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

Federal Shutdown Watch: Why a Minibus Matters

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For many federal employees, the word “shutdown” triggers a familiar mix of anxiety and fatigue. Even when leaders say the risk is low, lived experience teaches that things can chan...

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The Hidden Impact of a 10% Federal Workforce Reduction

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Federal employees are accustomed to hearing talk of “shrinking government,” but new data shows what that phrase actually looked like in practice. According to recently released Off...

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When “Domestic Terrorism” Is Claimed Without Proof

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Federal employees are trained to respect precision—especially when words trigger legal consequences. That is why recent events in Minneapolis deserve close attention, not only as a...

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Courts Force Disclosure of Federal RIF Plans

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For many federal employees, last year’s wave of reductions in force (RIFs) and reorganizations felt abrupt and opaque. Decisions appeared to come from nowhere, with little explanat...

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Why Federal Employees Need Both Legal Depth and Gratitude

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Federal employees are entering 2026 under intense pressure. Discipline actions, EEO complaints, MSPB hearings, and public scrutiny are accelerating—not slowing down. In moments lik...

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EEOC Harassment Guidance Rollback: What Federal Employees Should Know

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Federal employees are hearing unsettling headlines: the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission may be pulling back its own harassment guidance. On December 29, 2025, EEOC Chair An...

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OPM’s Proposal to Judge Probationary Appeals Itself

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For many federal employees, the probationary period already feels precarious. Limited appeal rights. High discretion. Quiet pressure to “keep your head down.” A newly proposed rule...

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Shutdown Risk Drops After 397–28 House Vote

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Federal employees who lived through the last shutdown remember the strain vividly: delayed paychecks, frozen plans, and the constant question of when—or whether—Congress would act....

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FEMA Elimination vs Reform: What Federal Workers Should Know

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Recent remarks attributed to DHS leadership signal a dramatic shift in how disaster response might work in the United States: returning responsibility “to the most local level.” Fo...

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Can an Arbitrator Reject a Presidential Executive Order?

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Federal employees are increasingly being told a stark message: the President signed an executive order, so your bargaining rights are gone. When that message comes from agency lead...

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How Federal Employees Can Track Critical Workplace Updates

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Federal employees often rely on social media for timely updates about workplace rules, discipline risks, and changes that affect job security. But platforms are unpredictable. Impo...

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What Congress’s 2026 “Minibus” Means for Federal Job Security

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Federal employees are right to ask a basic question: what exactly is a “minibus,” and why should anyone care? The answer matters because this type of legislation affects job securi...

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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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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.

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