Sharp and Carter CEO Stephen Carter issues bizarre Christmas party warning to staff

A Melbourne CEO has laid down Christmas party rules in a bizarre video, telling his workers he’s taken drugs and counselling them to cheat on their partners outside the office.

It’s been labelled the most unhinged ‘don’t do drugs, or cheat on your wife’ Christmas party pep talk ever witnessed.

“I take drugs myself,” is quite the opening to a list of Christmas party dos and don’ts from Melbourne recruiting firm Sharp and Carter founder, not mincing his words under the mistletoe.

CEO Stephen Carter spoke to his 203 employees last Thursday at interstate offices around Australia and via Zoom from his Melbourne headquarters, to warn them of the problems of Christmas party antics inside the workplace.

“I take drugs myself, I just don’t do it at work events,” Carter said.

“Because that’s when things get really out of hand. If you take drugs at the Christmas party you will be fired. It’s a really strong rule.

“If you want to cheat on your partner I would recommend 2024 has been a stark reminder it is probably not wise to cheat on your partner with someone at work,” Carter went on, (cue chuckling from staffers)

“If you are going to cheat on your partner and if you have to do it – just don’t do it with someone at work it really becomes problematic as we have seen.

“If you are single we have got lots of people who have met their partner here.”

(L-R) CEO Stephen Carter. Picture: Facebook

On Tuesday Carter told the Herald Sun he had been giving a version of the rather rousing party speech for more than seven years, but did concede he may have chosen his words more carefully if he knew vision of the festive sermon would hit social media and go viral.

“Obviously I didn’t expect it to get sent externally,” Carter told the Herald Sun on Tuesday.

“I probably would have chosen to use my words a bit differently if I knew that.

“But regarding the content, I haven’t been exposed for sexually harassing dozens of staff, or caught in a compromising position or passed out in a ditch, the intention obviously is to look after and care for my people so they don’t do damage to themselves and others.”

“The law doesn’t view Christmas parties as different to the workplace and the same professional behaviours apply.

“At 203 people we are representative of society, and in society that happens, people take drugs, people cheat on their partner and I’m just trying to get ahead of that. I don’t want to clean up their mess afterwards. I’m trying to get ahead of it.

“It’s nothing specific to my business more than any other business.”

He said that unlike larger organisations like Coles and Medibank which he believes has banned alcohol from Christmas party events, he wants his staff to behave in a manner where they can have fun, look after each other but not in a “career limiting or harmful way.”

Partner, Stephen Carter, Sharp & Carter

Founding what is one of Australia’s largest recruiting firms 16 years ago, Carter said he has tried to model his leadership style off Richard Branson’s philosophy to look after the customer you have to look after your people.

“I don’t have any philosophical objection to drugs, but the workplace isn’t the spot for them. It’s to do with friends in a social setting. Go and have drugs tomorrow for all I care, but don’t do it at the Christmas party or at work.

“Everyone teased me ‘Carts just gave me the greenlight to get on the gear’ so this year I changed it.

“I was going to say I have done drugs. I don’t have any philosophical problem with doing drugs, just don’t do them at work but then I thought everyone would tease me and say ‘when did you do drugs Carts in 1986?’ so I changed it to the present tense. But I haven’t done drugs for about five years and it is not like I am doing drugs,” Carter added.

His marketing manager and human resources head Bec Kraut stepped into the interview about this moment to add that Carter does not cheat on his wife and that he applies a workplace philosophy that “arcs back to care and uncommon care.”

“It’s not to create a conversation around affairs and extra marital affairs but a boundary this is something to be mindful of and being at a Christmas party is not an excuse and there are serious consequences that can arise from it. I can hand on heart tell you Carts is not the cheating type,” Kraut said.

The Sharp and Carter office Christmas party in Melbourne will take place this Friday night.

Ho ho ho.