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.

 
Schedule Policy/Career: Which Federal Jobs Are at Risk federal employee rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals schedule policy/career Feb 09, 2026

The Office of Personnel Management has finalized a new rule creating Schedule Policy/Career, a classification aimed at “policy-influencing” positions. The government’s own estimate is that roughly 2% ...

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DHS Shutdown Deadline: What Federal Employees Should Expect continuing resolution dhs shutdown federal employment mindfulness at work tsa employees Feb 09, 2026

As of Monday, February 9, 2026, the federal government is technically open—but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is once again on the edge. Congress ended a four-day partial shutdown on Februa...

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Is Title VII Really “Colorblind”? What the Law Requires eeo law federal employment mindfulness at work title vii workplace discrimination Feb 06, 2026

Federal employees are hearing a new phrase surface in official discourse: that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is “colorblind.” At first glance, that idea may sound reassuring—fairness through treat...

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Black History Month in Federal Workplaces: Who Makes It Happen black history month federal employment federal workforce mindfulness at work workplace inclusion Feb 06, 2026

If someone has ever been responsible for planning a Black History Month event at work, the pattern is familiar. The group emails. The speaker outreach. The scramble to make something meaningful with l...

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OPM’s Schedule Policy/Career Explained federal employee protections federal employment mindfulness at work mspb rights schedule policy career Feb 06, 2026

Yesterday, the Office of Personnel Management finalized a rule creating a new category called Schedule Policy/Career. While the name may sound technical—or even benign—the substance should command eve...

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OPM’s Push for Forced Performance Ratings Explained eeo law federal employment opm guidance performance ratings workforce management Feb 05, 2026

Federal employees are getting an early warning about a major shift in how performance may be evaluated in the FY 2026 appraisal cycle. According to statements from OPM Director Scott Kupor, OPM is mov...

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Schedule Policy/Career: How Civil Service Protections Could Change civil service protections federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals schedule policy career Feb 05, 2026

Federal employees are waking up to a significant shift in the civil service landscape. Reporting indicates that OPM is expected to finalize a rule creating a new classification—often referred to as “S...

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Congress Quietly Extended RIF Protections—Here’s What That Means dhs funding federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals reduction in force Feb 04, 2026

Federal employees are hearing a lot of noise about layoffs—and most of it misses a critical development. Even though the recent shutdown has ended, Congress quietly extended a key protection that temp...

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DHS Funding Deadline: ICE/CBP Guardrails Protect Everyone cbp discipline dhs funding federal employee rights federal law enforcement ice oversight Feb 04, 2026

As Congress approaches another Department of Homeland Security funding deadline, the conversation often turns abstract—numbers, headlines, and partisan talking points. Recent testimony before Governor...

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OPM Back Pay Guidance Changes and a New Bill That Could Fix It back pay rights federal employment government shutdown mspb appeals opm guidance Feb 04, 2026

Federal employees may feel relief that the recent shutdown ended, but a quiet change by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) deserves attention. OPM recently removed language from its shutdown gui...

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Black History Month: Practicing Racial Justice at Work black history month civil rights federal employment mindfulness at work racial justice Feb 03, 2026

Black History Month is often framed as a time for reflection, celebration, and learning. For federal employees, it can also be a moment to think more deeply about how racial justice shows up in daily ...

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During a Shutdown, Get Your Work Status in Writing excepted employees federal employment law federal shutdown furlough status mindfulness at work Feb 03, 2026

When a shutdown or funding lapse looms, many federal employees report the same unsettling pattern: offices acting as if it’s “business as usual,” while managers avoid putting anything in writing. That...

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