Psychosocial risk prevention policy: what it must include (with a template)
The psychosocial risk prevention policy is the first NOM-035 obligation and the one that applies to every workplace, down to one with three people. It is also the easiest to get wrong: a generic paragraph with no signature and no dissemination does not count as compliance. Here is what it must contain under the standard and a section-by-section template to write it in one afternoon.
In this article
What is the psychosocial risk prevention policy?
It is a written statement, signed by the management of the workplace, in which the company commits to preventing psychosocial risk factors, preventing workplace violence and promoting a favorable organizational environment, and which is disseminated to all staff. NOM-035-STPS-2018 has required it since its first stage of enforcement (October 23, 2019) and it is the foundation for everything else: measures, evaluations and intervention programs are justified from it. It is neither a rulebook nor a code of ethics; it is a public commitment by management.
Who is required to have one?
Every workplace, regardless of size: it is the obligation common to the three ranges the standard distinguishes (up to 15, 16 to 50 and more than 50 workers). A five-person office needs it as much as a five-hundred-person plant; what changes in the larger ranges are the additional evaluations, which we summarize in NOM-035 in 2026: what it requires, who it applies to and what the fines are. And since the Federal Labor Law fine is per breach, a missing policy counts as one even if everything else is in order.
What must it include under the standard?
Under the standard, the policy must contain three commitments, be signed by management and be disseminated to staff; everything else is optional but advisable.
- Commitment to prevent psychosocial risk factors: workload, lack of control, shift length, work-family interference, negative leadership, poor relationships.
- Commitment to prevent workplace violence: harassment, bullying and mistreatment, with a complaint mechanism.
- Commitment to promote a favorable organizational environment: sense of belonging, recognition, participation, training, adequate workloads and hours.
- Signature of management (the highest authority at the workplace) and date.
- Evidence of dissemination: posters, email, intranet, signed receipt or training.
Section-by-section template with model text
Adapt each block to your company's language; what you must not remove are the three commitments and the signature. Consult the current text of the standard and its reference guide for the details.
- Header and scope.
Psychosocial risk prevention policy of [company name], workplace [location]. It applies to everyone who works at this workplace, in any modality and at any hierarchical level.
- Commitment to prevent psychosocial risk factors.
Management commits to identifying, analyzing and preventing psychosocial risk factors through the periodic evaluation provided in NOM-035-STPS-2018 and the adoption of control measures on workload, working hours, control over the activity and leadership.
- Commitment to prevent workplace violence.
All forms of workplace violence are prohibited, including harassment, bullying and mistreatment. A confidential complaint mechanism is established at [channel and owner], with a defined response time and no retaliation.
- Commitment to promote a favorable organizational environment.
Management promotes a sense of belonging, recognition of performance, staff participation in the decisions that affect them, training and an adequate distribution of workloads and hours.
- Owners and resources.
Follow-up of this policy belongs to [responsible area], with the support of the safety and hygiene commission and the managers of each area.
- Dissemination and review.
This policy is disseminated to all staff through [channels] and is reviewed when workplace conditions or evaluation results change.
- Signature.
[Name and title of management], [place and date].
How is it disseminated and evidenced?
The standard asks for dissemination; the evidence is what proves it happened, so pick channels that leave a trail. A poster in common areas with a dated photo, an email or intranet post with a log, a signed-receipt list during onboarding and a short training session with a certificate work well together. Store them in the compliance folder we describe in NOM-035 evidence for an STPS inspection. The dissemination session can be part of the NOM-035 course with DC-3 for managers and staff.
Common mistakes when writing it
- Copying a generic policy from the internet with no workplace name or signature.
- Having someone in HR sign it instead of management.
- Leaving out the workplace violence complaint mechanism or leaving it without an owner.
- Disseminating it once and not including it in new-hire onboarding.
- Promising things that are not delivered: the policy is checked against reality in the evaluation, and if it promises recognition and that domain scores high, the inconsistency is visible. Programs like the stress management course help the promised measures actually exist.
Want to bring this to your team?
We write and disseminate your policy, align it with the prevention measures and leave the dissemination evidence ready for the STPS. Message us on WhatsApp, fill out the contact form or open this site's live chat: we send a proposal with three scope options and a closed price in under 24 business hours, with the DC-3 certificate and Geedle Bot included. The full program is at NOM-035 compliance service and the catalog at training courses for companies.
