After a year of adaptation, NR-1 comes into force and tests companies’ preparedness

After an extra year to adapt, the moment of truth has arrived for Brazilian companies. Starting this Monday (26), the implementation of the new requirements of Regulatory Standard No. 1, which expands corporate obligations by including the so-called psychosocial risks in the management of health and safety at work, effectively begins.

The update to the standard had already been discussed for months and its entry into force was postponed precisely to give companies more time to adapt. Still, experts interviewed by the InfoMoney assess that most companies arrive at the start without sufficient preparation, amid operational doubts, legal uncertainty and a last-minute rush to adapt.

The topic has gained urgency amid the worsening of mental illness in the corporate environment. In 2025, one in seven workers will be laid off due to mental and behavioral disorders, according to the National Social Security Institute (INSS).

The data indicates that, historically, this is the highest recorded number of incidents linked to mental health: around 546 thousand workers.

Since the pandemic, absences due to mental health have grown by 415%, jumping from 91,607 cases in 2020 to 472,328 in 2024. In the same period, temporary disability benefits increased from 1.98 million in 2021 to 4.12 million in 2025, an increase of more than 100%.

In addition to the human impact, the financial bill is also heavy: mental health-related licenses alone consumed almost R$4 billion, at the same time that the escalation of labor judicialization adds pressure on companies’ cash flow.

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Race against the clock

Given these data, NR-1 starts to require companies to play their part in this game and include factors such as work overload, excessive goals, long working hours, role ambiguity, isolation and moral, sexual or psychological harassment within the Risk Management Program (PGR), with continuous monitoring and preventive measures.

The challenge, according to experts, is that many companies still treated mental health as a peripheral well-being issue, and not as a governance, compliance and productivity topic.

“The reality is that the majority is not yet prepared. Historically, mental health has always been treated secondary within organizations, often restricted to isolated actions or specific campaigns. NR-1 changes this scenario by requiring continuous management, prevention and monitoring of psychosocial risks with a strategic vision”, says Leandro Rúbio, CEO of Starbem.

According to him, many companies bet on a new postponement and ended up leaving the adaptation until the last minute. “Today, for every ten services we provide, eight companies have not yet effectively started implementing NR-1 or still have relevant doubts about how to correctly execute the requirements.”

The perception is shared by lawyer Eugênio Hainzenreder Jr., managing partner of RMM Advogados and professor of Labor Law at PUC-RS. “Companies are not prepared because the standard involved a great deal of subjectivity, so much so that the Ministry of Labor published extensive manuals and booklets to aid understanding. This shows the extent of the insecurity that exists”, he states.

What really changes

Although the public discussion has focused on mental health, experts warn that the standard does not create a generic obligation to take care of workers’ emotional well-being. The focus is on psychosocial risks directly related to the organization of work.

“There is an undue association with broad mental health programs. NR-1 does not seek to address any psychosocial risk, but specifically those linked to the way work is structured, distributed and coordinated within the company”, explains Hainzenreder.

This means that companies will need to look at internal processes, leadership styles, task distribution and pressure environments that can act as triggers for occupational illness.

For Patrícia Ansarah, CEO of the International Institute for Psychological Safety (IISP), the change reflects a profound transformation in work relationships. “For decades, risk management looked mainly at the [aspecto] physical, for ergonomics, work accidents and unhealthy conditions. Today, it is already known that the risks also lie in the way people relate and work together”, he states.

According to her, the advancement of hybrid work, generational changes, professional insecurity and the effects of the pandemic have accelerated this discussion. “The pandemic opened up a conversation that society had avoided for years. Mental illness is no longer invisible”, he adds.

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Fines on the 27th?

Despite the anxiety in the market, experts reject the idea of ​​a widespread blitz immediately after it comes into force. Inspection must follow the principle of double visits, with initial guidance before the fine in most cases.

“The auditor can request documents, especially the PGR updated with psychosocial risks. There is an initial period of adaptation, but this does not mean inertia. Companies will need to demonstrate that they have effectively started the process”, explains Hainzenreder.

Patrícia reinforces that the fear of an auditor knocking on the door indiscriminately the day after it comes into force does not correspond to the expected design of the inspection. “The system itself already indicates where the biggest absences and the most critical sectors are. The tendency is for inspection to be more evidence-driven in these most problematic segments”, he explains.

Labor liabilities on the radar

The implementation of NR-1 also raises a legal alert. According to Antonio Vasconcellos Junior, founding partner of AVJ Advogados, the advancement of labor actions linked to mental health indicates that the issue is no longer secondary in the Judiciary.

“Issues such as harassment, overload and psychological pressure now require effective management, documentation and concrete preventive measures. The trend is towards increased labor liability for companies that are silent in court”, he states.

The numbers reinforce this concern:

• more than 5 thousand actions linked to psychosocial risks since 2014;
• nearly R$ 2.2 billion in legal discussion;
• discharge of 28% in actions for moral harassment between 2023 and 2024;
• advancement of 14.5% in processes involving burnout in 2025 .

In the end, the implementation of NR-1 exposes a greater change in the corporate environment: mental health is no longer just an HR issue, in the opinion of experts, because it has become a topic of productivity, compliance and effective financial risk.

“Insecurity comes from both sides. Managers feel insecure about passing on information to employees, who are also insecure about taking action. But companies need to realize that today work is no longer repetitive but rather relational, which makes it essential to share results. Therefore, companies will have to review their procedures, which could lead to a maturation of these companies in terms of working relationships”, said Patrícia.