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Special thanks to our law clerk Marjorie Simón for contributing to this update.

Mexico has kicked off 2026 with two major legal developments that employers cannot afford to ignore. In January and March, sweeping reforms reshaped the compliance landscape—introducing mandatory workplace training focused on preventing violence against women and launching a phased reduction of the standard workweek from 48 to 40 hours. Together, these changes reflect a broader regulatory push toward workplace equality, safety, and work‑life balance, while also creating new operational and compliance challenges for employers operating in Mexico. Read on for more information.

New Training Obligations

On January 15, 2026, Mexico took an important step to strengthen workplace equality and safety. President Claudia Sheinbaum enacted a federal decree amending multiple statutes, including the Federal Labor Law and laws on equality, health, education, and social protection.
 
Together, these reforms align and reinforce the national legal framework on equality, non‑discrimination, and the right to a workplace free from violence, with particular emphasis on gender equality and the prevention of violence against women.
 
Effective January 16, 2026, employers are now required to provide training to all employees on preventing and eradicating violence against women in the workplace, establishing shared responsibility between employers and workers.

Recommended actions 

In light of these developments, employers must undertake the following key actions:

  • Review and update internal policies: Ensure that Protocol to Prevent Gender Discrimination and Address Cases of Violence and Sexual Harassment or Abuse, Psychosocial Risk Factors Policy, internal labor regulations, codes of conduct, and related policies explicitly incorporate principles of equality, non‑discrimination, and violence‑free workplaces, including the prevention of gender‑based violence. Confirm that policies are effectively communicated, understood, and applied across the organization.
  • Implement or update periodical trainings: Ensure that training on prevention and eradication of violence, specifically against women, is delivered regularly and in a structured manner, and supported by clear documentation that records participation, content, and training frequency.
  • Establish or validate a joint implementation committee: Consider establishing, or confirming the effective functioning of, a joint employer-employee committee responsible for supporting the implementation and oversight of the Protocol and other related policies, as well as the delivery of training on the prevention and eradication of violence against women.
  • Assess reporting and investigation mechanisms: Verify and effectively communicate to employees about reporting channels, ensuring they are accessible, trusted, and confidential.
  • Review investigation processes: Verify that investigations are conducted consistently and impartially, in accordance with the Protocol and the Committee’s oversight structure and that corrective measures are proportionate, properly documented, and effectively implemented.

In more detail 

Policies that are not actively communicated or supported by regular, documented training may be considered insufficient, exposing employers to administrative fines imposed by the Labor Ministry ranging approximately from MXN 29,000 to MXN 586,000 and to increased employee claims for discrimination and workplace harassment.

Access the full content of the decree.

Reduction of the Work Week

On March 3, 2026, Mexico took a major step toward transforming the work environment. A constitutional amendment to Article 123, Section A, was enacted, stipulating a gradual reduction of the work week from 48 to 40 hours, as well as strengthening the right to at least one day off for every six days worked. The implementation will depend on subsequent amendments to the Federal Labor Law (FLL), which will be issued within the next 90 days.
 
This represents a structural change in the way employers will have to organize working hours, manage overtime, and administer their labor costs. Once fully implemented, this reform will force companies to reevaluate their work schedules, operating models, and compliance strategies ahead of time.

Recommended actions

Employers are advised to implement the following key actions:

  • Employers must review current work schedules and determine the economic cost that this reform will represent for their operations over the next four years.
  • Develop a phased implementation plan for the reduction of working hours, in coordination with the operations team. For example, companies must determine whether it will be necessary to implement another work shift to cover the 8 hours that will be reduced from the weekly working hours.
  • Amend all employment related documents to align them with the reform and prepare for a possible inspection by the labor authority, such as job offers, individual employment agreements, collective bargaining agreements, and internal work regulations.
  • Implement attendance controls or a system that allows employees to register the start and end of their work shifts. Currently, the initiative to reform the Federal Labor Law does not establish guidelines for such attendance controls, but it indicates that the labor authority will issue them before January 2027.
  • Provide training to managers and supervisors to sensitize them to the importance of this reform, the risks of non-compliance, and that employees should only be asked to extend their working hours under extraordinary circumstances and not on a regular basis.
  • Reassess the calculation of the quotation base salary used to determine social security contributions for overtime pay.

In more detail

The constitutional amendment establishes the following:

  • The possibility of arranging working hours by mutual agreement is maintained.
  • The work week may be up to forty hours and may be extended by up to twelve hours per week under extraordinary circumstances, with the employee being eligible to receive double pay for such overtime hours (“Double Overtime”).
  • Overtime may be extended for up to four additional hours per week, which shall be paid at triple the normal rate (“Triple Overtime”).
  • Double Overtime may not exceed four hours per day or be worked more than four times per week.
  • The reduction in working hours shall not entail a reduction in wages or benefits.
  • The reduction of the maximum work week will be implemented gradually, according to the following timetable:
YearMaximum work week
202648 hours
202746 hours
202844 hours
202942 hours
203040 hours

Furthermore, the proposed amendment to the FLL is currently under discussion in Congress foresees:

  • The obligation for employers to electronically register the start and end of each employee’s shift, in compliance with the provisions issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.
  • Phased implementation of overtime pay as follows: 
YearOvertime pay
20269 double hours
20279 double hours
202810 double hours
202911 double hours
203012 double hours
  • According to the constitutional amendment and the initiative reform to the FLL, the prohibition to work more than four hours payable at a triple rate is now in effect.

Our labor and social security team can assist by assessing the impact this reform will have on your operations and its implementation.