How to Help a Laid Off Federal Worker: Voices #1
A public health communicator shares the lessons that she has learned from her first month of unemployment since being laid off from her federal public health job after more than 20 years of service.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing a series of powerful love letters to public health written by professionals whose lives and careers have been shaped by this field, even as it faces unprecedented pressures.
But I believe it’s important to share the hard truths alongside the hopeful ones. In the spirit of expanding the conversation among the authentic voices of public health, I’m launching a new series: Voices from the Field: Meeting This Moment in Public Health. This series will lift the voices of public health professionals reflecting on the realities we’re facing today — and the lessons learned across the arc of their careers.
Our first contributor is Brooke Leggin MPH, who was laid off one month ago from her job as a health communications specialist at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after more than 20 years of federal service. Brooke reflects frankly on advice given and received, and offers some wise suggestions for how to be genuinely supportive to other laid-off public health professionals.
If you’d like to follow Brooke’s lead and share your own perspective on public health during these times, I’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch!
How to Help a Laid Off Federal Worker
by Brooke Leggin MPH
I have been laid off for 28 days, so I am not an expert. But in the 4 weeks that I've been unemployed, I've noticed some commonalities in the stories I hear from others in my situation. I've been on both sides of this equation now, and maybe this will help someone out there who feels helpless after seeing all of those #opentowork tags on LinkedIn.
1. Please don't use the word "pivot." Instead, please ask what the person is interested in.
If it was easy to pivot to a different career or a different field or a different employer, then the person you're talking to would already be re-employed. Generally, people who worked for the federal government went into it for the public service mission and the stability. What we're all experiencing right now is chaos - the opposite of stability. Someone swimming in the waters of chaos is usually looking to get to shore, not pivot to a different destination.
Instead, you could ask if there are any fields or businesses or missions the person is interested in learning more about and why. Get them talking; it helps to process and clarify.
2. Don't suggest dog walking or working in a coffee shop or Uber driving or another unrelated side hustle. Ask if the person has seen any jobs that fit their skill set.
Unless you are a hiring manager in one of the side hustles you are suggesting or have recently gotten a job in that particular side hustle, please do not offer unsolicited advice about how the unemployed person in front of you could “just” get a job dog walking. I know we all want to help, and the urge to blurt out the first job that comes to mind is VERY tempting. But this advice is not helpful to 99% of people. In the current economy it might not be easy to get a job in one of the ubiquitous services in your neighborhood, and if there are openings, it's likely someone with more experience is going to get the job.
Most people who have been laid off from the federal government, or those who are currently waiting to get laid off from the federal government, have been looking at job announcements recently. Ask them what it looks like out there on the open market. This question acknowledges that they have been launched into an unfamiliar world and that it can be tough to transition. And it's the opposite of blithely suggesting a side hustle, which, of course the former fed has already thought about and probably dreaded. Trust me - the person you're talking to has already spent sleepless nights staring at their bedroom ceiling thinking about what type of job they are qualified for outside of the federal government.
3. If you offer help, please be specific and truthful.
Just saying, “Let me know if there's anything I can do” does not take care of any obligation you may feel to support a recently laid off federal worker. If you don’t think that you can offer concrete support, it's always nice to hear “I'm sorry that you're in this situation.” Here are some additional types of support you could offer, if possible:
Proofread resumes and cover letters on a short turnaround. Shout out to my sister for serving so excellently in this capacity. If it takes a week to proofread someone's materials, they've probably already missed out on an opportunity.
Introduce them to someone in your company. If the folks you work with are open to an informational interview, make the connection.
Take them out for coffee or a drink. Ask if the person is available on a specific date and time and treat them. They will forever appreciate it.
Call them. You know, with the device that’s always in your pocket. Nothing beats talking to someone when they are far away. If you're nervous about it, text them first to see when is a good time to call.
Message them. If it's not the type of relationship where you talk on the phone, message them to ask how they're doing or what their plans are looking like or if they want to connect or get together.
Ask first, but suggest skills, certifications, and resources in their area. If you know of in-demand skill sets or certifications in their area, ask if they want to know more or suggest some resources. Ask if there are any job boards they've had luck with and suggest any you know about.
4. If they have been applying to jobs, ask them which jobs or employers they are most excited about and what appeals to them.
This question helps you get to know them better so you can direct any leads their way in the future. If their field is incomprehensible to you, that's fine, just ask them questions as long as they seem to want to talk about it. Giving someone the chance to explore ideas can be very helpful, even if you are not an expert in that field.
Bottom Line
Ask more questions and try not to make a lot of assumptions. Don't assume they are “enjoying time at home” or “lucky to have all of this free time.” Asking questions is always helpful, even if it's just “I'm sorry you got laid off, do you want to talk about it?”
For more advice that meets the current moment, see also a previous edition of this newsletter: This is not normal - Katie’s advice to public health professionals at this time.
Brooke Leggin MPH is a total word nerd who passionately believes that plain language is the linchpin to public health and buzzwords are the enemy. As a result, Brooke has been employed for more than 20 years in federal public health agencies, where she has been helping to make sense of it all for the rest of us. Her most recent position was as a Heath Communications Specialist with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the FDA. She was laid off along with thousands of others on April 1, 2025, and is looking for the next opportunity to use her red pen.
If you would like to follow Brooke’s example by sharing your perspective on public health right now in our new series Voices from the Field: Meeting This Moment in Public Health, please get in touch!
I’m also still welcoming entries for the series Love Letters to Public Health. Please get in touch if you want to submit a love letter!
Action steps - a note from Katie
Thank you for reading this newsletter for and about the public health workforce. At this tumultuous time, I’m still really not sure where we go from here. But each time that I publish this newsletter and receive positive feedback from readers, my list of ideas for action steps continues to grow. I will start to compile these suggestions here. As we learn more, let’s keep adding to this list:
Do Brooke’s words above inspire you? Would you also like to share your perspective on public health right now? Or write a love letter to public health? Got something to say to or about the public health workforce? Got big feelings about the RIFs or the RTO or the EOs or the BS? I would love to publish your words here as a step towards advocacy and/or venting. Get in touch.
Let’s communicate what public health is and why it matters that so many of us have been forced to leave our jobs. What is your proudest moment in public health? Complete this form to submit your public health story to be used for advocacy.
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Got more ideas for action steps that should be on this list? You know the drill. Get in touch.
I close by emphasising what I said in a previous newsletter:
“At this time of uncertainty for the public health workforce, let’s remember our commitment to science and evidence and data. We know that validating emotions and baggage has a place too, but we need to be able to identify them and distinguish opinion from fact.
Let’s recommit to kindness and mutual support for the public health workforce and beyond. If leaders are trying to sow divisions among us, the best we can do is to respond with empathy, and by strengthening, connecting, and lifting up one another.
Right now, the best I can offer my fellow public health professionals is a place* to gather and reflect and share and vent and organize and ask questions and offer support to one another. We’re going to need that now more than ever.”
*This is a plug for the Public Health Connections Lounge on LinkedIn, where we seek to build community and conversation among public health professionals. Join us.
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