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.

 
OPM’s Proposal to Judge Probationary Appeals Itself federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm rulemaking probationary employees Jan 09, 2026

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 from the Office of ...

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OPM’s Proposed Rule Could Strip Probationary Employees of MSPB Rights federal employment mindfulness at work mspb appeals opm regulations probationary employees Jan 05, 2026

Federal employees often hear that probation is “temporary vulnerability.” What is now on the table would turn that vulnerability into something far more permanent—and far more dangerous for the integr...

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Shutdowns, RIFs, and Reclassification: A 2026 Reality Check for Federal Employees federal employment mindfulness at work probationary employees reduction in force schedule policy career Jan 02, 2026

Walking back into a federal building at the start of 2026, many employees feel a familiar tightness in the chest. That reaction is not overblown. It reflects an accurate reading of the landscape—espec...

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MSPB Certifies Rare Class Appeals for HUD and OPM Probationary Firings federal employee rights federal employment mspb appeals probationary employees reduction in force Dec 12, 2025

For many federal employees, being labeled “probationary” has long felt like being disposable. February 2025 seemed to confirm that fear when HUD and OPM terminated hundreds of probationary and trial-p...

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Don’t Depend on the Algorithm for Critical Federal Employment News federal employment mindfulness at work opm firings probationary employees tiktok algorithm Sep 16, 2025

Yesterday, a federal judge issued one of the most important rulings of the year for civil servants: OPM’s mass probationary firings were unlawful. On Instagram and YouTube, the news spread fast—tens o...

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Judge Rules OPM’s Mass Probationary Firings Illegal due process federal employment mspb appeals opm probationary employees Sep 16, 2025

Earlier this year, thousands of probationary federal employees were swept out of service under a government-wide directive. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had ordered agencies to terminate n...

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Judge Ruled OPM’s Mass Probationary Firings Were Not Lawful employee rights federal employment mspb appeals opm policy probationary employees Sep 15, 2025

Earlier this year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directed agencies to list every probationary employee, update that list daily, and fire nearly everyone not labeled “mission critical.” Agen...

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Probationary Federal Employees Challenge OSC in Court administrative procedure act federal employment mspb appeals osc lawsuit probationary employees Sep 12, 2025

Five former federal employees filed suit yesterday against the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), alleging the agency abandoned its duty to protect them from prohibited personnel practices. These p...

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Probationary Feds: Why “Fully Successful” Ratings Won’t Always Save Your Job federal employment irs terminations mindfulness at work mspb appeals probationary employees Aug 20, 2025

A recent watchdog report revealed that the IRS terminated over 7,000 probationary employees—even though 99% of those with ratings were marked “Fully Successful” or higher. Performance was not the deci...

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Supreme Court RIF Decision: Common Questions, Answered federal employment rights federal rif mspb appeals probationary employees supreme court Jul 09, 2025

Yesterday’s Supreme Court move has many federal employees on edge. Let’s be clear: the Court did not approve mass firings. Instead, it lifted an injunction that paused certain Reduction in Force (RIF)...

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Federal RIF Pause: What the TRO Means for You federal employment legal rights mspb appeals probationary employees rif suspension May 11, 2025

On Sunday night, a federal judge issued an emergency temporary restraining order (TRO) halting the Biden administration’s controversial reduction-in-force (RIF) plans that threatened thousands of fede...

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Supreme Court Pauses Rehire Order: What Probationary Feds Should Know employee rights federal employment mindfulness probationary employees supreme court Apr 08, 2025

In a legal development that’s raising eyebrows across the federal workforce, the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a California judge’s order that would’ve required the Trump administration to rei...

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