NOM-035 is often seen as one more box to check: apply some questionnaires, file the results, and hope no inspection shows up. It’s an understandable approach, but it wastes the most valuable part of the standard. Applied well, NOM-035 is an X-ray of what work feels like in your company: excessive workloads, poor leadership, long hours, or lack of recognition. Exactly the causes that usually sit behind turnover, absenteeism, and low productivity.
In this guide we explain what NOM-035 requires, your obligations based on the size of your workplace, which documents you need, and how to turn compliance into a tool to improve workplace climate.
What is NOM-035?
NOM-035-STPS-2018, Psychosocial Risk Factors at Work – Identification, Analysis, and Prevention, is a Mexican Official Standard issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS). It was published in the Official Gazette in October 2018 and took effect in two stages, in October 2019 and October 2020. It is mandatory for every workplace in Mexico.
Its goal is for companies to identify, analyze, and prevent psychosocial risk factors and to promote a favorable organizational environment. A commonly misunderstood point: according to the STPS informational guide, the standard assesses working conditions, not each worker’s psychological profile or individual stress.
What are psychosocial risk factors?
They are working conditions that can lead to anxiety, sleep, or severe stress disorders. The standard considers, among others:
- Dangerous, unsafe, or unhealthy conditions in the work environment.
- Workloads that exceed the worker’s capacity.
- Lack of control over one’s own work.
- Working hours longer than those set by the Federal Labor Law, and shift rotation without enough rest.
- Interference between work and family life.
- Negative leadership and negative working relationships.
- Workplace violence: harassment, bullying, and mistreatment.
On the other hand, a favorable organizational environment is one that promotes a sense of belonging, training, clear responsibilities, communication, a fair distribution of workloads, and recognition of performance.
What are your obligations based on workplace size?
Obligations depend on the number of workers per workplace (each plant, branch, or office), not the company’s total headcount:
| Workers at the site | Main obligations | Questionnaire |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 15 | Prevention policy, prevention measures, identifying workers exposed to severe traumatic events, and sharing information. | No risk factor assessment required. |
| 16 to 50 | All of the above, plus identifying and analyzing psychosocial risk factors. | Reference Guide II. |
| More than 50 | All of the above, plus assessing the organizational environment. | Reference Guide III. |
In addition, Reference Guide I is used at every workplace to identify people who experienced a severe traumatic event (a serious accident, an assault, a threat to their safety) and refer them for care.
The documents you need
In case of an STPS inspection, you should have evidence of:
- A psychosocial risk prevention policy, signed and shared with workers.
- Results of the identification and analysis of risk factors (and of the organizational environment, where applicable).
- Prevention measures and control actions, with owners and dates.
- A record of workers identified as having experienced severe traumatic events and referred for care.
- Evidence that information was shared with workers (sessions, posters, emails, intranet).
What are the fines for non-compliance?
Failure to comply with occupational health and safety standards is penalized under Article 994 of Mexico’s Federal Labor Law, with fines of 250 to 5,000 times the Unit of Measurement and Update (UMA). With the UMA in effect since February 2026 (MXN $117.31 per day), that’s roughly MXN $29,000 to $587,000 per violation. But the highest cost is rarely the fine: it’s the turnover, absenteeism, and low productivity that unaddressed risk factors cause.
How to implement NOM-035 in 6 steps
1. Define and share the prevention policy
The policy should state the company’s commitment to preventing psychosocial risks and workplace violence and to promoting a favorable environment. It must be signed by leadership and shared so that every worker knows it.
2. Apply Reference Guide I
Identify anyone who has experienced a severe traumatic event and refer them for medical or psychological care, with due confidentiality.
3. Apply the appropriate questionnaire
Use Reference Guide II or III based on headcount. Pay attention to three things: that it’s applied confidentially, that workers understand its purpose, and that the sample is representative when it isn’t applied to everyone.
4. Analyze results by department
This is where the real value lies. Don’t stop at the overall result: analyze by department, shift, role, or manager. It’s common to find that risk factors are concentrated in specific places, and that they match the areas with the highest employee turnover.
5. Design and implement concrete actions
Actions should address causes, not just symptoms. Some examples by finding:
| Finding | Possible actions |
|---|---|
| Excessive workloads | Review staffing, processes, and task distribution. |
| Negative leadership | Training and coaching for managers on feedback and team management. |
| Long working hours | Review shifts, overtime, and operations planning. |
| Lack of recognition | Recognition programs and clear performance evaluation criteria. |
| Unclear roles | Well-defined job descriptions and responsibilities. |
6. Follow up and measure again
The standard doesn’t set a single frequency, but it’s common practice to repeat the identification and analysis at least every two years, and also when working conditions change significantly. Comparing measurements tells you whether your actions worked.
Common mistakes when applying NOM-035
- Treating it as paperwork. Applying questionnaires and doing nothing with the results breeds distrust among workers.
- Not guaranteeing confidentiality. If people fear retaliation, their answers won’t reflect reality.
- Only analyzing the overall average, which usually hides the red flags.
- Designing generic actions (a stress management talk) instead of addressing causes (workloads, leadership, hours).
- Leaving the standard to HR alone. Risk factors originate in operations and leadership; senior management must be involved.
Frequently asked questions about NOM-035
Does NOM-035 apply if I have fewer than 15 workers?
Yes, though with fewer obligations: a prevention policy, prevention measures, identifying severe traumatic events, and sharing information. Applying the risk factor questionnaires isn’t mandatory.
Does it apply to outsourced or specialized-services workers?
Obligations fall on each worker’s employer. If you hire specialized services, make sure your provider complies with the standard for the staff working at your facilities.
Do the questionnaires have to be applied to all workers?
At sites with more than 50 workers, they can be applied to a representative sample, calculated using the procedure set out in the standard. At smaller sites, applying them to everyone is recommended.
Does NOM-035 require me to provide psychological care to workers?
The standard requires referring those who need it (for example, after a severe traumatic event) to medical care through the social security institution, private services, or the company doctor. It doesn’t require hiring a permanent psychology service.
Conclusion
NOM-035 is mandatory, but its greatest value isn’t avoiding a fine; it’s the information it gives you about how work happens in your company. Used seriously, it helps you detect where turnover originates, which managers need support, and which conditions are holding back productivity.
At Total Consulting we help companies implement NOM-035 and, above all, turn its results into leadership, climate, and talent development actions, through our Talent and Belonging service. If you want to comply with the standard and use it to improve, schedule a free diagnostic session.
This article is for informational purposes and does not replace legal advice. For specific obligations, consult the current text of NOM-035-STPS-2018 and the Federal Labor Law.
