Human Capital Management Hiring Toolkit

The Prohibited Personnel Practices describe poor management practices. They are the "don'ts" of good HR management.

Under Title 5 U.S.C. 2302 (b), a Federal employee authorized to take, direct others to take, recommend, or approve any personnel action may not;

1. Discriminate against an employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation.
2. Solicit or consider employment recommendations based on factors other than personal knowledge or records of job-related abilities or characteristics.
3. Coerce the political activity of any person.
4. Deceive or willfully obstruct anyone from competing for employment.
5. Influence anyone to withdraw from competition for any position so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any other person.
6. Give an unauthorized preference or advantage to anyone so as to improve or injure the employment prospects of any particular employee or applicant.
7. Engage in nepotism (i.e., hire, promote, or advocate the hiring or promotion of relatives).
8. Take, fail to take, or threaten to take a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant because of any disclosure of information by the employee of whistleblower activity.
9. Take, fail to take, or threaten to take a personnel action against an employee or applicant for exercising an appeal, complaint, or grievance right.
10. Discriminate based on personal conduct which is not adverse to the on-the-job performance of an employee, applicant, or others.
11. Take, fail to take, recommend or approve a personnel action if taking or failing to take such an action would violate a Veterans' Preference requirement.
12. Take or fail to take a personnel action, if taking or failing to take action would violate any law, rule, or regulation implementing or directly concerning Merit System Principles.
13. Implement or enforce any nondisclosure policy, form, or agreement, if such policy, form, or agreement does not contain the following statement: "These provisions are consistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing statute or Executive order relating to (1) classified information, (2) communications to Congress, (3) the reporting to an Inspector General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, or (4) any other whistleblower protection. The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this agreement and are controlling.