“We’re bringing lunch for everyone!”
Scenario: A vendor want to visit your department to demonstrate a new product. They offer to bring lunch for everyone attending the presentation.
Q: Can you accept the lunch?
A: No. Under UCF’s Gifts and Honoraria Policy, the lunch would be viewed as an offering to create or maintain a favorable opinion of the vendor. Vendors may meet with employees and provide product information or training, but employees should not accept a gift such as a vendor-provided lunch.
What should you do?
Ask the vendor to refrain from bringing anything besides their product information and training materials. By doing this, you help prevent others from accidentally accepting a prohibited gift.
“Your conference registration is on us!”
Scenario: A vendor offers you complimentary registration to attend its annual professional conference. Your supervisor approves your attendance.
Q: Does your supervisor’s approval make it okay to accept the free registration?
A: No. Complimentary conference registration may constitute a prohibited gift. UCF’s Gifts and Honoraria Policy may allow discounted registration in some circumstances, while complimentary attendance offered by a vendor may be prohibited. Employees should seek guidance before accepting a potentially prohibited gift.
What should you do?
Contact University Compliance and Ethics before accepting the complimentary registration.
“Dinner is on me.”
Scenario: While attending a professional conference, a vendor you meet invites you and several other university employees to dinner.
Q: Can you go?
A: You may be able to attend if you pay for your own meal. UCF’s Gifts and Expenditures FAQ specifically identifies this situation and explains that an employee may accept the dinner invitation if the employee pays for their own meal.
What should you do?
If you want to attend, pay for your own meal and do not accept the vendor’s offer to pay.
“It’s just a holiday basket.”
Scenario: A vendor sends a holiday basket containing snacks and other items to your office.
Q: Can you share it with your whole department?
A: Sharing the gift does not necessarily make it permissible. The fact that a gift is inexpensive, addressed to an office, or shared among employees does not automatically make the gift allowable.
What should you do?
Before accepting or distributing a gift from a vendor or other outside source, check whether the gift is permissible under the circumstances. UCF encourages employees to contact University Compliance and Ethics when there is any doubt.
“Would you speak at our event?”
Scenario: An organization asks you to speak at its event and offers to pay for your airfare, hotel, meals, and other reasonable travel expenses.
Q: Can they pay your expenses?
A: Potentially, yes, depending on the circumstances. UCF’s Gifts and Honoraria Policy addresses certain actual and reasonable travel expenses associated with an honorarium event. However, additional restrictions can apply depending on the relationship UCF may have with the organization and the employee’s status.
What should you do?
Before accepting these expenses, determine whether they qualify as an honorarium-related expense and whether additional reporting or restrictions apply. When the circumstances are unclear, seek guidance from University Compliance and Ethics before accepting.
“Everyone gets a prize!”
Scenario: Your department is planning an employee appreciation event. Someone suggests asking vendors to donate gift cards and other prizes for an employee drawing.
Q: Can the department ask vendors to donate the prizes?
A: No. UCF employees should not solicit gifts from vendors for employee appreciation events.
What should you do?
Use university-approved funding or other permissible sources for employee appreciation activities. Remember that the restrictions on soliciting gifts are separate from the question of whether an employee could accept a particular gift.