The Postal Service is reminding employees of federal ethics rules concerning group gifts and office gatherings.
Here’s some general guidance:
• Employees can pool their contributions for a group gift for someone — but only for special, infrequent occasions such as a retirement, transfer, marriage or the birth of a child.
Group gifts are generally not permitted for birthdays or winter holidays because these are regularly occurring occasions.
• Employees can pool their contributions for food and refreshments to be shared in the office, including for winter holidays and other regularly occurring occasions.
Teams can hold secret gift exchanges if the gifts are noncash and cost $10 or less, and participation is voluntary.
• When employees are planning a group gift or shared refreshments, contributions toward the gift or refreshments must be voluntary.
Contributions cannot exceed $10 a person, unless the contributor is in a superior position to the gift recipient. Also, a nonsupervisory employee should collect the money.
• There are no limits on gifts from supervisors to subordinate employees, but gifts should be appropriate to the occasion, and all supervised employees should receive similar gifts.
Employees who have questions should email the USPS Ethics Office or call 202-268-6346.
