Most employees may earn outside income and engage in outside activities, subject only to the Federal conflict of interest statutes and the Standards of Ethical Conduct.
Denials are rare, but they do happen.
The employee's duties included monitoring the performance of the grantee, and her supervisor indicated that it was impossible to assign this project to a co-worker. The employee would be barred by law from doing her Department job if she took this part-time position. Therefore, the Department denied her request. In most, if not all, cases approval will be granted. However, because criminal conflict of interest statutes restrict some activities of Federal employees, the approval process gives the Ethics Office an opportunity to give you advice about these restrictions.