Proper practice in accepting gifts

Guideline

As a DTU employee with the status of a civil servant, you should generally exercise restraint in accepting gifts in connection with your work. The reason for this is that accepting gifts or other benefits from individuals or enterprises may give rise to doubts as to your objectivity and impartiality in performing your work tasks.

The concept of gifts should be understood in the broadest sense, as it covers tangible objects such as chocolate and books, and intangible objects such as offers of discounts, travel, courses or hospitality.

If you are in doubt as to how to respond to the offer of a gift, the following gives a number of typical examples as a guide to proper practice:

• If, in the course of your work, you are offered a gift by an individual or enterprise, you should refrain from accepting the gift if it is directly connected with your employment at DTU.
• In connection with personal events, such as a birthday, anniversary or leaving DTU, it is permissible to accept small gifts. Similarly, at Christmas or New Year, it is permissible to accept from regular business associates very modest gifts to mark the occasion.
• It is also permissible to accept very modest gifts of appreciation if it would be impolite and be a source of disappointment to the giver if you were to return the gift.
• In connection with official visits to/from overseas connections, it is permissible to accept small gifts given as part of customary practice.
• If you deliver a presentation or lecture in your official or expert capacity, it is permissible to accept a gratuity such as a couple of bottles of wine, as this is classed as payment in kind and not as a gift.

References

To find out more about accepting gifts as a civil servant, the State Employer’s Authority (an agency under the Ministry of Finance) publication "Code of conduct in the Public Sector" (Good Practice in the Danish Civil Service) (June 2007) provides a description of the applicable rules and principles of managerial law in this area (only in Danish).