Skip to content

News, 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.

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

Inspector General Removals and Why Federal Employees Should Care

By

On October 15, the White House removed Parisa Salehi, the Senate-confirmed Inspector General (IG) at the Export-Import Bank—without giving Congress the 30-day notice and written ra...

Read Resource
 

SSA Shutdown AWOL Policies May Violate the Rehabilitation Act

By

Federal employees classified as “excepted” during the shutdown—especially at SSA—are facing a confusing mix of leave cancellations, telework denials, and AWOL threats. If this soun...

Read Resource
 

Mindful Breathing for Federal Employees Under Shutdown Stress

By

If you’re a federal employee facing missed paychecks or furlough uncertainty, you’re not alone. Across the country, public servants are carrying heavy stress—financial strain, disr...

Read Resource
 

Federal Shutdown Day 21: What Federal Workers Need to Know

By

The federal shutdown has now stretched into week four—day 21—with no funding deal in sight. Senate Republicans met at the White House to signal unity, but neither side has shifted....

Read Resource
 

Shutdown RIF Update: Interior’s Numbers, TRO Expansion, and What Comes Next

By

Federal employees, here’s where things stand in the AFGE/AFSCME case that’s temporarily blocking shutdown-related RIFs. As of this week, the Department of the Interior has disclose...

Read Resource
 

Judge Expands Shutdown RIF Protections for Union Members

By

There’s a major update out of federal court—and it affects thousands of you navigating the shutdown’s uncertainty. On Friday, Judge Susan Illston expanded and clarified the Tempora...

Read Resource
 

New Federal Hiring Order: What It Means for Career Employees

By

Last week’s presidential hiring order doesn’t end the freeze—it reshapes it. Under the directive, every agency must create an Annual Staffing Plan reviewed by OPM and OMB. But befo...

Read Resource
 

Chicago TRO Tightens Rules on Federal Agents and Use of Force

By

A federal judge in Chicago has issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that sharply limits how federal agents can police immigration-related protests. The ruling, prompted by re...

Read Resource
 

Partisan RIFs and the Law: Why Political Layoffs Are Illegal

By

Federal employees, let’s cut through the noise. The President recently said upcoming federal layoffs would be “Democrat-oriented.” OMB followed with guidance urging agencies to “us...

Read Resource
 

Interior RIFs May Defy Court Order: What Federal Employees Should Do

By

Credible reports suggest that the Department of the Interior may begin mass layoffs as soon as Monday—even though a federal court order temporarily prohibits all shutdown-related R...

Read Resource
 

Is the Pentagon’s $8B Shutdown Pay Fix Legal?

By

The Defense Department says it will tap about $8 billion in leftover research-and-development funds to pay service members during the shutdown. The President directed the Pentagon ...

Read Resource
 

NASA Union Rights Lawsuit Tests Presidential Power

By

Last week, the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) filed a second lawsuit against the administration—this time over NASA. In March, the Preside...

Read Resource

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.

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 podcast

Mindfulness

Work Peacefully

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

Explore mindfulness resources

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

The 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.

Get the Free Briefing