By April Chong

DESPITE the challenges of managing employees with mental illnesses, cleaning company Horsburgh Engineering continues to recruit such workers to give them a chance to integrate back into society.

The company has hired about 140 former patients and current outpatients over the last seven years, setting up a buddy system for them, giving them training, and having supervisors take special effort in teaching them. Its project director Sharon Kee, 44, said: 'They need more attention in the beginning, but they will be able to perform later.'

Horsburgh was one of 59 companies commended at an employer appreciation ceremony at the Institute of Mental Health yesterday.

The hospital's job centre, called Job Club, was also launched by Jurong GRC MP and NTUC deputy secretary- general Halimah Yacob at the event.

The centre helps job seekers with mental illnesses find a job - and keep it. It conducts programmes on interview skills and resume writing, finds them suitable jobs and then follows up with them and their employers.

Since the centre started operations in April last year, there have been about 400 job placements.

Although only 17 of the 93 patients given jobs between April and September last year stayed on for more than a year, Madam Halimah said the figure was 'respectable', given that 'individuals with psychiatric conditions face challenges of their own, which they have to strive to overcome upon entering the workforce'.

Another company honoured yesterday was Brix Star, which runs shops selling Lego toys. Its director, Ms Alice Lim, 43, said it was very challenging at first to work with mental patients, especially since the job scope involved facing customers.

The company had to make adjustments, including rostering to avoid clashes with the patients' visits to the doctor, giving shorter work hours and conducting more training.

But it continues to hire these workers because it was difficult to retain regular staff, who did not like working on weekends.

While initially apprehensive, Ms Lim decided that 'doing business is not all about making money', and it was also a way to help people with mental illnesses get a job.

Ms Jane Tan, 29, who suffers from depression, found an administrative job through the centre this year.

After taking on more than 30 jobs in the past 10 years, she is glad to have found an employer who supports her, even after she had a relapse.

The company, Hai Leng Contract, which has recruited more than 150 patients over the past decade, lets her work flexible hours so she can visit her doctor.

Madam Halimah hoped the number of such companies will double next year, and urged employers to give mental patients a chance to integrate back into society.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.