Prospective Employees

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 is (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.

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 a nonprofit organization 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 shall use official time in an honest effort to perform postal duties. Certain activities are prohibited while on duty:

• viewing pornography or sending, creating, 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).

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 unless a specific exception applies.

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

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, resignation, transfer, 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.
• Restaurant/Catering: You may also collect the per-person cost for a meal charged by the restaurant or caterer.
• Higher-paid subordinate: An employee may give a gift to a subordinate even if the subordinate is higher-paid.

A Postal Service employee may not accept a gift from an outside source or one given because of the employee’s official position unless a specific exception applies.

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, or 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.

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

• a firm that acts as a consultant on postal operations, programs, or procedures (including solo ventures);
• 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.

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

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 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.

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, etc.

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, and Manner Prohibition

Employees may not engage in partisan 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 or in the workplace;
• use postal email or an official social media account to make, share, or retweet political messages, campaign materials, #hashtags, slogans or images 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

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 to vote, vote, and assist in voter registrations 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 or hold office in a political club;
• sign nominating petitions; or
• run in a nonpartisan election.