Workloads & Working Hours are Main Risks to Workers’ Health in Mexico

ByGerardo Hernández

This article by Gerardo Hernández originally appeared in the May 6, 2026 edition of El Economista.

Workload and working hours are the highest psychosocial risks in companies operating in the country. Both factors represent a threat to four out of every ten workers in Mexico, according to Marsh’s Psychosocial Risk Benchmark .

The research identifies that workloads represent a high risk for 39% of employees in Mexico and 38% have a high risk due to working hours.

The third factor with the most workers exposed (23%) is the lack of control at work; that is, the ability that people have to influence the activities they perform.

Psychosocial risk factors in the workplace encompass all elements associated with the conditions and environment of the work setting. These include long working hours, excessive workloads, violent atmospheres, autonomy in task execution, negative leadership, and the quality of relationships with colleagues, among other aspects. High exposure to any of these factors can lead to harm to people’s health.

Ariel Almazán, Health Risk Consulting Leader for Marsh Latin America and the Caribbean, stressed that the levels of risk due to work schedules, workloads and lack of control at work, “is the perfect mix to develop burnout.”

During the presentation of the study, the specialist pointed out that burnout, which can develop due to high exposure to psychosocial risks, inhibits productivity in organizations. Despite this, of the 63% of companies that have mental health initiatives, only one in ten includes programs for managing fatigue or burnout among their actions.

“Talking about mental health isn’t about having an employee assistance program, it’s not about having a helpline, it’s not just about sending people nice messages or offering mindfulness or yoga classes. Today we have to start acting on the problems we have, redesigning structures, analyzing workloads and work schedules, giving people autonomy, and ultimately allowing us to have better control of these risks,” stated Ariel Almazán.

According to the firm’s research, among companies that have applied the psychosocial risk assessment more than three times, high and very high exposure to factors has increased in all domains, with the exception of working environment conditions and low sense of belonging.

In the last year, the sectors that have worsened in terms of high exposure to psychosocial risk factors at work are:

  • Telecommunications
  • Clothing and accessories
  • Chemical industry
  • Consumer goods
  • High technology
  • Mining and metallurgical industry
  • Hotels and restaurants
  • Plastic and rubber products
  • Oil and gas production

“We need to work on more structured and impactful actions , measures with more substance that truly help contain mental health risks for employees,” said Víctor García, Deputy Director of Health Consulting and Analytics at Marsh Risk.

Mental Health, An Eclipsed Priority

However, there is a paradox between exposure to psychosocial risks and the concerns of HR leaders. Marsh’s People Risk 2026 report shows that in Mexico, the decline in mental health is not among the top 10 talent-related threats most perceived by HR executives.

Globally, the deterioration of mental health ranks 9th among the talent risks most anticipated by Human Resources executives; in Latin America it rises to position 5, but in Mexico it falls out of the top 10 threats .

According to Víctor García , although this may seem like there is a lack of interest in prevention, there are other threats that are overshadowing mental health care at work.

Concerns about adapting to new technologies, retraining talent, and resilience to the changing environment “are priorities that have gained greater relevance and have relegated the corporate priority of focusing on the health and well-being of employees. In Mexico, something important to highlight is that the deterioration of mental health is now the 11th risk, previously it was ranked in 6th place,” the specialist explained.

Although the Human Resources agenda is increasingly burdened, Víctor García emphasized that mental health must remain a top priority. “If these issues are not addressed, they will definitely impact organizations,” he warned. According to the People Risk 2026 report, 53% of HR leaders recognize that the deterioration of employees’ mental health can have a “catastrophic or high impact on their organization.”