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.

 
How to Stay Grounded After a Federal Layoff or Suspension federal employee rights federal employment layoffs mindfulness at work mspb appeals May 20, 2025

When layoffs or removals hit the federal workforce, the damage runs deeper than numbers. These are lives interrupted—mothers, veterans, researchers—cut adrift often with little warning and even less s...

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NIH News: Lab Leaks, Layoffs, and Budget Cuts ctap dei cuts federal employment mspb appeals nih rif May 20, 2025

The new NIH director's first town hall was anything but routine. In a candid moment, he acknowledged that NIH-funded research may have leaked from a lab, and openly called the recent mass Reduction in...

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Federal Retirement Cuts: What Congress Dropped—and What It Didn’t civil service protections federal employment fehb audit fers retirement mspb appeals May 20, 2025

Congress quietly removed a proposed 4.4% salary contribution hike from its budget package—potentially saving federal employees billions over the next decade. But before you breathe too easy, five othe...

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Was Your RIF Illegal? Red Flags Federal Employees Should Look Out For federal employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif appeals May 19, 2025

In recent months, we've seen a troubling pattern: federal agencies issuing Reduction in Force (RIF) notices that raise serious legal questions. According to some legal scholars and judges, many of the...

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The RIF Freeze May End—What That Means for You federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif appeals supreme court stay May 19, 2025

Federal employees are in a moment of deep uncertainty. A federal judge recently paused sweeping Reduction in Force (RIF) actions across 21 agencies, citing likely violations of civil service law. Now,...

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Agencies May Sideline Unions After Court Revives Executive Orders executive orders federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals union rights May 19, 2025

A recent federal appeals court decision has shaken the foundation of collective bargaining rights for millions of federal employees. On Friday, a split panel of the D.C. Circuit lifted the injunction ...

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Trump Admin's Stay Request Could Trigger Immediate Federal RIFs constitutional law federal employment mspb appeals rif supreme court May 16, 2025

On Friday, May 16, 2025, the administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a federal district court’s order that has temporarily blocked the largest Reduction in Force (RIF) initiative in modern...

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How a Supreme Court Shift Could Undermine Your Rights Across State Lines constitutional rights federal employment federal workplace protections mspb appeals nationwide injunctions May 16, 2025

A pending Supreme Court decision could unravel how federal workplace rights are protected—and federal employees need to brace for the potential fallout. At the center of the case is a challenge to nat...

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When a Recall Isn’t a Reprieve: CDC’s One-for-One Staff Swap Explained cdc recall federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif rights May 15, 2025

This week, the CDC made headlines by recalling approximately 300 occupational health specialists—many of whom were previously swept up in reductions-in-force (RIFs). But what first looked like a welco...

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A Return to “Schedule F”? What Every Policy-Facing Fed Needs to Know civil service protections federal employment mspb appeals opm rulemaking schedule f May 15, 2025

If your federal job involves influencing policy—through writing, advising, or analyzing—you could be on the verge of losing your civil service protections. A newly proposed rule by the Office of Perso...

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OSC Flip-Flops on Probationary Firing Rules federal employment mspb appeals osc reversal probationary status rif law May 15, 2025

In a startling reversal, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) now argues that federal agencies can terminate probationary employees with few limits. For probationers—especially those impacted by Februa...

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Federal RIF Pause: What the TRO Means for You federal employment legal rights mspb appeals probationary employees rif suspension May 11, 2025

On Sunday night, a federal judge issued an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) halting the Biden administration’s controversial reduction-in-force (RIF) plans that threatened thousands of fede...

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