[unishark]

If you are an insider at a company you work at, they tell you and you have to adhere to additional rules and blackouts around announcement and earnings time.

This is not common. In the story, the guy's wife worked in finance so had confidential info about earnings. The rank and file can trade whenever the hell we want with whatever stock we want, including our employer's. No one bats an eye.

[nindalf]

Really? Even as a rank and file pleb I wasn’t allowed to trade except for about 2-3 weeks after earnings calls. I assumed that was the norm everywhere.

[sidlls]

That is the norm. True insiders are subject to additional restrictions, and often set up a 10b5 plan to set conditions under which stock may be traded.

In almost every case, no employees (insider or otherwise) are permitted to sell derivatives (calls, puts), while they are employed.

[distances]

I have been on insider list and subject to blackouts just for being a mobile developer. I don't know if all employees were considered insiders but at least all developers were.