Appearance of Impartiality

Would a reasonable person question your impartiality?

If you have a covered relationship (one that could create a conflict of interest or the appearance of bias) with the owner or representative of a company that is doing business with the Postal Service or seeking to do business with the Postal Service, take no further action and seek advice from the Ethics Office.

You have a covered relationship with the following individuals:

• a person with whom you have or seek a business relationship
• a household member
• a relative
• your former private sector employer within the last year
• an organization other than a political party in which you are an active participant
• the current or future employer of your spouse, parent, or child
  (this now includes minor children and adult children)

If there is an appearance problem, seek prior authorization from the Ethics Office before taking any action.

Seeking proper guidance helps us maintain the appearance of impartiality, which keeps the Postal Service’s trustworthy reputation intact.

And that’s smart business.

Contact the Ethics Office (ethics.help@usps.gov) for guidance.

Misuse of government computers and phones

Government property — like your computer or phone — is assigned for your official use but doesn’t belong to you. You can only use it as required by your postal duties. Minimal personal use is acceptable, provided:

• Your productivity isn’t adversely affected.
• It doesn’t interfere with the mission or operations of the Postal Service.
• Time and size are limited — there’s only minimal wear and tear on equipment, only a small amount of data or transmission is impacted, and only small amounts of consumable office products like computer memory or toner are used.
• You don’t violate any other law or regulation, including the Standards for Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch. See 5 CFR §2635.

When you preserve government property for its intended use, you show our customers that we won’t abuse their trust for our personal gain.

And that’s smart business.

Contact the Ethics Office (ethics.help@usps.gov) for guidance.