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.
Reservist Differential Pay: Three Papers to Pull if You Were Activated Since 2009
Reservist differential pay is one of the quietest entitlements in federal employment, and if you are a federal employee who has been activated since 2009, there may be back pay sit...
RIFs May Restart After Feb. 13: What Feds Should Do Now
Federal employees received a temporary reprieve when Congress restricted agencies from using appropriated funds to initiate or carry out new reductions in force (RIFs). That restri...
OPM’s Proposed “RIF Appeals” Rule Would Strip MSPB Review and Concentrate Power Inside OPM — Comment Now
OPM just published a proposed rule titled “Reduction in Force Appeals” (RIN 3206–AO99) that would take most Reduction-in-Force (RIF) appeal rights away from the Merit Systems Prote...
OPM’s Proposal to Judge Probationary Appeals Itself
For many federal employees, the probationary period already feels precarious. Limited appeal rights. High discretion. Quiet pressure to “keep your head down.” A newly proposed rule...
A Return to “Schedule F”? What Every Policy-Facing Fed Needs to Know
If your federal job involves influencing policy—through writing, advising, or analyzing—you could be on the verge of losing your civil service protections. A newly proposed rule by...
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.