It’s the season of giving — and of ethics reminders about gift exchange among Postal Service employees.
A gift is considered anything that has monetary value.
Items not considered gifts include food and drink that are not part of a meal (soft drinks, doughnuts and the like) and items intended for presentation, such as cards and trophies.
On occasions when gifts are traditionally given or exchanged such as holidays and birthdays, an employee is allowed to give a noncash gift of $10 or less to a manager or higher-paid colleague. There are no value limits on gifts to postal colleagues who earn less pay.
There are also no value limits on gifts from managers to subordinates, but managers should take care to avoid the appearance of favoritism.
For special, infrequent occasions such as retirement, marriage, illness or the birth or adoption of a child, an employee may give an individual gift without a value limit to a manager or higher-paid colleague if the gift is appropriate to the occasion.
For more information on ethics guidelines, employees should visit the Ethics page on Blue or email the Ethics Office at ethics.help@usps.gov.