CEO’s wild Christmas party rant goes viral

Stephen Carter’s bizarre Christmas party pep talk to staff has gone viral after he told workers he took drugs but didn’t “do it at work events”.

A CEO’s bizarre Christmas party pep talk to staff has gone viral after he told workers he took drugs but didn’t “do it at work events”.

Stephen Carter, CEO of recruiting firm Sharp and Carter, gave the rousing speech on Zoom, with one of his 203 employees filming the meeting and posting it to social media.

“I take drugs myself, I just don’t do it at work events,” Mr Carter says in the footage.

“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.”

Watch the full video here.

CEO Stephen Carter from Melbourne recruiting firm Sharp and Carter. Picture: Facebook

“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,” Mr Carter continued.

“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.”

When Mr Carter was made aware of the footage and interviewed by the Herald Sun, he said he had been giving a version of the same speech for seven years.

Mr Carter, whose head offices are in Melbourne, added that he probably would have chosen his words more carefully if he had known the talk would end up on social media.

“Obviously I didn’t expect it to get sent externally,” he said.

Mr Carter urged workers not to cheat on their partners with colleagues. (File photo: iStock)

“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.”

Mr Carter added that he hadn’t done drugs for “about five years”.

“I don’t have any philosophical objection to drugs, but the workplace isn’t the spot for them,” he said.

“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.

“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,” Mr Carter added.