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.
Listen to the podcastNews, rights, tools & learning
Federal Employee Resource Center
Search timely updates, plain-English explainers, practical guides, podcasts, and mindful-action resources. Start with the question you are trying to answer.
HHS RIF Hiring Questions for Federal Employees
For federal employees affected by last year’s HHS layoffs, the recent discussion about hiring 12,000 people raises a serious legal question: if the agency said positions were elimi...
Fired for Following a Federal Court Order
For federal employees, the reported firing of Navy Secretary John Phelan raises a question far bigger than one Pentagon personnel decision: what happens when public servants are pu...
IRS Refund Delays and Enforcement Cuts Explained
Federal employees are often asked to reconcile two competing narratives: what agency leadership reports to Congress and what unfolds inside the workplace. The IRS’s recent “home ru...
USDA Relocations: Legal Risks for Federal Employees
USDA’s large-scale relocation of thousands of employees raises a practical question: if federal agencies successfully operated remotely during the pandemic, why require cross-count...
HHS RIF Legality: Hiring After Layoffs
A reduction in force (RIF) under federal law is supposed to eliminate positions—not simply replace the people who held them. That distinction matters. When an agency conducts a RIF...
Federal Employee Morale Decline: What You Can Do
Recent data confirms what many federal employees have already been experiencing firsthand: a sharp decline in workplace well-being. Gallup reports that the percentage of federal em...
FBI Hiring Changes and Federal Workforce Risks
Recent changes at the FBI and Department of Justice reflect more than routine hiring adjustments. Reports of waived assessments, shortened training, and reduced experience requirem...
Unlawful Removal and Quo Warranto in Federal Agencies
A recent case involving a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member highlights a core principle federal employees often rely on but rarely see tested so directly: statutor...
HHS RIF Appeals: When Agency Statements Undermine Legality
Recent congressional testimony about the HHS workforce reductions raises a legally significant question: was this truly a reduction in force—or something else? Under 5 U.S.C. Chapt...
DoD Union Contracts Terminated: What It Means
On April 9, the Department of Defense directed the termination of most collective bargaining agreements for its civilian workforce—with just 24 hours’ notice. The stated justificat...
When Agency Decisions Ignore Expertise
Recent accounts from a former senior USAID official describe a familiar pattern: leadership sets the outcome first, then asks career staff to explain how to implement it. For feder...
FEMA Workforce Cuts and Federal RIF Risks
Recent sworn testimony from FEMA leadership raises a critical issue for federal employees: what happens when an agency sets workforce reduction targets before determining operation...
More ways to learn
Choose the format that helps you understand what is happening.
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.
Mindfulness
Work Peacefully
Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.
Explore mindfulness resourcesAbout 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 & LydiaThe Federal Employee Briefing
The important developments, without the all-day scroll.
Join 3,900+ federal employees getting sourced workforce news and practical next steps on weekdays. It is a free public-service resource from Southworth PC.