Have ‘adults in the room’

Ms. Hartman said managers can be enlisted to help supervise the festivities, noting that employees will take cues from their bosses.

“If you’re the president of the company, and you’re sliding down tables, your employees will too,” she said. “You need some adults in the room.”

As a human resources manager, she said she did not drink at the parties. “I’ll tell you honestly, I never had a good time, I never relaxed,” she said. “I wanted everyone else to have a good time, but also I had to be aware of what was going on.”

Set expectations in advance

Employers should outline expectations for appropriate conduct in the invitations and send a reminder on the day of the event, Mr. Schmidt said. Employees need to understand that “just because it’s not being held in the four walls of the office setting, it does not translate into becoming the wild, wild West,” he said.

The size of the company does not matter, he said, adding: “When you’re the small mom-and-pop shop, you think, ‘I’m not going to have these kinds of issues. It’s a small family atmosphere.’ And then when you’re a big corporation, you think, ‘We have H.R. and these things are not going to happen here.’”

Ms. Hartman said employees should be reminded that the party is a work-related event regardless of whether it is being held at the office or somewhere else. “It’s silly to say this, but when you don’t say anything, employees take it that they can go crazy,” she said.

Tips for employees

Remember, what happens at the party does not necessarily stay at the party.

With the proliferation of smartphones and social media, there are more ways than ever to document and share bad behavior, which can permanently damage your reputation.