Attendance could be considered acceptance of a gift under ethics policies. Image: Andrey Bayda/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Office of Government Ethics has issued a new “ethics survival tips” guide for attending holiday parties sponsored by contractors and for in-house office parties and gift exchanges.
Regarding contractor parties, it says federal employees should use caution in deciding to accept an invitation from a “company or organization that works with you in your official capacity or with your agency.” It advises contacting the agency ethics office first, since attendance could be considered acceptance of a gift under ethics policies.
It also would be “prudent” to contact the ethics office first before attending even parties hosted by friends or relatives if they do business with the employee’s agency or with the government as a whole, it adds.
Regarding office parties, it says that any solicitations for money to pay for food, beverages, decorations or the like must be clearly voluntary; that if an amount is suggested it must be clear that employees are free to give a different amount or not at all; and that it not come from a supervisor or executive. Similar considerations apply to solicitations for gift exchanges, which should keep the suggested value to $10 or less, and in both cases the ethics office should review the solicitation first.
Gifts to supervisors or others higher in the chain of command, and to other federal employees not in the chain of command also should be kept under the $10 threshold, it says, adding: “If you have a long-standing friendship and your friend is not an official superior, you can probably give them a larger gift. It is always best to check with the ethics office just to be sure.”
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