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

When a Federal Employee Is Labeled Before the Facts

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The death of Alex Jeffrey Pretti in Minneapolis this weekend has shaken many federal employees—not only because of the violence itself, but because of what followed. Mr. Pretti was...

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Partial Shutdown Risk Rises Due to Escalating Dispute Over DHS

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As of the final week before the January 30, 2026 funding deadline, the risk of a partial government shutdown has materially increased. This shift is not driven by abstract budget m...

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Why Federal Employment Law Requires Specialized Attorneys

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Federal employees often hear a familiar refrain: “An employment lawyer is an employment lawyer.” That assumption can be costly. Federal employment law is not a niche add-on to priv...

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HHS Rescinds NIOSH RIF Notices: What It Means for Feds

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The Department of Health and Human Services has officially rescinded every Reduction in Force (RIF) notice issued to employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and...

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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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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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OPM’s New Telework Rules: What Federal Employees Must Know

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Federal employees are hearing a familiar rumor again: telework is ending. That framing is misleading—and dangerously incomplete. What actually changed is how the Office of Personne...

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How OPM’s 2026 FEHB Change Affects Federal Families

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Federal employees are not imagining the shift. As of January 1, 2026, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has directed Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Serv...

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Federal HR 2.0: Why Your Records Matter More Than Ever

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Federal employees know the frustration of being told, “The system says…,” even when personal paperwork clearly shows something different. That moment—when a computer record outweig...

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MSPB Certifies Rare Class Appeals for HUD and OPM Probationary Firings

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For many federal employees, being labeled “probationary” has long felt like being disposable. February 2025 seemed to confirm that fear when HUD and OPM terminated hundreds of prob...

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RIF During a Congressional Freeze: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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When Congress passes a continuing resolution (CR) that prohibits agencies from initiating, carrying out, implementing, or even noticing a reduction in force, most federal employees...

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Avoid Costly FEHB Surprises: Open Season 2026 Changes You Must Check

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Open Season brings predictable adjustments each year, but 2026 carries a less familiar risk: eight FEHB plan options are disappearing, including NALC High and NALC CDHP—two plans w...

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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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