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 podcastNews, 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.
OPM Ends the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey: What the Final Rule Changes
OPM has officially ended the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), the survey federal employees have filled out for more than twenty years. The final rule was published this we...
USDA Sends New Reassignment Letters Despite Court Order: What NRCS Employees Should Do
USDA reassignment letters are back in the news. A federal judge ordered USDA to stop sending relocation letters, and two weeks later the department sent more. If you work at USDA’s...
VA Ends Union Contract for 320,000 Employees: What the Court Fight Means for Federal Workers
The VA union contract termination affecting roughly 320,000 employees is still being fought in federal court, and the VA’s explanation for it deserves a close look. According to th...
FLRA Puts Union Election Rules Back After Court Ruling: What the Fine Print Says
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) has put its old union election rules back on the books after a federal judge threw out the board’s attempt to move that power to its th...
BOP Cancels Union Contract Again Days After a Judge Ordered It Reinstated
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) told a federal judge it was complying with an order to reinstate its union contract, and then canceled the contract again, according to court filings. F...
SSA Ends Alternative Work Schedules: What the Law Says and What to Do if Your Schedule Is an Accommodation
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has told its workforce that every 4/10 and 5/4/9 alternative work schedule is ending in mid-November, and the move raises real questions un...
Five Hatch Act Cases, One Ended a Career: What OSC's Settlements Mean Before the Midterms
The Office of Special Counsel announced on September 30 that five federal employees settled Hatch Act cases, with suspensions of three to ten days and one career-ending outcome. Wi...
Over 1,000 Hatch Act Complaints, Zero Discipline: What OSC's Shutdown Messaging Report Means for Feds
The Hatch Act watchdog has decided that no one will be disciplined over last fall's partisan shutdown messaging, even though it received more than 1,000 complaints about messages f...
Petty Friday: Who Is Andrea Lucas? The EEOC's Chair — and Its Most Effective Opponent
It’s Petty Friday — our weekly commentary for federal employees, where we take the week’s civil rights news with a little humor and a lot of receipts. This week: Andrea Lucas, the ...
Five Changes in the EEOC's Proposed Rule That Matter for Your Federal EEO Case
The EEOC’s proposed rule would demand more detail in your federal EEO complaint before the investigation — and take away your current choice to put the case before an EEOC judge. H...
150 Pages, 30 Days: The EEOC Motion for More Comment Time That Couldn't Get a Second
The EEOC has proposed a 150-page rewrite of the federal EEO complaint process — and federal employees will get just 30 days to comment on it. At the Commission’s meeting, a motion ...
EEOC Proposal: The Agency You Accuse Would Decide Your Discrimination Case First
The EEOC has proposed a major change to the federal EEO complaint process: under the new proposal, the agency you accuse of discrimination would ordinarily decide your case first —...
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.
Mindfulness
Work Peacefully
Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.
Explore mindfulness resourcesAbout 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 & LydiaThe 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.