HOLIDAY PARTIES AND GIFTS GIFTS AND…

                   HOLIDAY PARTIES AND GIFTS
       GIFTS AND INVITATIONS                       GIFTS BETWEEN EMPLOYEES

Are there limits on holiday gifts Federal      May employees collect money for an
employees may accept?                          office holiday party?
 P Yes; gifts offered during the holiday        P Yes, but participation must be
season are no different than gifts offered     voluntary­no one may be coerced.
at other times. They may not be                Those attending may be required to pay a
accepted if given because of the               reasonable set amount for the per person
employee's Government position or from         costs. Supervisors should not request
someone with interests before the              funds and may not require participation.
Department, unless an exception applies.
Common exceptions are: (1) gifts based         May co-workers exchange gifts?
on a personal relationship and (2) gifts        P Yes, if all persons are participating
worth $20 or less (if less than $50 in gifts   voluntarily. Employees may participate in
from the same source during the year).         mutual gift exchanges, but the value
                                               should be limited to no more than $10 if
May Federal employees accept                   subordinates will be exchanging gifts with
invitations to holiday parties?                supervisors. A gift to a supervisor may
 P Yes, but an invitation from anyone with     be no more than $10. This is true even if
interests before the Department may be         employees pool contributions for the gift.
accepted only if it is: (1) based on a
personal relationship, (2) $20 or less in      May contract workers participate in office
value, or (3) to an event attended by a        parties and gift exchanges?
large number and broad range or persons         P Yes. They may not be solicited for a
and the employee's supervisor approves         party contribution, but may voluntarily pay
attendance as benefitting the agency and       for their per person costs. Federal
as not creating an adverse public              employees may give gifts to contract
reaction. Approval generally is not            workers, but may only accept gifts totaling
appropriate for an event that is primarily     of $20 or less from all contract workers.
entertainment, such as a concert or play.

  Ethics Law and Programs Division, Office of the Assistant General Counsel for
             Administration, United States Department of Commerce
             202-482-5384 ­ ethicsdivision@doc.gov ­ January 2, 2008

                        A WORD ABOUT ETHICS