The Yellow September of 2026 takes place in a transformed regulatory context for Brazilian companies. Since May 26, 2026, identifying, evaluating, and controlling work-related psychosocial risk factors have been formally integrated into the Occupational Risk Management (GRO) provided for in Regulatory Standard No. 1 (NR-1). The new wording of chapter 1.5 was approved by Ordinance MTE No. 1,419, of August 27, 2024, with the effective date adjusted by Ordinance MTE No. 765, of May 15, 2025.
With this regulatory change, overload, harassment, unattainable targets, and exhaustive work schedules have moved out of the territory of voluntary wellness programs and have become part of organizations' risk inventories, requiring systematic actions from companies.
The scale of mental illness in the workplace justifies this regulatory movement. In 2025, Social Security granted 546,254 temporary disability benefits associated with mental and behavioral disorders, representing a 15.66% increase compared to the 472,328 records from the previous year.
Anxiety disorders and depressive episodes concentrated most of these absences, highlighting the need for more rigorous preventive policies by companies in light of the new legal requirements.
