How should organizations deal with employees with mental health conditions?

Need advice from mental health/ HR professionals and employers.

You are at a position of influence. Your recommendation will have an impact on the final decision.

Case: Marriam & Harris are fired from every job they have taken up in recently years. They are both bright, educated and smart individuals. However, Mariam has a history of depression while Harris is just beginning to show symptoms of bipolar disorder. They are let go of their employment due to complaints coming from clients, customers, and even coworkers. The complaints are unusually related to their behavior and absence from work.

Mariam is 40, single parent with 3 school going kids. She has an MBA and 15 years of work experience, currently working in the admin of a supermarket chain. She works because she has a family to support, loves to shop and lead a good life. Due to her skills and ambitions, she got regular promotions in the early part of her career. 

She was diagnosed with mild depression at the age of 29 after the birth of her second child. And since then it is getting worse. To a point where it is now affecting relationships at work. This is her 4th job in the last 2 years as she was fired from the last three.

Harris is 26, never married, moved back to his parents’ house since he is unable to support himself due to an unstable income. Harris is worried that these are the most important years of his professional life as the work experience in his 20s will have a great influence on where his professional life takes him. His family has a history or bipolar disorder and he too is showing symptoms. He got fired from work due to things he at times says to his clients and coworkers. It is often reported that clients find him rude and uninterested in serving them. He is a client service agent working at an advertising agency.

You are in a position to influence the decision of their next employment termination case. 

Harris and Mariam have pleaded that their terminations are unlawful since the reasons provided for their termination are not their fault. Their behavior was involuntary and unintentional, in fact, it was not even up to them to control it. They are doing what they can do to seek help. And are great at what they do when they are feeling normal. They have great feedback otherwise.

Their supervisors’ stance is that their respective companies have provided all sorts of training and support to enable employees provide best service to their clients. They have had regular feedback sessions with Harris and Mariam every time a complaint has come. However, things have not improved much. Their behavior is negatively affective business and customers and clients are turning to their competitors due to their unsatisfactory experience. Both companies have considered moving them to other departments or changing their responsibilities, however have found nothing suitable. The only option they now have is to terminate employment. 

You are the judge. And according to the law, your options are:

a) Reinstate their employment as it is clear from the reports that both Harris and Mariam are dedicated to their work however are helpless at times due to their mental conditions. You direct them to keep seeking medical help. While you direct the employers to ignore any mistakes of Harris and Mariam as long as it is due to their mental condition.

b) Let the employers have their way and both Mariam and Harris lose their jobs because it is clear that their presence in the companies is costing the companies clients as well as making coworkers unhappy who often complain about rude behaviors from Harris and Mariam. Although it is not their fault, the employers, coworkers and clients should not suffer either.

What would you choose, and why?

The above examples are inspired by true stories however are not true