The Postal Service is reminding employees to avoid working on matters that would impair their ability to remain impartial due to an outside relationship.
Employees should not work on any contract or initiative if they have a “covered relationship” with the owner or a representative of a company doing business or seeking to do business with USPS.
Covered relationships that could spark a conflict of interest include:
• A person with whom the employee has or seeks a business relationship;
• A household member;
• A relative with whom the employee has a close personal relationship;
• The current or future employer of the employee’s spouse, parent or child, including adult children;
• The employee’s former private sector employer within the last year; or
• An organization other than a political party in which the employee is a participant.
Employees who have a covered relationship with the owner or representative of an entity doing business with the Postal Service or seeking to do business with the Postal Service should notify their supervisor and seek guidance and authorization from the USPS Ethics Office in advance.
The Ethics Blue page covers this topic in more detail. For more information, employees with questions can email the Postal Service’s ethics helpline or call 202-268-6346.
