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.

 
When Workplace Violence Strikes: Mindful Guidance for CDC Employees cdc employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals workplace violence Aug 15, 2025

On August 8, near CDC’s Roybal campus in Atlanta, a gunman opened fire. More than 500 rounds were discharged, 150 windows shattered, and a DeKalb County police officer—David Rose—was killed responding...

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VA Union Contracts Canceled: What Federal Employees Need to Know afge federal employment union rights va employees Aug 15, 2025

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has just taken a step that will reverberate across the federal workforce: it voided union contracts covering more than 360,000 healthcare workers and over 400,0...

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ICE Hiring Bonuses: A Tale of Two Federal Workforces federal employment ice hiring mspb appeals rif workforce rights Aug 15, 2025

Recent DHS announcements confirm that the push to hire Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel is both real and aggressive—up to $50,000 in signing bonuses, student loan repayment options,...

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DEI and Merit Are Not Opposites—They’re Partners dei in government federal employment merit-based hiring public trust workplace diversity Aug 14, 2025

In 1960, about 96% of U.S. lawyers were white men. Women made up less than 5% of the profession, and Black lawyers numbered only in the low thousands nationwide. That wasn’t because talent was lacking...

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A New Executive Order Puts Federal Museum Staff in the Crosshairs federal employment historical accuracy museum staff rights political interference smithsonian review Aug 14, 2025

Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Now, the White House has launched a sweeping review of eight major Smithsonian museu...

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Missed the MSPB Deadline? HHS RIF Employees May Have Until Aug. 21 federal employment hhs employees mindfulness at work mspb appeals rif deadlines Aug 14, 2025

If you were separated from HHS on July 14 as part of the recent RIF and thought you missed your Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) filing deadline, you may still have a window to act. The key is a ...

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Public “Watchlists” Target Federal Employees: Legal & Safety Risks federal employment harassment mindfulness at work mspb appeals workplace safety Aug 14, 2025

Imagine waking up to find your name, photograph, salary, and career history posted online—not by your agency, but by a private group branding you “subversive” for lawful work you performed. That’s the...

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OFCCP Layoffs Canceled: What Federal Employees Need to Know agency reorganization federal employment ofccp rif avoidance workplace rights Aug 14, 2025

The Department of Labor has announced it will not proceed with planned reductions in force (RIFs) at the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Instead, employees will be reassigned w...

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BLS Shake-Up Raises Alarms Over Data Independence bls independence data integrity federal employment federal statistics mindfulness at work Aug 13, 2025

On August 1, 2025, President Biden removed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer—just days after a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. Internal emails obtained by the Assoc...

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Federal Takeover of D.C. Police: Legal and Civil Rights Implications civil rights d.c. home rule act federal employment local democracy public safety emergency Aug 13, 2025

On August 11, 2025, the President invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act to declare a public safety emergency, place the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control, and deploy 8...

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VA OIG Finds Sharp Rise in Severe Staffing Shortages federal employment federal workforce policy mindfulness at work va staffing veterans health administration Aug 13, 2025

A new report from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirms what many feared: severe staffing shortages in the Veterans Health Administration have surged 50% in the...

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Why Forced Bell Curves Fail Federal Performance Management federal employment merit system mspb appeals performance management workplace culture Aug 12, 2025

Federal performance isn’t a classroom test or a corporate sales contest—it’s complex, interdependent work that often requires everyone performing well at once. Forced distribution, sometimes called th...

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