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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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Kristi Noem’s DHS and What 2025 Meant for Federal Employees
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...
A Year-End and Year Ahead Report for Federal Employees
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...
Pam Bondi’s DOJ: A Troubling 2025 Year in Review
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 ser...
CFPB Mass Firings Blocked Again: What the New Court Ruling Means
Federal employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have endured a year of professional whiplash. One moment, mission-driven work continued as usual. The next, rumors of ...
Shutdown RIFs Frozen Until 2026: What the Injunction Means
For federal employees caught in the uncertainty of shutdown-related reductions in force (RIFs), a recent court order delivered rare clarity—and immediate relief. On December 18, Ju...
What NCAR’s Targeting Signals for Federal Scientists
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 workin...
Why Merit Systems—and Giving Back—Still Matter
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, m...
When Leadership Wants You Gone: NIH Lawsuit Raises Red Flags
A newly filed federal lawsuit out of Maryland involving a senior NIH leader is sending a chill through the federal workforce—not because of who is involved, but because of what the...
Are Forced Performance Rating Quotas Legal for Federal Employees?
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 c...
CDC Telework Accommodations and Medical Privacy Risks
Federal employees expect reasonable accommodation requests to be handled carefully, confidentially, and by trained professionals. Recent reports out of HHS—and specifically the CDC...
Federal Overtime After Lesko: Why Written Approval Matters
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 woul...
When Agencies Cap “5s”: The Hidden Risks of Forced Performance Ratings
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 to...
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