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

Schedule Policy/Career Risks for Federal Employees

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If you are a federal employee, the past few days are not just political theater. They implicate civil service protections, paycheck stability, and your ability to raise concerns wi...

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OPM Union Contract Terminations: What Feds Must Know

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If you are a bargaining unit employee who relies on your union for discipline defense or grievance protection, recent guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) deserve...

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DHS Shutdown: Protect Your Pay and Record

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A partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is not abstract politics. For many federal employees, it means reporting to work without pay or being sent home with uncer...

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Black Excellence at NASA: A Federal Legacy

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Most people know NASA as the agency that put a man on the moon. Fewer understand that the success of America’s space program rests in part on the work of Black federal employees wh...

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DOE Personal Email Use and Federal Records Law

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NOTUS recently reported that political appointees at the Department of Energy used personal email accounts to discuss official government business while DOE was involved in a contr...

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100 Years of Black FBI Agents in Federal Service

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“Black history” and “FBI” are not phrases often spoken together. They should be.

This year marks 100 years of African-American special agents serving in the Bureau. That legacy is...

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Telework as a Disability Accommodation: What Feds Must Know

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The EEOC and OPM recently issued new “guidance” on telework as a disability accommodation. On its face, it appears technical. In practice, it is likely to shape how supervisors res...

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FAIR Act 2027: 4.1% Federal Pay Raise Explained

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Democrats have introduced the FAIR Act proposing a 4.1% federal pay raise for 2027—3.1% across-the-board plus an average 1% locality adjustment. Whether it ultimately passes remain...

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Musk’s Deposition Order Explained

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Federal employees have been watching headlines about a federal judge ordering Elon Musk to sit for a deposition under oath regarding DOGE and actions surrounding the USAID shutdown...

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Can the Department of Education Be Dismantled?

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If you work in the federal government right now, the headlines can feel destabilizing. One day your agency is supposedly being “dismantled.” The next, your job is “moving.” And no ...

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Black Postal Workers and Federal Legacy

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There are moments when public rhetoric attempts to reduce Black federal employees to stereotypes—minimizing generations of service with a single headline or comment. For Black GS e...

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RIFs May Restart After Feb. 13: What Feds Should Do Now

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Federal employees received a temporary reprieve when Congress restricted agencies from using appropriated funds to initiate or carry out new reductions in force (RIFs). That restri...

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More ways to learn

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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.

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Mindfulness

Work Peacefully

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

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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

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