Lizbeth García: "NOM 035 sows a precedent"

The work context is made up of a good part of the spaces in which we spend the most time weekly; For this reason, it is normal for Psychology to be interested in studying the way in which people interact with these environments and with other co-workers, and for intervening to improve the quality of life of people in these scopes.

NOM 035, set of standards promoted since 2019 in Mexico, is an example of the extent to which it is important to take into account these psychosocial factors that come into play in the operation of companies and any entity dedicated to work professional. In this case, the psychologist Lizbeth García, part of the management team of Astronauta Emotional, tells us about her.

• Related article: "Psychology of work and organizations: a profession with a future"

Interview with Lizbeth García (Emotional Astronaut): NOM 035 and its effects

Lizbeth García is a psychologist specialized in Clinical Psychology and a founding member of the Astronauta Emotional psychotherapy center

, as well as promoter of the podcast “De Otro Planeta”. In this interview she tells us about the particularities of NOM 035, a standard that shows how reforms at the political level may have implications for the Psychology of Work and Organizations.

What is NOM 035 and what are its main objectives?

NOM 035 is a standard implemented as of 2019 in Mexico, which aims to identify, analyze and prevent psychosocial risk factors that This derived from their working conditions could affect workers, it also takes into account that the employee develops in healthy environments of job.

Currently all work centers in Mexico are responsible for monitoring the well-being of their employees to prevent stress issues arising from their work.

Some of the responsibilities that each organization has as an obligation are, first of all, to analyze and implement a psychosocial risk prevention policy. This should take into account the prevention of psychosocial risk factors in general, of situations of workplace violence, and the promotion of an adequate organizational environment.

Second, it must include the detection and channeling of collaborators who have suffered a severe traumatic event.

The company is also responsible for applying the necessary measures and actions, based on the results. found in the reference guides, and establish and disseminate risk prevention policies psychosocial.

On the other hand, you must also practice and carry out medical and psychological tests when workers exposed to psychosocial risks are detected.

You should also keep records of the prevention activities that are being carried out.

And finally, you must have among your work policies, a complaints box where each employee can report acts of workplace violence.

Depending on the size of the company, there are questionnaire guides that must be applied to employees in order to have a first analysis of the employee's emotional and health situation.

What are the problems and needs at the social and labor level that have led to this reform?

Currently Mexico is among the countries with the highest work stress in the world, added to the fact that working hours are longer versus conditions in other countries, resulting in employees experiencing constant fatigue, low productivity, and high rotation.

Due to this, this standard aims to have better working conditions, which includes counting with adequate tools, established roles and mainly take care and prevent risks psychosocial.

What types of psychosocial risks has NOM 035 focused on, and how does it regulate the activity of companies?

Psychosocial risks are all those psychological and social aspects that could negatively affect workers, such as They could be stress, anxiety, problems falling asleep derived from the type of work they do, in general it contemplates the following headings:

• Excessive workloads that generate stress.
• Interference between private and work life.
• Negative leadership in the workplace.
• Unfavorable working environment within the company.
• Traumatic events such as assaults, serious accidents, death, kidnappings, and threats.

With this standard, each company must take the necessary measures to care for and prevent the well-being of its employees on emotional health issues.

The progressive disappearance of the dividing line between people's private lives and professional careers is often criticized. Can it be understood that NOM 035 contributes to this separation becoming even more blurred?

On the contrary, this rule helps to allow space for private life and emotional balance within your center of work, since its main objective is to establish the tools and climate necessary to promote a work environment favorable. This rule takes into account issues such as stress and anxiety derived from high workloads, leadership or not having defined and delimited the responsibilities of your position.

What are, in your opinion, the main virtues and limitations of this legislative reform?

NOM 035 sets a precedent for the care of workers' mental health and allows each time to have better working conditions which results in a balance between work and life family. Companies also gain from this initiative since they promote a culture of leadership and loyalty towards their employer brand.

However, as it is a newly created law, the scope of responsibilities that correspond to both the employee and the company is not yet clear. On the other hand, although all companies are obliged to apply NOM 035 and its respective prevention measures, that does not means that said measures are evaluated by a government body that supports that the measures are necessary and enough.

How do Emotional Astronaut help to comply with NOM 035?

At Astronauta Emocional, we have an exclusive emotional well-being service for companies, where clinical psychologists can make plans for intervention for those collaborators who may present some psychosocial risk in the areas of stress, anxiety or some event traumatic.

Our service includes emotional support to employees, webinars every month to promote mental health, health campaigns mental, as well as reports aligned to the human resources strategy, with this service you can meet the employer's obligations of non-NOM 035.