Feds - help with gifting rules

[nessness]

I am pretty new to being a fed, and all the ridiculously long memos on gifting rules confuse the heck out of me.

My coworker is watching my dogs for me while I'm out of town. I'm pretty sure she's the same grade as me but a step or two higher. Not my supervisor or anything. I would like to get her a gift card or something to thank her. Would this be against the rules?

Thanks!

[rubytue]

Safest: Get a $10 gift card

Probably OK based on a "personal friendship" and not being chain of command. Best bet is to email your ethics officer if you want the real answer.
www.oge.gov/Topics/Gifts-and-Payments/Gifts-Between-Employees/

The good news is most Feds just keep everything to $10, so you won't be offending her if its only $10.

[nessness]

Great advice, thanks!

[rubytue]

Honestly, I agree that a dog sitter deserves more than $10. Maybe I've just always worked at places that take the rules a little too seriously, but I've never seen anything more than $10 given for anything. Even, say, showers or retirements (which are clear exceptions), no body ever gives more than $10 to the collection. And yes, for favors like this, I've gotten $10 gift cards and it didn't bother me at all.

When I was at DOD, I worked with some Navy folks who wouldn't even take coffee or donuts without paying. Like if I personally bought donuts to a meeting I was hosting, they would insist on paying me 50 cents for each donut they took. lol

[chia]

Yeah, if you got me a $10 GC for watching your dogs, I"d be like

This person isn't your boss, she's your friend. It's not really an ethics issue, IMO. (But, I'm no ethics attorney...)