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.

 
OPM’s Proposed Rule Could Strip Probationary Employees of MSPB Rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm regulations probationary employees Jan 05, 2026

Federal employees often hear that probation is “temporary vulnerability.” What is now on the table would turn that vulnerability into something far more permanent—and far more dangerous for the integr...

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Shutdowns, RIFs, and Reclassification: A 2026 Reality Check for Federal Employees federal employment mindfulness at work probationary employees reduction in force schedule policy career Jan 02, 2026

Walking back into a federal building at the start of 2026, many employees feel a familiar tightness in the chest. That reaction is not overblown. It reflects an accurate reading of the landscape—espec...

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HUD’s 2025 RIF and Fair Housing Rollbacks fair housing act federal employment hud mindfulness at work reduction in force Dec 31, 2025

For federal employees, HUD’s 2025 “wrapped” under Secretary Scott Turner is less a summary and more a warning. It shows how quickly an agency’s workforce, mission, and culture can be

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Kristi Noem’s DHS and What 2025 Meant for Federal Employees civil service protections dhs oversight federal discipline federal employment mindfulness at work Dec 31, 2025

For federal employees, leadership at the top of an agency is not an abstract concern. It determines how power is exercised, how mistakes are corrected, and whether career staff are protected or expose...

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A Year-End and Year Ahead Report for Federal Employees discipline & adverse actions eeo law federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals Dec 31, 2025

As the year closes, many federal employees are not feeling celebratory. Investigations linger, disciplinary proposals land without warning, and workplace rules continue to shift. A year-end check-in i...

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Pam Bondi’s DOJ: A Troubling 2025 Year in Review civil service protections department of justice federal employment mindfulness at work rule of law Dec 19, 2025

For many federal employees, 2025 has felt destabilizing—especially for those who built careers around the assumption that the rule of law, not political loyalty, anchors public service. At the Departm...

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What NCAR’s Targeting Signals for Federal Scientists civil service protections federal employment federal scientists mindfulness at work rif and restructuring Dec 18, 2025

Federal employees are used to policy shifts. What is unfolding around the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is something different—and more personal for anyone working in science, resear...

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Why Merit Systems—and Giving Back—Still Matter federal employment merit system mindfulness at work public service workplace fairness Dec 18, 2025

For many federal employees, the idea of a “merit system” can feel abstract—something discussed in regulations or performance plans. But for those who grew up without safety nets, merit is not a theory...

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Are Forced Performance Rating Quotas Legal for Federal Employees? federal employment mindfulness at work opm regulations performance ratings prohibited personnel practices Dec 17, 2025

Federal employees across agencies are hearing a troubling message at the end of the appraisal year: even strong performance won’t matter because only a small percentage of people can receive top ratin...

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Federal Overtime After Lesko: Why Written Approval Matters federal circuit federal employment mindfulness at work overtime pay title 5 Dec 16, 2025

Federal employees are often told, “Just stay late—we’ll sort out the overtime later.” For years, many assumed that if management knew about the work and benefited from it, pay would follow. A recent e...

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When Agencies Cap “5s”: The Hidden Risks of Forced Performance Ratings federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals performance ratings workplace fairness Dec 16, 2025

For many federal employees, a performance year ends with a quiet shock: strong feedback all year, solid results, and then a rating capped at a “3” because the office “can’t give too many 5s.” That fee...

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Feed the DMV: Let's Show Up for Our Community community support dmv federal employees federal employment food insecurity mindfulness at work Dec 15, 2025

Federal employees are no strangers to uncertainty. Shutdown threats, benefit cuts, inflation, and recent federal job losses have pushed many households across the DMV to the edge. Against that backdro...

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