Bar bosses have caught their 'cheeky' employees having a secret Christmas party without them after they forgot to switch off the CCTV.
Paul Gallagher, joint owner of The Definitely Maybe Bar in Bolton, realised he had been excluded from the party after he logged into the cameras from home on Monday to check service was running smoothly when he saw 10 members of staff having a festive knees-up without him.
Recovering quickly from the not-so-festive blow to the ego and seeing the funny side, the 42-year-old quickly took some snaps of the group wearing Santa hats and exchanging gifts, before light-heartedly outing them by posting the photos on social media.
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Paul said: "I often check the CCTV to keep an eye on things for everyone's safety. I logged on to see them gathered with Santa hats on and tables decorated and presents everywhere and knew what was happening immediately."
He continued: "They did a Secret Santa and bought each other's presents and one of our musicians showed up and entertained them.
"We were not invited. They knew with it being a Monday night the bar would be quiet so they just decided to have an impromptu staff party."
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Being honest, the owner revealed: "I did think it was a bit cheeky but didn't mind. I just wanted them not to drink too much with a big week ahead."
After realising they'd been caught out by the CCTV cameras, the staff teased Paul even further by sticking a finger up at the camera.
The team then placed a Santa hat over the camera so they could carry on with their party without their uninvited virtual guests.
Deciding not to be a Scrooge, Paul left the staff alone and allowed for the festive fun to carry on into early hours of the morning. Perhaps the best boss... ever?
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On the owner's motivation for posting to social media, Paul revealed: "I posted an image of them all to Facebook showing the CCTV footage knowing our customers would be happy seeing them on the other side of the bar and enjoying themselves as they deserve a bit of a time out and it's nice to do it before Christmas.
"I just laughed when I saw they had covered the cameras, I knew they would wimp out and take them off before long.
"I like to think people saw the humour in it and would be happy to see them enjoying themselves after spending all year serving our customers.
"The industry is going through a very uncertain time once again and I think the workers anxieties over their own futures are often overlooked so it was nice to see them relax and forget about all that for a night at least."
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Maybe Paul's good-natured response will mean he gets an invite next year!
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and MediaTopics: Christmas