Follow me... At 6 p.m., just 24 hours after an employee’s death is reported, a Benefits or Retirement Specialist is on the phone with the next of kin. This is the unseen reality of federal HR, where professionals navigate life-altering events and an overwhelming, compounding workload. This blog is a direct challenge to agency leadership: it's time to stop the reckless neglect of this vital field and invest in the people who hold the government's workforce together.