90percent Consulting

13/11/2025

Not everyone leaves because of pay.

Sometimes, it's the quieter things:

How welcome they felt.
Whether support showed up, not just strategy.
If values were lived, not laminated.

In the NT, where emotional bandwidth is often more stretched than budget, these subtleties matter.

They’re often the reason good people quietly disengage, long before they ever resign.

You won’t always get a warning sign.

Sometimes it’s just a shift in tone.
A calendar that's suddenly harder to fill.
A team that feels a little flatter, a little less open to conversation.

This week’s post is for the leaders noticing that shift, and wondering what’s really behind it 👉

10/11/2025

I'd like to talk about why I care so deeply about trauma-informed practice...

We all experience events that overwhelm our ability to cope - especially when we’re young, vulnerable, or unsupported. Over time, those moments can shape how we show up in the world (and at work).

It might be getting lost as a child.
Being bullied.
Living through a natural disaster.
Navigating neurodivergence.
Facing illness, betrayal, violence.
Or making mistakes that everyone saw.

Trauma isn’t always what happens to us.
It’s what happens inside us when we don’t feel safe, seen, or supported.

And every workplace is full of people quietly carrying these wounds.

My own experience of trauma came in 2001. I was in New York when the World Trade Centre buildings came down. What followed was two decades of post-traumatic stress, and the reality of trying to hold a job while my nervous system was in survival mode.

It was hard.
But it galvanised me to take action.

I committed to learning everything I could about trauma...

→ how to recognise it
→ how to respond to it
→ creating environments that don’t add more harm.

That path led me to counselling, psychology, trauma-informed coaching
..and eventually to becoming an endorsed organisational psychologist.

- Margi

06/11/2025

For those of us living and working in the Top End, The Build-Up isn’t just a change in weather.

It’s an atmospheric pressure cooker - hot, humid, and relentless.

And it impacts more than just our comfort levels.

We might call it Mango Madness with a smile, but the data is serious.

Research shows this season correlates with higher rates of:

→ Emotional distress
→ Sleep disruption
→ Conflict at home and at work
→ Mental health problem flare-ups; especially for those living with trauma, anxiety or PTSD

What looks like apathy or short tempers is often fatigue, overstimulation, or emotional exhaustion.

And when you combine that with high-pressure roles or low-support environments...

You have a psychosocial hazard.

So what can leaders do?

This isn’t just about fans and cold drinks, though they help.

It’s about recognising seasonal strain as a legitimate workplace risk.

Here’s where to start:

✅ Flexible hours
✅ Cool, calm spaces
✅ Focus on connection over KPIs
✅ Model boundaries from the top
✅ Name it in your WHS strategy

The law is clear: psychological hazards must be managed year-round.

And the Build-Up is no different.

Need support? 90percent Consulting is based in the NT.

We understand the pressure, and how to meet it with care.

📩 DM Margi or email hello@90percent.com.au

04/11/2025

The work environment is NEVER neutral.

It either supports wellbeing, or it contributes to harm.

The NT’s Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice outlines 14 key risks - like poor role clarity, high demands, bullying, and isolation.

Where two or more are present, the risk grows.

But here’s the good news: most of these hazards are preventable.

And with the right support, they’re manageable.

I’ve worked with people who loved their jobs, but were injured psychologically because their organisation didn’t know what to do.

The cost of that is real.

Time lost. Trust lost. Talent lost.

💸 Recruitment is expensive.
💚 Retention is priceless.

When we build inclusive, psychologically safe workplaces, we protect the people who’ve already chosen to show up.

And that’s good for business, and better for people.

31/10/2025

It’s that time of year when the sweat starts before sunrise, and the Build-Up does what it does best…

I’ve just wrapped up another monthly round of Embedded Workplace Supports with the inspirational ranger teams in Kakadu.

I’m working across five different regions of our beautiful Kakadu National Park - an incredible opportunity, and a real privilege.

The EWS targets the preventative end of mental health and is a supportive workplace initiative designed to maximise access to confidential, culturally sensitive, yarning-based interventions for all team members.

The important work these rangers do is incredibly varied, demanding, and often confronting. And this heat adds to the pressure.

EWS is not about 'fixing problems' in a team.

It’s about walking alongside people doing essential work - making sure they’re seen, supported, and sustained.

28/10/2025

28/10/2025

“It’s not worth speaking up, it won't make any difference.”

That’s the quiet resignation that creeps in when people feel they’ve lost control over their work.

When every part of the day is dictated by someone else - when tasks are handed down without explanation, processes are fixed without input, and decisions are made above their heads - it slowly erodes purpose and motivation.

