'I'd never seen anything like the sort of organization that happened during the RIFs (layoffs, or reductions in force) in supporting each other with news, information and job resources,' said Anthony, a federal worker who'd been with the agency for almost a decade before his position was eliminated. He asked that his real name and other identifying details not be published, out of fear of retaliation. I'm an anthropologist, which means I study human nature and human diversity, and I'm an expert in how people cooperate to manage risk. Watching federal workers use social media to provide mutual support offered a rare real-time view of the process. To deepen my understanding, I interviewed several federal workers who work in different parts of government. They told me that in the past, federal workers haven't always interacted with their co-workers outside of work, much less connected across federal agencies. But thanks to online platforms, that's changing. As they've faced RIFs,...
learn more
