The Postal Service is marking USPS Ethics Awareness Week by reminding employees to properly use their time while on duty and to follow the rules on using the organization’s property.
Federal regulations require Postal Service employees to use their work time in an honest effort to perform their official duties. Likewise, managers may not direct subordinates to use official time to perform activities other than their official duties — such as picking up the manager’s dry cleaning or performing work for the manager’s outside business.
Under the Postal Service’s limited personal-use policy, employees may perform certain limited personal tasks while on government time and using postal equipment. But it must be done within reason, and it cannot negatively affect the employee’s productivity, interfere with USPS operations or violate ethics provisions.
As such, an employee can use a USPS phone to schedule a medical appointment but cannot watch a baseball game while on duty.
The limited personal-use exception does not extend to postal vehicles, postal credit cards or postal funds. And certain activities are never allowed, such as using USPS equipment or time to:
• Work on an outside business or second job;
• Participate in partisan political activity;
• Gamble;
• Engage in pyramid schemes;
• Send sexually explicit pictures or emails; or
• Access sexually explicit websites.
USPS employees must also protect and conserve postal property and only use it for authorized purposes. Postal property includes USPS vehicles, devices, electronics and office supplies.
USPS funds and credit cards should only be used for authorized purposes. For example, an employee should never use a Voyager card to purchase fuel for a personal vehicle.
Reward points earned for using a Voyager card belong to the Postal Service and can only be used to obtain a discount on official USPS fuel purchases.
Employees cannot use a Postal Service travel card to pay for personal expenses. Storing USPS cards and personal cards separately will help avoid mix-ups.
Also, employees can never borrow money from a USPS cash register, even if they intend to repay the money later.
Misusing Postal Service property violates federal ethics rules and can result in fines, wage garnishments or termination.
The Ethics Blue page has additional information.
Employees with questions can email the USPS Ethics Office or call 202-268-6346.
