Public sector employees have been allowed to work in other government departments after normal working hours to improve coordination and service delivery.

Civil Service Minister Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak, who is a member of the Civil Services Council that issued the decision, said in a statement on Monday that the workers would be covered by the Kingdom’s executive bylaws for benefits and payments.

The move would “open avenues of cooperation and transfer of expertise in common areas between various government departments,” and improve service delivery for citizens, he said.

The order covers work in other government departments and not one where the worker is employed.

Workers would have to get approval in writing from their ministries, and from the ministries where the additional work would take place.

The relevant administrative and finance departments should ensure that the extra work does not interfere with the workers’ own jobs.

Auditing or monitoring committees would take action against those workers who fail to comply with the regulations.