The Postal Service wants employees to follow the rules on seeking employment outside the organization.
Federal law and the government’s standards of ethical conduct don’t prohibit postal workers from seeking a job with any particular employer.
However, employees can’t seek or accept another job if it presents a conflict of interest with their current duties. In other words: If you try to get a job with another employer whose business could be affected by your postal work, you have a conflict of interest.
Under the rules, a postal worker is considered to be seeking employment if he or she sends a resume to a non-federal person or organization. Also, if the worker contacts a prospective employer about a job, that worker is considered to be seeking employment — unless the contact is only to request an application.
Additionally, if a potential employer contacts a postal worker about a possible job and the worker’s response is anything other than “no, thank you,” the worker is considered to be seeking employment.
To ensure you don’t violate the code of conduct or break the law, you should contact the USPS Ethics Office before exploring outside employment. If you seek employment with an outside employer while continuing to work on postal matters, you could be subject to both administrative discipline and criminal penalties.
Throughout 2019, the Postal Service is educating employees about the federal government’s principles and standards of ethical conduct.
In addition to employment matters, the campaign has covered avoiding financial conflicts of interest involving close relatives and avoiding general financial conflicts of interest, community service activities, misuse of position, and the general standards of ethical conduct.