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Shaun Southworth leading a federal employment training session with members of the Southworth PC team

Douglas Factors Proposal and Federal Discipline

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For more than forty years, federal employees have had a structured way to challenge discipline that feels excessive, inconsistent, or unsupported. That structure comes from the Dou...

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4 Signs a Federal PIP May Be Pretextual

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For many federal employees, being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can feel like the beginning of the end of a career. Agencies often describe PIPs as supportive tool...

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Why Federal Employees Should Review Their Performance Plan

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Federal employees often focus on the latest policy changes or agency announcements. Yet one of the most consequential documents affecting a federal career may already be sitting qu...

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OPM’s New Directive Reshapes Federal Performance Evaluations

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On June 17, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued an 18-page memorandum that redefines the performance appraisal landscape for all federal employees. Among the swee...

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Performance and Conduct Best Practices in Federal Employment

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If you're a federal employee feeling anxious about your job security—especially when it comes to unfair discipline or performance-based actions—you are not alone. The reality is th...

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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.

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.

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Mindfulness

Work Peacefully

Use practical mindfulness tools to create space between workplace pressure and the decision you make next.

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About 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 & Lydia

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