Current Employees

A Postal Service employee is prohibited from making a decision or taking an action at work on a contract, agreement, initiative, or project involving a business entity if it would affect the financial interests of:

• the Postal Service employee
• the Postal Service employee’s spouse or minor children
• an outside organization in which the Postal Service employee is also serving as an employee, general partner, director, or trustee
• the Postal Service’s employee’s general partner, outside employer, or future outside employer (if negotiating for employment)

Which financial interests? Stocks, bonds, sector mutual funds, commodities, real estate, and all other assets or sources of income.

Potential Financial Conflict of Interest? Seek advice from the Ethics and Legal Compliance team before taking any action.

A Postal Service employee may not work on a contract, agreement, initiative, or pilot project involving a business entity that is likely to affect the financial interests of a member of the employee’s household or in which someone with whom the employee has a covered relationship owns or represents that business entity. An employee has a covered relationship with:

• a former employer for whom the employee worked within the last year;
• a relative with whom an employee has a close personal relationship;
• a person with whom the employee has an outside business relationship that does not involve routine consumer transactions;
• a current or prospective employer of the employee’s spouse, parent or child; or
• an organization, other than a political party, in which the employee is an active participant

If a reasonable person would question the employee’s ability to remain impartial, the employee should seek approval from the Ethics and Legal Compliance team in advance.

Impartiality Concern? Contact the Ethics and Legal Compliance team before taking any action.

A Postal Service employee shall not use his or her public office for:

• his or her own private gain,
• the endorsement of any non-postal product, service, or enterprise,
• the private gain of friends, relatives, or persons with whom the employee is affiliated with in a nongovernmental capacity,
• the private gain of nonprofit organizations in which the employee is an officer or member, or
• the private gain of persons with whom the person has or seeks a business relationship.

A Postal Service employee also may not engage in financial transactions using nonpublic postal information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private interest.

Unauthorized Endorsements ➔ Not Allowed

Only the Postmaster General or the full Executive Leadership team has the authority to make an endorsement of a non-postal product, service, or business entity on behalf of the Postal Service.

Prohibited Endorsement Example: “Moons of Neptune, Inc. did a great job creating space delivery vehicles.” — USPS Director of Intergalactic Delivery

A Postal Service employee has a duty to protect and conserve postal property and shall not use such property, or allow its use, for other than authorized purposes.

Limited Personal Use Exception (MI EL-660-2009-10):

A Postal Service employee may use official time and postal property for personal tasks on a limited basis, provided that such use does not:

• Adversely affect the employee’s productivity
• Interfere with the mission or operations of the Postal Service
• Violate the ethics regulations

A Postal Service employee may not use a postal mobile phone, laptop, computer, iPad, or other equipment for any of the following purposes regardless of whether the employee is on-duty or off-duty:

• viewing pornography; creating, sending, or receiving sexually explicit content
• engaging in gambling, sports pools, gambling pools, pyramid schemes,
• completing work for an outside employer,
• completing work for the employee’s outside business, or
• buying, selling, arranging to use drugs (this is also illegal).

Title 39 U.S.C. § 1349 requires a 30-day unpaid suspension of employment for misuse of a postal vehicle.

A Postal Service employee shall use official time in an honest effort to perform postal duties. Certain activities are prohibited while on duty:

• viewing pornography; creating, sending, or receiving sexually explicit content;
• engaging in gambling, sports pools, gambling pools, or pyramid schemes;
• completing work for an outside employer;
• completing work for the employee’s outside business; or
• buying, selling, or arranging to use drugs (this is also illegal).

The Postal Service does not allow reporting relationships between postal employees who are married, without a layer of supervision in between, because of the risk that the superior spouse will violate the criminal conflict of interest statute, 18 U.S.C. § 208. Outside of that outright prohibition, the Federal anti-nepotism statute prevents a postal employee from directly or indirectly appointing, employing, promoting, or advancing a relative, or for advocating for such actions. 5 U.S.C. § 3110. A relative includes a spouse, parent, child, sibling, aunt and uncle, first cousin, niece and nephew, in-law, stepparent and stepsibling, and half sibling.

Furthermore, the misuse-of-position section of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch prohibits a postal employee from using his or her official postal position for the financial gain of someone with whom he or she is affiliated in a nongovernmental capacity, including relatives, roommates, friends, and significant others. See 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702.

In general, a Postal Service employee may not accept a gift from an outside source or one given because of the employee’s official position. There are several exceptions to this provision.

