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.
A critical update is unfolding that every federal employee should be aware of. Recently, The Federal News Network obtained drafts of the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) proposed regulations—and...
If you’re a federal employee in your probationary period, you may have felt the looming uncertainty that comes with it. Recent developments show that concern may be justified—but also that you may hav...
Categories
All Categories #careerprotection #doge #federalemployment #mindfulness #stressmanagement administrative cuts administrative law afge lawsuit afge v. trump agency closures agency cuts agency independence agency reorganization agency shutdown agency shutdowns ai and privacy ai in government ai surveillance alien enemies act americorps cuts appeals court trends appointments clause at-will status awol defense black federal employees black federal workers budget cuts budget transparency burnout prevention career protection career stability careerprotection cdc advisory committee cdc recall cfpb layoffs checks and balances civil rights civil rights enforcement civil rights protection civil service protection civil service protections civil service reform civil service rights class action lawsuits class actions classified information collective bargaining congressional budget bill congressional budget cuts constitutional law constitutional rights court orders ctap cybersecurity threats deferred resignation program deferred resignation programs dei dei ban dei cuts dei executive order dei in government dei in stem dei policies dei retaliation deia democracy protection department of state dhs disability rights disaster readiness disciplinary defense discrimination district court injunctions dod reorganization doe injunction doge doge reform drp buyouts due process due process rights dueprocess eeo complaints eeo guidance eeo laws eeo process eeo protections eeo rights eeoc eeoc guidance elon musk emergency response policy emergencymanagement employee protections employee rights employee stress management employeeprotections employment law epa layoffs equal protection executive order executive order challenge executive orders executive overreach executive power faca fda oversight fed chair fed legal help fed strong community federal benefits federal career defense federal career protection federal court updates federal discipline federal employee advocacy federal employee discipline federal employee ethics federal employee protection federal employee protections federal employee rights federal employee rights, federal employee support federal employees federal employment federal employment law federal employment rights federal employment stability federal employment, federal funding federal job cuts federal job protection federal job rights federal job security federal job termination federal jobs federal law federal layoffs federal pay federal probation federal records compliance federal retirement federal workforce federal workforce laws federal workforce protection federal workforce protections federal workforce rights federal workforce stability federal workplace federal workplace protections federalemployeeresources federalemployment fehb fehb audit fehb termination fema fema cuts fers fers annuity supplement fers retirement fers supplement first amendment rights flra fmcs cuts food safety foreign emoluments clause fork in the road free speech furlough rights gao report government accountability government agencies government budget cuts government careers government downsizing government ethics. government funding, government integrity government job security government jobs government layoffs government oversight government policy changes government regulations government shutdown government transparency government waste government workforce governmentjobs governmentreform gsa workforce hatch act health benefits hhs employees hhs lawsuit hhs layoffs hhs reduction in force hhs reorg hhs rif hr letters hr modernization hr policy hr system failures hud layoffs ig firings impoundment control act institutional knowledge interior department irs delays irs layoffs irs reduction in force irs workplace issues job loss recovery job protection job protections job reclassification job search job security job security strategies job termination judicial independence know your rights labor relations law day 2025 layoffs legal advice legal advocacy legal challenges legal compliance legal defense legal protection legal representation legal rights legal update legal updates for federal employees legalsupport lgbtq rights mass layoffs medical privacy merit system merit systems merit systems protection merit systems protection board merit-based hiring military spouses mindful federal employee mindful federal employment mindful leadership mindful workplace mindfulness mindfulness at work mindfulness at work, mindfulness for employees mindfulness in government mindfulness in the workplace mspb mspb appeal mspb appeals mspb rights mspb ruling national security national security law nationwide injunctions ndas in government nih rif ninth circuit nlrb opm contracts opm firings opm guidance opm hiring memo opm lawsuit opm policy opm reform opm regulations opm rule opm rulemaking opm ruling opm suitability rule opm termination osc case osc closure osc complaints osc investigation osc reversal osha investigations pension reform pentagon job cuts performance improvement plan performance improvement plans political appointees presidential ethics privacy act privacy rights probationary employee rights probationary employees probationary federal employees probationary federal employment probationary period probationary status probationary termination probationaryemployees project 2025 protect federal career protecting federal career protecting federal careers public comment violations public health public service public service stress management publicservice reasonable accommodation reasonable accommodations reduction in force rehabilitation act religious freedom relocation rights remote work reporter shield rollback retaliation retaliation protection retention register retirement planning retirement processing return to office rfk jr. rif rif appeals rif injunction rif law rif lawsuit rif layoffs rif litigation rif notices rif preparation rif procedures rif resources rif rights rif strategy rif supreme court case rif suspension rifs rule of law schedule f scientific innovation scientificworkforce scotus layoffs security clearance separation of powers sf 50 guide sf-50 guide shadow docket social security social security data socialsecurity ssa ssa data breach ssa layoffs state department state secrets doctrine stress management student loans suitability review suitability standards supreme court supreme court rulings supreme court rulings, supreme court stay taxpayer privacy telework telework policies telework policy telework protections telework rights telework rules termination title vii trump legal issues tsa tsa workers tsp union protections union rights unionrights unlawful terminations usps independence va job cuts va layoffs va union rights veterans preference veteransaffairs watchdog oversight whistleblower protection whistleblower protections whistleblower rights work-life balance worker safety workforce downsizing workforce reduction workforce restructuring workforce rights workplace accessibility workplace accommodations workplace dei workplace disability rights workplace discipline workplace discrimination workplace fairness workplace justice workplace mindfulness workplace protections workplace resilience workplace retaliation workplace rights workplace stability workplace stress workplace stress management workplace surveillance workplace wellness workplaceprivacy workplacerights workplacewellness wrongful termination
Shaun Southworth
Shaun Southworth is the Founding Attorney of Southworth PC, a mindfulness practitioner, and a dedicated advocate for federal employees, with over 20,000 hours of experience defending careers and workplace rights. He combines legal expertise with practical strategies to help federal workers navigate job uncertainty, discipline, and policy changes with confidence and clarity.
THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BRIEFING
Your Trusted Guide in Uncertain Times
Stay informed, stay protected. The Federal Employee Briefing delivers expert insights on workforce policies, legal battles, RTO mandates, and union updates—so you’re never caught off guard. With job security, telework, and agency shifts constantly evolving, we provide clear, concise analysis on what’s happening, why it matters, and what you can do next.
📩 Get the latest updates straight to your inbox—because your career depends on it.
You're safe with me. I'll never spam you or sell your contact info.