Workplace safety is often measured in terms of physical conditions, protective procedures and incidents prevented. Haskell Mexico also includes risks that may be harder to see: workloads, work-life balance, workplace relationships, leadership and diversity of thought.

That broader approach recently earned Haskell Mexico bronze-level recognition for its implementation of NOM-035-STPS-2018, Mexico’s national workplace regulation addressing psychosocial risk factors.

Marycarmen López, Director of Human Resources for Haskell’s International team, said the significance lies less in the recognition than in what the process required the organization to do: listen carefully, measure workplace conditions and act on what team members reported.

“Our motivation for pursuing NOM-035 was never simply to satisfy a mandatory STPS requirement,” López said. “It was to use the standard as a disciplined way to listen to our people and strengthen the kind of workplace we say we believe in.”

Expanding the Meaning of Workplace Safety

Published in Mexico’s Diario Oficial de la Federación in October 2018, NOM-035 establishes requirements for identifying, analyzing and preventing psychosocial risk factors while promoting what the regulation calls a favorable organizational environment. It applies to workplaces throughout Mexico, with specific responsibilities determined by the number of employees at each location.

NOM-035 does not require employers to obtain certification or hire an outside consultant. Independent verification is optional. Haskell Mexico’s leadership chose to commission a third-party review as an additional test of whether its policies, documentation and everyday practices aligned with the standard’s intent.

Karan, a specialized assessment and certification body, verified Haskell’s compliance with the requirements, and IMMEC, an accredited entity responsible for validating compliance with the applicable standards, awarded the certification.

Building a System That Listens

Haskell Mexico conducts a NOM-035 assessment every two years to identify and measure psychosocial risks. The most recent evaluation included 383 responses from a workforce of 419, a participation rate of 91%. The assessment examined workload, working time, leadership, workplace relationships, organizational conditions and exposure to severe traumatic events.

“As our presence in Mexico has grown, so has our responsibility to ensure that our culture and work environment scale in a way that remains consistent with Haskell’s values,” López said.

The survey is one component of a broader process. Haskell has established policies addressing workplace violence, equal employment opportunity, respect for diversity and channels through which employees can raise concerns. Leaders and team members receive training, Human Resources provides follow-up, and the company develops preventive or corrective action plans when results indicate that improvements are needed.

Haskell Mexico also uses Gallup surveys, psychosocial-risk committees, employee-support resources and wellness planning to continue gathering feedback between formal NOM-035 assessments.

One of the most difficult parts of the process was helping people understand that psychological well-being is connected to everyday operations.

“Initially, the topic was often perceived as being separate from day-to-day operations,” López said. “Our approach focused on consistent communication, sharing information, providing training for leaders and creating opportunities for employees to be heard.”

That approach helped translate a broad subject into specific responsibilities. Leaders needed to understand how workloads were assigned, whether expectations were clear and whether employees felt supported. Team members needed confidential ways to share their experiences and confidence that their participation could lead to action.

“The team’s commitment was the driving force behind this achievement,” López said, “because it turned NOM-035 from a compliance exercise into a shared effort to build a healthier, more trusting and more human-centered workplace.”

‘Certification Is Not the Finish Line’

The results have given Haskell Mexico a clearer picture of where its workplace practices are effective and where further attention may be required. Employees have more visible channels for raising concerns, greater access to well-being resources and a structured process for addressing identified risks. Leaders have better information for evaluating workloads, communication, feedback and team relationships.

The organization also has evidence it can use to guide decisions rather than relying solely on assumptions about how employees are experiencing the workplace.

“For us, certification is not the finish line,” López said. “It is a checkpoint that reminds us to keep asking, keep training, keep communicating and keep acting on what our people tell us.”

Her advice to other organizations beginning the process is to start with visible leadership support and create confidential, credible ways for employees to participate. Survey results must then be translated into specific actions, assigned responsibilities and sustained follow-up.

The value of NOM-035, López said, comes from demonstrating that employee feedback has consequences.

“When people feel heard, safe to speak up and confident that their feedback leads to meaningful action, that is what builds trust, engagement and sustainable performance.”

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