Which outside sources are prohibited? Because the Postal Service serves the American public, all customers are considered to be prohibited sources. In addition, vendors, suppliers, mailers, contractors, and business partners are also prohibited sources.

Gift → Anything of monetary value

• Examples of Gifts: meals, gift baskets, gift cards, concert tickets, transportation, golf, free attendance at non-postal conferences or other events, landscaping and other improvements
• Not Gifts: food and refreshments that are not part of a meal, greeting cards, plaques, certificates, items offered to the general public or to all Federal government employees

Prohibited Actions:

• Accepting cash, including cash equivalents (e.g., checks, money orders, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express gift cards),
• Soliciting or coercing a gift, or
• Accepting a gift if it creates the appearance that the ethics statutes or regulations have been violated.

Common Exceptions

• $20 exception: An employee may accept a non-cash gift with a market value of $20 or less per occasion from a customer, but not more than $50 worth of gifts from that same customer in a calendar year.
• Personal Relationship: An employee may accept a gift that is clearly motivated by a family or personal relationship rather than by the position of the employee.
• Agency Gift Acceptance Authority: The Postal Service may accept gifts or donations of services or property as it deems necessary or convenient in the transaction of its business as determined by postal management in conjunction with the Ethics and Legal Compliance team.

Foreign Gifts: If the gift is given by a foreign government or wholly-government-owned corporation, an employee may accept the gift if it is valued at less than $480 and is received as a souvenir or mark of courtesy. Please consult with the Ethics and Legal Compliance team before accepting transportation, food, and lodging from a foreign government.

In general, a Postal Service employee may not accept a gift from a subordinate or a lesser paid employee or give a gift to a superior or higher paid employee. However, a gift from one postal employee to another who is both higher-paid and a subordinate, is permissible.

Gift → Anything of monetary value

• Examples of Gifts: meals, gift baskets, gift cards, concert tickets, transportation
• Not Gifts: food and refreshments that are not part of a meal, greeting cards, plaques, certificates

There are several exceptions to this provision.

Common Exceptions

Regularly Occurring Occasions → A Postal Service employee may accept a non-cash gift valued at $10 or less from a subordinate employee or lesser paid employee on an occasional basis (e.g., birthdays, holidays, work anniversaries). No group gifts are allowed.

Special, Infrequent Occasions → A Postal Service employee may accept an individual gift appropriate to the occasion from a subordinate employee or a lesser paid employee on a special, infrequent occasion (e.g., marriage, birth/adoption of a child, retirement, illness, natural disaster). Group gift collections of “up to $10 per person” are permissible as long as:

(1) a non-supervisory employee organizes the collection;

(2) all communications make it clear that participation is voluntary;

(3) language in the communication specifically states “up to $10 per person” contribution to the group gift

*You may also collect the per-person cost for a meal charged by the restaurant or caterer.

Occasional Office Parties

• Potluck? (everyone brings an item) → No ethics concerns
• Collections for food and beverage on occasion are permissible as long as:

(1) a non-supervisory employee organizes the collection;

(2) all communications make it clear that participation is voluntary;

(3) language in the communication specifically states “up to $10 per person” contribution for food and refreshments to be shared in the office

A Postal Service employee is prohibited from engaging in outside employment or other outside activities if it would conflict with the employee’s official duties.

Thinking of appearing before, interfacing with, or making a representation to the Postal Service or the Federal government on behalf of another person or business entity? Contact the Ethics and Legal Compliance team before taking action. A criminal law is implicated here.

Prohibited Supplemental Employment

A Postal Service employee may not obtain a second job with:

• a company performing consulting on postal operations, programs, or procedures, including a solo venture
• a company that delivers mailable matter (e.g., FedEx, Amazon*, DHL, UPS, etc.) or
• a commercial Mail Receiving Agency (UPS Store)

*Thinking of getting a second job with an Amazon subsidiary?  (e.g., Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, Twitch). Contact the Ethics and Legal Compliance team for guidance.

Prior Approval Required for Certain Types of Second Jobs

A Postal Service employee must obtain prior approval from the Ethics and Legal Compliance team before:

• Engaging in outside employment or business activities with or for any person with whom the employee has official dealings on behalf of the Postal Service; or
• Engaging in outside employment or business activities, with or for a person, including oneself, whose interests are:
  • Substantially dependent upon, or potentially affected to a significant degree by, postal rates, fees, or classifications; or
  • Substantially dependent upon providing goods or services to, or for use in connection with, the Postal Service.
• Engaging in outside employment or business activities with or for any Highway Contract Route (HCR) contractor.
• Engaging in outside employment with a subsidiary of a company that delivers mailable matter (e.g., the subsidiaries of Amazon, including Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and Twitch).

