6.26.12

The Postal Service’s Ethics Office is reminding employees about rules related to gifts between employees.

According to federal ethics laws, employees may give a gift with a fair market value of no more than $10 on certain occasions, such as birthdays or the holidays, to a supervisor, manager, or to another employee who earns a greater salary than they do.

And, it’s acceptable for an employee to receive a gift with a fair market value of no more than $10 from a lower-level or lesser-paid employee on such an occasion.

There are also rules for gifts that are presented on special, infrequent occasions such as the birth of a child, marriage, retirement, resignation, or transfer. An employee may give a gift — as an individual, not part of a group — to a higher-level or higher-paid employee if the gift has a value that’s “appropriate” to the occasion.

Group gifts may be given on special, infrequent occasions as long as the contributions to the gift are voluntary and nominal. According to the Ethics Office, “nominal” means $10 or less.

For more information on the ethical limitations of gifts between employees, contact an ethics official at 202-268-6346.