Originally Posted by
Ken Puls
The other thing you may want to do is just ask your boss flat out... "If I could save the company $x.xx per year, would I be compensated for it? Don't give your ideas away at that point, but make sure that the sum is large enough to warrant their attention. If they say yes, THEN put forward the formal proposal, and how you expect the payoff to be measured.
Personally, I code for the enjoyment of it, and give away anything to my co-workers... so long as it is developed on the job. If that's the case, then it is work property. If I do it at home, however, the rights to it remain mine. Hard to prove, but I'm lucky enough to have a great boss who gives me great flexibility.