The birthday present, in terms of the workplace, is a means of commemoration and a disguised strategy, especially if your boss is the intended recipient. A well-selected or well-made gift will lead you to your boss’s good side, which can later translate to a promotion, a salary raise, a meaningful friendship or a budding office love affair, depending on your motive. You will be the darling among all employees, much to the envy of your peers who gave measly presents.

Your gift should take your boss’s attention away from his or her paperwork, even for just a few moments. Remember, a cool gift consists of your boss’s interests and desires, some wordplay, a hint of creativity, a dash of chivalry and sometimes a chunkload of cash. It may be tedious to prepare, it might be pretty expensive, but in the end, you will surely reap its benefits. To give you a clearer idea, here are 20 of the coolest presents for bosses:

1. Buy Lunch for Your Boss - Some bosses are known to give employees free meals from time to time. Return the favor by treating your boss to free lunch in his or her favorite establishment. If you find your boss attractive, you can go for a free candlelight dinner at a fancy place.

2. Stylish Secret Messages - When everyone is busy, pass around a framed picture of your boss. All of your officemates will write their messages on the space surrounding the photo or at the back of the frame. When everyone’s done, slip the picture in your boss’s office when he/she goes out. He/she might burst into tears upon seeing the touching effort of the whole crew.

3. Have a Section of the Office Named After Your Boss - What’s the next best thing to having a street named after you? It’s to have an office hallway or corner dedicated to you. Come your boss’s birthday, you can decorate the section with designs that pertain to your boss’ interests and the collected birthday messages from your fellow employees. Top things off by labeling the wall or bulletin board with a message that goes like “The Jennifer Corner” or “The Simon Section.”

4. The Boss Bust - Print a picture of your boss and have it recreated as a bust. Be sure to make two copies - one will be for you and the other for your boss. When your superior receives the gift, he/she will know in an instant that you are his/her number one fan.

5. Electronic Golf Scoring System - Golf and bosses often go hand-in-hand. You can help your boss improve his/her game by giving an electronic golf scoring system. The moment your boss’ game improves, you’ve just made a hole-in-one into getting to his/her good side.

6. Free Yoga Sessions - Tired of your tyrant boss’s musings? Enroll him or her in a few yoga classes. The results will be greatly appreciated by everyone.

7. Coffee Shop Gift Certificates - Coffee is one of the modern-day stress relievers used my millions of professionals worldwide. Your boss probably loves nothing more than a hot cup of coffee after a tiring day at work. By giving him/her several gift certificates, he/she doesn’t need to splurge for indulgence. (Know if coffee shop gift certificates is included in the top ten best gift certificates)

8. Game Board - The game board is not just a gift to your boss, but also a present to your entire team in the office. It fosters fun and team spirit for everyone. Your boss, who happens to be the direct recipient of the board, can use it whenever he/she feels that the team needs a little distraction from work. (Pick from any of these in the list of the Top Ten board games for a fun Saturday night)

9. Boxing Lessons - Bosses who love to show their displeasure physically will adore boxing lessons. In the ring, he can punch away his stress and frustration over late reports en route to a probable world boxing title.

10. Super Duper Cheapo Present - Purchase the cheapest desktop accessory that you can find then stylize it with equally cheap materials. When your boss sees your present, he will be touched, too touched that you might get a raise at the end of the month.

11. Surprise Party - For most people, the surprise party is one of the most touching ways to celebrate one’s birthday. It is one of the events that tighten the bonds of friendship, both for the celebrant and those who attended/organized. If you pull this off with your boss, the entire team will be booked into one of the special places in his/her heart. (Learn how to organize a surprise party)

12. Belly Dancing Lessons - For frequently angry female bosses, belly dancing gives them a chance to transform their violent manifestations into graceful gyrations. As a result, they will look more lithe than scary whenever they get frustrated.

13. Fluffy Sandals - Fluffy slippers or sandals, especially those patterned like animals, look cute and are comfortable to wear. Best of all, harsh female bosses will turn into sweet little girls at the mere sight of those things.

14. Rock Concert Tickets - If you think concert tickets are only good gifts when given to friends, you are sadly mistaken. Give them to a stern boss, so he can ease off some tension in the form of aggressive headbanging action.

15. One Hundred Lottery Tickets - Bosses are often profit-oriented. Even after office hours, they still think of ways on how to generate more profits. Do your boss a favor by giving him/her the simplest way to generate earnings - the lottery. Wrap at least a hundred lottery tickets in elegant paper then see the way his/her eyes light up when he/she sees your present.

16. Coffee Press - Coffee’s current popularity is a good source for cool gifts. Purchase a coffee press from the department store, which is much cheaper than the ones sold by coffee shops, then wrap it in a coffee-themed wrapper. It will soon be a permanent fixture in your boss’ office.

17. The Amazing Race - Office Edition - If your boss makes you go around the office regularly, you can finally have your payback during his/her birthday. Conspire with your officemates in buying an expensive present for your boss. Hide it in a rarely visited spot or place in the office. When the gift has been hidden, leave clues that lead to one another and eventually, to the present.

18. Laptop Case - The quickest way to a geeky boss’s heart is to pamper his prized gadgets. Purchase a vinyl laptop case for his birthday. You can design it with cool patterns or a collage of office-related pictures to make it more personal.

19. Present or Absent? - Employees, who are about to resign, can get a little revenge when their boss’ birthday draws near. You can make your boss believe that he is receiving a pretty cool present during his birthday. Tease him with nifty descriptions and catchphrases about the gift, which will make him tingle with excitement. When his birthday comes, give him your cool gift - a nicely wrapped and scented resignation letter.

20. The Special Guest - Ask your boss about the people whom he likes to meet. It can be a local celebrity, a band or a missed family member. Bring at least one of those people during your boss’s birthday celebration then expect a sequence of very touching moments to follow. As a result, you will instantly be one of the most favored employees in your office.

The birthday present is considered one of the great equalizers in the professional world. Its preparation and significance can neutralize the angriest of bosses at the speed of one swipe at the gift wrapper. A kind and fair boss, on the other hand, will see how marvelous she truly is through the presents of her subordinates. So whatever happens, do prepare a gift for your boss. It’s professionally healthy.