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.

 
Here's What I Would Tell DOGE If It Had an Exit Interview civil service protections doge federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals Nov 25, 2025

Federal employees have spent the last year living inside a case study of what happens when political ambition outruns legal authority. The Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE—arrived with a chain...

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CFPB Furloughs: What Federal Employees Need to Know agency furloughs cfpb civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work Nov 21, 2025

When an administration decides it doesn’t like an independent watchdog, the pressure rarely comes all at once. More often, it arrives through the quiet weaponization of funding, structure, and process...

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Why State’s New “Fidelity” Standard Threatens Merit Protections civil service protections dei in government federal employment merit systems mspb appeals Nov 20, 2025

Federal employees have seen many political swings over the years, but the State Department’s reported decision to award retroactive promotions and back pay to nearly 300 employees who were previously ...

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OPM’s Draft Schedule F Rule and the Risk to Career Civil Service Rights civil service protections federal employment merit systems law mspb appeals schedule f Nov 19, 2025

Federal employees have heard whispers for months, but the recently leaked draft regulations go further than expected: nearly 50,000 career employees could lose core civil service protections based on ...

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DoD Fast-Track Removals: What the “Department of War” Memo Means for You chapter 75 civil service protections dod removals federal employment mspb appeals Oct 29, 2025

A newly leaked “Department of War” memo is changing how the Department of Defense handles removals for “unacceptable performance.” It directs supervisors and HR to act with “speed and conviction,” cut...

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Leaked Memo Reveals Push to Use Shutdown for Federal Layoffs civil service protections federal employment merit system integrity mspb appeals shutdown rif Oct 28, 2025

A newly leaked document confirms what many suspected: some in Washington saw the recent shutdown not just as a funding lapse, but as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce. According to Polit...

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Partisan RIFs and the Law: Why Political Layoffs Are Illegal civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work political retaliation rif law Oct 17, 2025

Federal employees, let’s cut through the noise. The President recently said upcoming federal layoffs would be “Democrat-oriented.” OMB followed with guidance urging agencies to “use this opportunity” ...

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The Real Cost of Mass Federal Layoffs agency inefficiencies civil service protections federal employment government cuts mindfulness at work Sep 15, 2025

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently criticized the DOGE initiative’s approach under Elon Musk: focusing on firing people instead of fixing inefficiencies. The promise was massive savings—up to ...

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Civil Service Protections Still Stand for Federal Employees civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work rif rules whistleblower rights Aug 18, 2025

Every week, federal employees write me with the same anxious question: is the civil service dead? With headlines about RIFs, hiring freezes, and reorganization schemes, it’s easy to feel that way. But...

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When Facts Become Fireable: What the BLS Shake-Up Means for You bureau of labor statistics civil service protections data integrity federal employment title 5 rights Aug 04, 2025

Last Friday, the President abruptly fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Senate-confirmed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), just hours after the release of an underwhelming jobs report....

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Schedule G and the Return of At-Will Federal Jobs civil service protections executive order 14317 federal employment political appointments schedule g Jul 30, 2025

On July 29, the Office of Personnel Management quietly released guidance that could reshape the federal civil service overnight. The memo explains how agencies can begin using a new employment categor...

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When Leadership Fails: What Federal Employees Deserve civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals toxic leadership Jul 29, 2025

A new survey shows what many of us already feel: 95% of federal employees are experiencing rising anxiety, depression, or insomnia in 2025. For those of you showing up to work despite chaos from above...

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