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

OPM's New Suitability Rule Lets Agencies Bar Federal Employees for Up to Three Years

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Starting July 30, 2026, federal agencies will have a new way to remove employees already on the job — one built for screening applicants, not managing an existing workforce. The Of...

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OPM and MSPB Propose Retiring the Douglas Factors — What Federal Employees Stand to Lose

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For 45 years, before a federal agency could fire, suspend, or demote an employee, it had to work through twelve factors set out in Douglas v. Veterans Administration, 5 M.S.P.R. 28...

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The Required Federal Employee Survey Vanished the Year 317,000 Feds Left. Congress Wants Answers.

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In 2025, roughly 317,000 employees left the federal government. The federal workforce shrank by more than ten percent. And the one survey the government is legally required to run ...

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FEHB Medical Records and OPM Privacy Risks

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Federal employees are right to ask careful questions when the agency that oversees their health benefits seeks access to detailed medical claims data. The issue now surrounding the...

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Federal Employee DOGE Email Responses Show Dignity and Professionalism

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Many federal employees remember the February 2025 “what did you do last week” email not as a routine workplace request, but as a moment of shock. According to the transcript, feder...

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Schedule F Returns: What the New FOIA Lawsuit Means

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A new FOIA lawsuit seeks OPM’s secret Schedule Policy/Career lists. Here’s what federal policy employees need to know about potential at-will conversion.

Federal employees in poli...

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Judge Rules OPM’s Mass Probationary Firings Illegal

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Earlier this year, thousands of probationary federal employees were swept out of service under a government-wide directive. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had ordered age...

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OPM Cancels 2025 FEVS: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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For years, the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) has been the government’s tool to measure morale, engagement, and inclusion across agencies. But after months of delay, OPM ...

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Agencies Reassess RIFs Amid Voluntary Exits and Legal Pressure

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If you’re a federal employee watching the Reduction in Force (RIF) situation unfold, you’re likely feeling the emotional whiplash. Just this week, the White House admitted to track...

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