The mere threat of another shutdown will do lasting damage to the federal workforce

February 11, 2019

For federal workers, these intervening weeks between the end of the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history and the looming Feb. 15 deadline for funding the government might seem like a temporary reprieve. They’re at work, their paychecks are back on track and they’re busy catching up on work that went unfinished during the 35-day furlough. But research by management experts shows that the threat of imminent uncertainty at work — such as a furlough, a layoff or other stressful workplace event — can be just as fraught to workers as the event itself.