If a person is Carpeted they are reprimanded in a severe way by a superior. The saying’s origins lie in the days of the Victorian civil service where status was of utmost importance. You were very successful if you attained a level which afforded you an office with a carpet. Being reprimanded in such a way as to be moved back to an office with wooden floorboards was considered serious and shameful. The hierarchical Victorians would want to avoid a “carpeting” at all costs.