Mexico has implemented changes to the Federal Labor Law to improve working conditions, including the right for workers to have chairs with backrests and a ban on extended periods of standing. The changes took effect from 17 June 2025.
Update: This article has been updated to include key details from regulations on occupational risk factors to guarantee the right to rest during the workday (the “Regulations”), which were published on and took effect from 17 July 2025.
Background
The decree introducing the changes to the Federal Labor Law (Ley Silla, or the “Decree”) was published in the Mexican Official Journal on 19 December 2024. The Decree took effect on 17 June 2025 (180 days after publication), and employers have another 180 days (by 14 December 2025) to modify their internal work regulations (required company-drafted rules on working conditions, conduct and disciplinary procedures) to include the new right to use seats or chairs with backrests.
Key details
Seating rights
Employers are required to provide sufficient seats or chairs with backrests for all employees for the performance of their duties or for periodic rest during the workday.
For periodic rest, the seats or chairs with backrests must be located at designated rest areas within the workplace. The Decree and the Regulations do not define the frequency or length of “periodic rest,” although this would likely include a break of at least half an hour during the continuous working day, which employees are entitled to under the existing Federal Labor Law.
The Decree requires employers to provide such chairs with backrests in service, commercial and similar workplaces, but does not specify exemptions for any industry except for industrial workplaces. Accordingly, it is likely that all employers will have to comply.
For industrial workplaces (not specifically defined in the Federal Labor Law, the Decree, or the Regulations, but would likely include industrial activities such as manufacturing, mining and construction), the requirement to provide chairs with backrests will apply only if the nature of the work allows it (i.e., if any of the work can be done sitting down).
The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare has issued corresponding implementing regulations on occupational risk factors on 17 July 2025, which provide more clarity on how seating rights should be implemented by employers. Key employer obligations set out in the Regulations include:
Conducting a risk level assessment for each employee who works in a standing position by determining the level of risk (low, medium, or high) based on seven factors: length of continuous standing time, ability to change posture, type of work surface, footwear characteristics, space available to move, physical discomfort while standing and availability of breaks.
Providing the most appropriate type of seat or chair with backrest for each employee based on the result from the risk level assessment.
Considering other preventative measures to avoid occupational hazards for standing employees, such as adapting workstations to allow seats with backrests and space available to move, alternating tasks to allow for changing postures between sitting and standing, providing ergonomic footwear, providing cushioned floor surfaces, or establishing an active break program.
Recording identified risks and preventative measures to be implemented in the workplace’s Safety and Hygiene Commission’s verification reports.
Informing standing employees about the risks to which they are exposed and the preventative measures implemented in the workplace.
Referring employees for medical care if there are symptoms of discomfort or health problems that may be related to standing.
Prohibition on extended periods of standing
Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to remain standing during the entire workday. Employers are also not permitted to prohibit employees periodically sitting down during the performance of their duties.
New requirements for internal labor regulations
Under the Federal Labor Law, employers are required to maintain internal labor regulations on working conditions, conduct and disciplinary procedures. Under the Decree, employers will be required to amend their internal labor regulations to include regulations on mandatory rest periods during the workday and the right of workers to use seats or chairs with backrests during the workday. The amended regulations must be deposited with the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration by 14 December 2025 (180 days from the effective date of the Decree).
Penalties
Penalties for non-compliance with the new obligations include fines between 250 to 2,500 times the daily value of the Unit of Measurement and Update (UMA) (MXN 113.14 in 2025) or, in cases of repeated infractions, a temporary suspension of the business’s activities.
Employer action: ACT
Employers should review current seating arrangements in the workplace, if they have not already done so, to determine whether they need to conduct risk level assessments under the Regulations and whether any changes must be implemented to comply with the Decree and the Regulations.
Employers should also review and update their internal labor regulations accordingly and deposit them with the Federal Center for Conciliation and Labor Registration within the required timeframe.
Further Information
Decree amending and adding various provisions of the Federal Labor Law (opens a new window)