They stop asking questions.

They stop offering ideas, because they know the outcome’s already been decided.

If you’re told what to do, how to do it, and when (with no room for input) it wears you down.

Over time, that stress builds.

Productivity dips.
Morale erodes.
And capable people disengage, not because they don’t care, but because they no longer feel their voice makes a difference.

Low job control isn’t just a leadership issue, it’s a recognised psychosocial hazard under workplace health and safety law, and it has real consequences for people and performance.

27/10/2025

I was delighted to be invited to present at the Psychological Wellbeing Forum on Friday. Many thanks to the fabulous team at Two Two One and everyone who attended.

23/10/2025

The way organisations must manage mental health is shifting, not just in expectation, but in legal obligation.

With the management of psychosocial hazards now embedded in WHS legislation, employers can no longer afford a reactive stance.

Unlike physical risks, psychosocial hazards often fly under the radar.

But chronic stress, isolation and role confusion are just as harmful.

And ignoring them is no longer an option.

The solution is to take a structured, evidence-informed, risk-based approach.

Starting with a risk assessment.

You can’t fix what you haven’t seen.

That’s exactly what we’ll be unpacking today at the Psychological Wellbeing Forum - a one-day, evidence-informed event designed for HR leaders, safety officers and execs.

You’ll walk away with:

→ Clarity on the legislation
→ Tools to assess and respond to risk
→ Real-world strategies that protect your people and your business

See you there.

- Margi

19/10/2025

It’s Invisible Disabilities Week (19–25 October)! 🌻

Around 80–85% of people with a disability have one that isn’t visible. These include neurological, cognitive, sensory, mental health, and chronic conditions that aren’t always immediately apparent.

Not all disabilities are visible — but a little understanding and kindness can go a long way in making everyone feel seen and supported.

Image description: A green graphic with sunflower design promoting Invisible Disabilities Week, 19th–25th October. It features a Sunflower lanyard, a person icon with a sunflower, and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower logo.

16/10/2025

After years of studying and working alongside leaders, teams and organisations across the Northern Territory, these are the lessons that have stuck.

The ones I wish all leaders knew:

1. Psychosocial health and safety increase employee productivity, satisfaction and retention and business profitability and reputation.

↳ When people feel safe and supported, they do better work, and they stay.

2. Your employees are your most important asset.

↳. A positive & safe workplace, built on trust and respect, protects both people and performance.

3. One in five Australians is neurodivergent.

↳ Neuroinclusion isn't a compliance box. It’s a leadership advantage, if we design for it properly.

4. Successful change requires early, consistent and genuine two-way consultation, regular feedback and implementation of employee recommendations.

↳ Change done to people fails. Change done with them sticks.

5. Great leaders model their own vulnerability (appropriately) and commit to personal and organisational growth.

↳ You don’t lose authority by being human. You earn trust.

6. Consultation is essential, but over-consultation is paralysing.

↳ Ask. Listen. Decide. Move. Over-consulting creates confusion, not consensus.

7. Leaders who openly and honestly name and address challenges inspire loyalty and respect.

↳ Avoidance erodes morale. Naming the hard things gives teams something to rally around.

8. Leaders and managers have different overlapping and complementary skill sets.

↳ We need vision and ex*****on. People who inspire, and people who implement.

These lessons weren’t just learned in lecture halls - they were lived, tested, and refined in the real-world complexity of regional and remote workplaces here in the NT.

Still learning. Always listening.

- Margi

07/10/2025

Mental health at work isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s one of the smartest investments your organisation can make. 🌿

Australian research by PwC and beyondblue shows a clear ROI:

On average, businesses can expect a $2.30 return for every dollar invested in effective workplace mental health strategies.

But here’s where it gets interesting...

Some industries are seeing much higher returns:

💰 Mining: $5.70
💰 Manufacturing: $3.50
💰 Construction: $2.50
💰 Information, Media & Telecommunications: $4.20
💰 Transport & Logistics: $4.20

And in small mining organisations (a dominant force across northern Australia) the return can be at least $15 for every dollar invested.

That’s not a typo. $15 to $1.

Why does mining see such exceptional ROI?

✅ Higher baseline prevalence of mental health conditions
✅ Remote operations mean turnover and absenteeism are more expensive
✅ Big productivity gains when support systems are in place
✅ Reduced psychological injury claims over time

So what drives these returns?

→ Reduced absenteeism
→ Improved productivity
→ Lower workers' comp claims

If you’re operating in regional or remote Australia, the case is clear:

Healthy minds for the whole workforce are a business essential. ✅

The return isn’t just financial.
It’s human. 💚