Publications by Eric Niewoehner
Lay-Offs? You Can’t be Serious. In a previous article I shared the perspective of a federal employee going through a typical government shutdown experience. But this time there is one huge difference – the prospect of actual lay-offs. No furloughs. Just plain, old fashion, termination. That’s a real game changer at many different levels. But…
Another government shutdown. What’s it like to work for free? Or is a furlough nothing more than a government handout? When I started writing this article, a government shutdown was looming. During my second edit, the shutdown began. By the time it gets posted, it may hopefully be old news, with the shutdown ended. Things…
An old photo recalls the novelty, and the sadness, of the COVID pandemic. It is fascinating how a song or a picture can stir up emotions. This picture seems, at first glance, an ordinary picture of a vacant cubicle. Yet it takes me back to an interesting time in my life, if not for me…
Who are the probationary workers that were fired? Why? And why are they being hired back? I have been laid-off only once in my professional career. It was no surprise. I was a grain trader for a large Midwest cooperative and they had decided to close down the grain division. So I saw this was…
What is a retired federal employee’s take on the request from DOGE to submit five bullet points? The Department on Government Efficiency (DOGE) recently stirred up considerable controversy when it used the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to send e-mails to all government employees demanding that they list five things they accomplished during the week….