’Tis Better to Give Than to Receive … Or Is It?

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to talk about your favorite and my favorite ethics topic — use of government resources! Just kidding; of course we’re going to talk about gifts.

First, let’s review the rules. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to gifts? I’m sure most of you are thinking about the gift acceptance exception that allows you to accept a gift from a prohibited source as long as the gift is valued at $20 or less.

True, that is one of the exceptions. However, the No. 1 rule is that you may always refuse a gift. And even when you can accept a gift under the rules, you should definitely decline it if it calls your impartiality into question. Think about an MD-buyer being given a YETI tumbler by the YETI rep. Yeah, might want to say no thanks to that.

How about gifts between associates? Can supervisors accept gifts from teammates or vice versa? Yes, during traditional gift giving holidays, supervisors may accept gifts, as long as the value is $10 or less and the gift is not cash. So if your office is planning a holiday party gift exchange, and you want your supervisor to participate, keep the limit to $10. Associates may also receive gifts from supervisors without any dollar limits, but good taste and common sense should apply.

When it comes to contractors, the general gift rules apply — associates may not accept gifts given due to your official position or from a prohibited source (which all contractors are), unless an exception applies. One of the main exceptions is the “$20/$50” rule, which allows associates to accept gifts not exceeding $20, as long as the total amount of gifts from that source does not exceed $50 for the year. Furthermore, invitations to contractor holiday parties are to be treated the same as gifts, so be wary of invitations to super swanky soirees.

A few final points to keep in mind:

• Exchange funds may not be used to purchase and send greeting cards
• Door prizes or drawings where individuals purchase a chance to win something constitute gambling and are thus prohibited on federal property
• Participating at holiday social events is personal, not official, and therefore use of a government vehicle is not authorized
• Contractors may have their own ethics rules and policies, so consider these rules before offering contractor-associates gifts they may not be able to accept