At work right now, the big talk is the federal pay freeze. As a federal employee, this affects me, and I have to admit, my reaction is “Well, it sucks, but it’s only fair.” I honestly can’t complain. I know that I’m lucky to have a job and to not be worried about layoffs (though there is always a chance of a reduction in force). Some in Congress are pushing for a 10% pay cut for federal employees. That would be much harder to swallow. But a freeze? Okay.
Sure, our health insurance is going up 10%. So my paychecks will ultimately be smaller next year. I’ll make it work. But for some of my coworkers, it does put them in a bit of a pinch. Some are quite angry. Others share my opinion.
This is likely going to be the driving force needed to get people eligible for retirement to decide to leave. That’s good and bad. Good because it frees up some great work opportunities. Bad because if we’re on a hiring freeze, we won’t be able to replace them, and everyone will be doing a lot more work. But hey. I’m employed. I have a good job. I get a paycheck and I have good benefits. I have no room to complain.
