Civil Servants Are the Backbone of a Strong and Productive Nation
The U.S. civil service is comprised of 2.2 million federal employees stationed in every state and territory across the world. They serve the American public, defend our democracy, and uphold the rule of law. Dedicated civil servants exemplify values of integrity, expertise, and impartiality, and form the foundation of our government.
They are essential to promoting democracy by:
Upholding the Rule of Law: Civil servants ensure that laws and regulations are applied fairly and consistently, which is crucial for maintaining public trust in government institutions.
Nonpartisanship: By being hired and promoted based on merit, civil servants provide impartial and unbiased service, which helps to maintain the credibility and integrity of democratic institutions.
Public Service Delivery: They provide essential services to the public, from healthcare to education to infrastructure, ensuring that all citizens have access to the resources they need to participate fully in society.
Safeguarding Rights: Civil servants work to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the benefits of democracy.
Accountability and Transparency: They play a crucial role in ensuring that government actions are transparent and accountable to the public, helping to prevent corruption and abuse of power.
By fulfilling these roles, civil servants help to foster a healthy, functioning democracy that serves the needs and interests of all citizens.
Civil Servants’ Rights
Federal workers in the United States have many important legal protections under current statutes. The following is a summary of several key provisions. If you believe that you have been treated in a manner that violates these provisions, you may be able to challenge the violation and receive appropriate remedies.
Protection against discrimination: Federal employees are protected from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 and older), disability, and genetic information.
Collective bargaining rights: The Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute allows certain non-postal federal employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate in labor organizations of their choice.
Whistleblower protection: Federal workers have the right to report safety violations, harassment, and discrimination without fear of retaliation.
Due process: Federal employees who have completed their probationary period or have immediate prior service, could receive due process protection through the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and civil service laws, especially for adverse actions such as suspensions, removals, or demotions.
Fair compensation: The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Federal Employees Pay Act ensure that federal workers receive at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay.
Workplace safety: Federal employees are protected by workplace safety laws enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Merit system protection: Federal employment is based on a merit system that prohibits a wide range of discriminatory and unfair employment actions.
Official time: Federal employees have the right to use official time for certain union-related activities.
Right to appeal: Federal employees can challenge adverse employment actions through the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
Office of Special Counsel: Federal employees can file complaints with the Office of Special Counsel if they are subjected to prohibited personnel practices.
Office of Inspector General: Federal employees can report waste, fraud, and abuse to their agency’s OIG (and to Members of Congress).
Protection during government shutdowns: The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 requires federal employees to be compensated for periods of government shutdowns, whether they are furloughed or required to work.
The Merit Systems Protection Board is an independent, quasi-judicial agency in the Executive branch that serves as the guardian of Federal merit systems. The mission of the MSPB is to "Protect the Merit System Principles and promote an effective Federal workforce free of Prohibited Personnel Practices."
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent federal investigative and prosecutorial agency. OSC's primary mission is to safeguard the merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially reprisal for whistleblowing.
Prohibited Personnel Practices
Prohibited personnel practices (PPPs) are employment actions that violate federal merit system principles. These practices include discrimination, retaliation, and improper hiring.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Prepare for the Unexpected
The Employment Go Bag is a checklist and resource to help employees stay prepared for the unexpected. It is strongly recommended that employees work now to prepare a file with the following documents that pertain solely to them and email it all to a personal email account.
Documents to gather:
Your complete eOPF record.
A copy of your current position description.
Most recent Earnings & Leave (E&L) statement as well as the year-end E&L statement for the last five years.
Most current Leave Summary from your Time & Attendance system.
W-2 statements from the last five years.
Performance appraisal from the last five years.
Latest medical clearances for self and family.
Award certificates and citations.
Contact information (email address and phone number) for your agency's HR team.
Downloaded list of professional contacts from MS Outlook.
Remove personal documents from your work computer, especially those that you may need to access later and/or contain personal information and data.
Make sure you can access sites protected by login.gov credentials without your PIV/CAC card by adding your personal email and phone numbers to your profile.
Make sure important accounts and profiles (e.g., Thrift Savings Plan, medical insurance etc.) are linked to your personal email account and phone numbers.
You may want to consider putting a freeze on your credit to prevent your PII from being used to open accounts in your name.
Stress Management Resources
Additional Resources
Partnership For Public Service Federal Employee Resource HUB
Career Onestop Career Exploration and Unemployment Benefits
DC Resources for Impacted Federal Workers