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National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

DIRECTIVE

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16 January 2019

HD

SUBJECT: Personal Relationships in the Workplace

References: See Enclosure 1.

1. PURPOSE. This Directive:

a. Establishes policy and assigns responsibilities for managing personal

relationships in the workplace, including relationships that are hierarchical, romantic, 

covered, or with relatives as defined in this policy, in accordance with (IAW) References 

(a) through (h).

b. Rescinds NGA Instruction (NI) 1000.7, “Personal Relationships in the Workplace,”

05 January 2004.

2. APPLICABILITY. This Directive:

a. Applies to all NGA civilian personnel, military service members, and other

Government Agency personnel permanently assigned to NGA, hereinafter referred to as 

employees.

b. Does not apply to contractors. Contractors follow their company’s policy with

regard to personal relationships in the workplace.

3. DEFINITIONS. See Glossary.

4. POLICY. It is NGA policy to:

a. Ensure all employees maintain professional relationships in the workplace

at all times, act impartially, and do not give impermissible preferential treatment with 

unfair advantage to any person, IAW References (a), (b), and (c).

b. Address unprofessional relationships that detract from the authority of

supervisors, result in, or reasonably create the appearance of, favoritism, misuse of 

office or position, or the abandonment of organizational goals; and that adversely affect 

employee cohesion and the efficiency of the Agency.
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c. Ensure that employees disqualify themselves from participation in employment

matters for anyone who is a relative or with whom they are in a covered relationship 

IAW References (b), (c), and (g). 

5. RESPONSIBILITIES. See Enclosure 2.

6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Directive is effective on the date of signature.

Enclosures

1. References

2. Responsibilities

Glossary
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CHANGE LOG

Change 

Type

Change 

Date

Revised 

By

Pages 

Affected Change Description
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ENCLOSURE 1

REFERENCES

(a) Title 5, United States Code (USC), Section 2301, “Merit System Principles”

(b) Title 5, USC, Section 3110, “Employment of Relatives; Restrictions”

(c) Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 2635.502, “Personal and 

Business Relationships”

(d) Department of Defense Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, “DoD Civilian Personnel 

Management System: Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) 

Employment and Placement,” 03 March 2012

(e) NGA Directive (NGAD) 1414, “Career Services,” 27 June 2018

(f) NGAD 1455, “Disciplinary and Adverse Actions,” 26 August 2013, Administrative 

Update 25 February 2015

(g) NGA Instruction (NGAI) 1405.1, “Employment and Placement,” 13 November 2018

(h) NGAI 5500.11, “Maintaining the Highest Standards of Ethical Conduct Program,” 01

October 2008, Administrative Update 09 November 2015
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ENCLOSURE 2

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Director, NGA, encourages professional relationships in the workplace that contribute

to the effective operation of NGA, employee cohesion, and efficiency of the Agency. 

2. Director, Human Development, oversees employment and placement and

disciplinary/adverse action processes pertaining to personal relationships in the 

workplace that render preferential treatment with real or perceived unfair advantage.

(References (e) through (g))

3. Director, Talent Development (D/HDT), approves and manages assignment

selections when employees are in personal relationships that do not render preferential 

treatment IAW Reference (e).

4. General Counsel (GC).

a. Advises Directorate Heads/Agency Element (AE) Leads on any standards of

conduct or ethical issues related to personal relationships between employees IAW 

Reference (h).

b. Assists Agency designees and managers in initiating prompt, effective action to

evaluate and process reports of suspected violations of ethics laws or regulations. 

(Reference (h))

c. Reports unprofessional relationships to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) if

the relationship is in violation of a statute or regulation IAW References (a), (b), (c), and 

(h).

5. Inspector General (IG) investigates suspected violations reported to the IG and refers

findings to the GC IAW Reference (h).

6. Directorate Heads/AE Leads.

a. Seek guidance from the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to determine if personal

relationships may raise questions of preferential treatment.

b. Advise supervisors and managers of how personal relationships may contribute to

the appearance of preferential treatment.

7. Supervisors and Managers.

a. Maintain professional relationships in the workplace and conduct themselves in

such a manner that avoids the appearance of, or results in, preferential treatment IAW 

Reference (c).
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b. Notify Directorate Heads/AE Leads and seek guidance from OGC when personal

relationships raise a question of preferential treatment. (Reference (c))

c. Address alleged personal relationships between employees if it is determined that

the relationships render preferential treatment, IAW Reference (f).

d. Recuse themselves from participation in employment matters for relatives or for

employees with whom they have a covered relationship, IAW References (b), (c), and 

(g).

8. Employees.

a. Maintain professional relationships in the workplace.

b. Recuse themselves from participation in employment matters for relatives or for

employees with whom they have a covered relationship IAW References (b), (c), and 

(g).

c. Seek guidance from a supervisor, manager, or Agency designee to determine

whether or not to participate in employment matters if it would cause a reasonable 

person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question the impartiality of the matter 

IAW Reference (c).

d. Avoid engaging in personal relationships in the workplace that may cause concern

to other employees, supervisors, or managers. (Reference (c))

e. Report unprofessional personal relationships to their supervisor, Directorate

Head/AE Lead, OGC, or OIG.
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GLOSSARY

Covered 

Relationship

A relationship with a person who is a member of an employee’s

household or who is a relative with whom the employee has a close 

personal relationship. Additionally, a relationship with a person for 

whom the employee’s spouse, parent, or dependent child is, to the 

employee’s knowledge, serving or seeking to serve as an officer, 

director, general partner, agent, attorney, consultant, contractor, or 

employee. (Reference (c))

Employment 

Matters

Include, but are not limited to:

 Recruitment and hiring;

 Assignments and training opportunities;

 Career development;

 Performance and awards;

 Promotions;

 Disciplinary actions, grievances, or appeals; and

 Any other panel processes in which decisions about

employment matters occur.

(Definition created by NGA for NGA purposes only)

Hierarchical 

Relationship

A relationship belonging to or characteristic of a hierarchy with 

regard to the management of employees. (Definition created by 

NGA for NGA purposes only)

Merit Systems 

Principles

Nine basic standards governing the management of the executive 

branch workforce. (Reference (a))

Personal 

Relationships

Contacts that involve a friend, family member, or romantic partner 

and the employee. (Definition created by NGA for NGA purposes 

only)

Professional 

Relationships

Work-related affiliations that contribute to the effective operation of 

NGA, thus promoting the efficiency of the Agency. (Definition 

created by NGA for NGA purposes only)

Relative With respect to a public official, an individual who is related to the 

public official as father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, 

aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, 

mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-inlaw, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, 

stepsister, half brother, or half sister. (Reference (b))

Unprofessional 

Relationships

Close connections or bonds, whether pursued on or off duty, that 

detract from the authority of supervisors; that result in, or 
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reasonably create the appearance of, favoritism, misuse of office or 

position, or the abandonment of organizational goals; and that 

adversely affect employee cohesion and the efficiency of the 

Agency. (Definition created by NGA for NGA purposes only)