OGE Updates Rules Governing Recruiting of Federal Employees to Private Sector Jobs

Companies are increasingly hiring out of the federal workforce, only to find that their new hires are restricted by “revolving door” rules that prohibit their participation in certain matters—sometimes for a limited time, sometimes permanently. New rules issued recently by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) serve as a reminder that, even before hiring a federal employee, a company may find itself entangled in federal ethics rules that regulate the job negotiation process. These rule changes are particularly timely as we come to the end of the Obama Administration and political appointees find themselves looking for the next step.