our team. We are expanding to hire two, possibly three, remo...

Read Resource
 

What Happens After a Federal RIF Notice

By

If you’ve received a Reduction in Force (RIF) notice or fear one is coming, understanding what triggers a fresh 60-day notice—and what doesn’t—can protect your job, retirement time...

Read Resource
 

Supreme Court RIF Decision: Common Questions, Answered

By

Yesterday’s Supreme Court move has many federal employees on edge. Let’s be clear: the Court did not approve mass firings. Instead, it lifted an injunction that paused certain Redu...

Read Resource
 

Supreme Court Ruling on RIFs: What Federal Employees Need to Know

By

The Supreme Court issued a ruling in Trump v. AFGE that left many federal employees feeling anxious and confused. Let’s unpack what this decision actually means for you so you can ...

Read Resource
 

The Supreme Court’s Silence on RIF: What Federal Employees Should Know

By

Federal employees across agencies are anxiously refreshing for news on the Supreme Court’s ruling on the nationwide RIF (Reduction in Force) injunction. As of today, no decision ha...

Read Resource
 

OPM Suitability Rule: 5-Day Removal Notices Ahead?

By

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has proposed a suitability and fitness rule that could reshape federal employment protections as you know them. The public comment period c...

Read Resource
 

Court Double Freezes Layoffs at Certain Parts of HHS

By

Federal employees across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received unexpected news this week. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting planned reduc...

Read Resource
 

Announcement: We're Hiring Remote Federal Employment Attorneys!

By

Southworth PC is expanding. As a boutique law firm dedicated solely to defending federal employees when agencies violate their rights, we’ve made a strategic choice: while federal ...

Read Resource
 

Supreme Court RIF Decision: Tools for Federal Employees Facing Uncertainty

By

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether nationwide injunctions blocking reductions in force (RIFs) will remain or fall. This means within hours, you may learn your positio...

Read Resource

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.

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 podcast

Mindfulness

Work Peacefully

Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.

Explore mindfulness resources

About 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 & Lydia

The 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.

Get the Free Briefing