A hard year for federal workers offers a real-time lesson in resilience

By: Anne Pisor, Penn State, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 3, 2025

Words: 1,412

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

Body Text Preview

By Anne Pisor, Penn State

Imagine going from having a book club with your co-workers to seeing them only on a Signal chat where every member has to be vetted – and the main conversation topic is when you might lose your job.

That’s what it was like for workers at one federal agency earlier this year.

“I’d never seen anything like the sort of organization that happened during the RIFs (layoffs, or reductions in …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

Email Us