Seeking prior approval? Submit a completed Supplemental Employment Approval Form to the Ethics and Legal Compliance team.

Teaching, Speaking, and Writing

A Postal Service employee may not receive compensation from an outside source for teaching, speaking, or writing that relates to the employee’s postal duties. These activities relate to postal duties if:

• the activity is undertaken as part of the employee’s official duties;
• the invitation was extended because of the employee’s official position;
• the invitation is from a person or entity substantially affected by the employee’s duties;
• the teaching, speaking, or writing conveys nonpublic information; or,
• the subject significantly relates to any postal matter the employee has worked on within the past year, or to any ongoing or announced postal policy, program, or operation (with certain exceptions).

Teaching Exception

Even if the subject matter relates a Postal Service employee’s official duties, the employee may accept compensation for teaching a course requiring multiple presentations offered as the regularly established curriculum of an accredited institution of higher education, a secondary school, an elementary school, or a program of education sponsored and funded by the Federal government or by a state or local government.

Reference to Official Position

Employees may include their official positions in introductory statements or biographies provided that it is given no more prominence than other biographical facts. If a Postal Service employee decides to reference his or her postal title in a scholarly journal article, then a disclaimer should be included in the article stating that the opinions in the article are that of the author rather than the Postal Service.

Charitable Fundraising in the Workplace

A Postal Service employee may only engage in charitable fundraising in the workplace as a part of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

• Fundraising → collecting funds or selling items to benefit a nonprofit organization.
• All CFC events must be approved by the Ethics and Legal Compliance team. Submit a completed CFC Special Event Request Form to the Ethics and Legal Compliance team for approval in advance.

Charitable Fundraising Outside of Work

• An employee may participate in charitable fundraising in a personal capacity if the employee:
  • is off-duty;
  • is out of the workplace;
  • does not use his or her postal title or authority while engaged in the charitable fundraising effort; and
  • does not invite subordinate employees to donate to or participate in the charitable fundraising effort.

Community Service Activities: Postal Service employees may only participate in community activities on behalf of the Postal Service pursuant to the Community Services Activities Policy (CSAP) outlined in the Administrative Support Manual Section 333.7.

The Hatch Act restricts a Postal Service employee’s partisan political activity. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent agency responsible for investigating and issuing discipline to Postal Service employees for Hatch Act violations.

What is partisan political activity? Activity directed towards the success or failure of a partisan political party, candidate, or group.

24/7 Prohibited Political Activity (whether on duty or off duty)

A Postal Service employee is prohibited from:

• using his or her postal position to influence or interfere with the results of an election,
• encouraging or discouraging the political participation of entities doing business with the Postal Service,
• hosting a political fundraiser,
• inviting anyone to a political fundraiser
• soliciting, collecting, or receiving funds for a political fundraiser, or
• running as a candidate in a partisan election.

Time, Place, Manner Prohibition

Postal Service employees may not engage in political activity while on duty (includes telework), on postal or Federal government property, wearing a uniform or badge, or in a postal vehicle.

Social Media Considerations

Any partisan political social media communications and postings should be made:

• outside of the workplace,
• while off-duty or on leave, and
• using the employee’s personal account and personal device.

Postal Service employees may not:

• post, like, or tweet partisan political comments or material while on-duty, in the workplace, or using postal equipment
• use postal email or an official social media account to make, share, or retweet political messages, campaign materials, #hashtags, slogans or images at any time whether on-duty or off-duty
• like, retweet, or share political fundraising requests, messages, or invitations at any time whether on-duty or off-duty.

Permissible Political Activities (outside of work)

A Postal Service employee may engage in the following partisan political activities outside of work, off of postal or Federal government property, not in uniform, and not in a postal vehicle:

• volunteer with a partisan candidate’s campaign (subject to the restrictions related to political fundraising),
• register and vote; assist in voter registration drives,
• contribute money to partisan political candidates, parties, or groups,
• attend political fundraising events,
• attend and be active members at political rallies, conventions, or meetings,
• join and actively participate in a partisan political party or club; hold office in a political club,
• sign nominating petitions, or
• run in a nonpartisan election.

What is a nonpartisan election? An election in which none of the other candidates are running as representing a political party. In other words, none of the candidates are running as a Democrat, Republican, Green Party, Tea Party, Birthday Party, etc.