Rajiv Memani, Chairman and Managing Director of Ernst & Young (EY) India, sent an email to staff addressing the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, which has now been leaked online despite his “do not forward” directive.
Anna Sebastian Perayil had joined EY’s audit and assurance team in Pune in March this year. Tragically, she passed away just four months later, allegedly due to overwhelming work stress, at the age of 26.
In a letter to Memani, Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, accused EY of overworking her daughter. She mentioned that no one from the company attended her daughter’s funeral.
In her letter, Augustine described how Anna was burdened with “backbreaking work,” had no weekends, and would often return to her PG accommodation late at night, completely exhausted. Anna died on July 20, only four months into her first job.
“I am writing to you now, Rajiv, because I believe EY has a profound responsibility to ensure the well-being of its employees. Anna’s experience sheds light on a work culture that seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the roles,”
View this post on Instagram
Augustine stated in her letter to EY India’s top executive. She also mentioned that when she tried to reach out to Anna’s managers after the funeral, she received no response.
Rajiv Memani’s Leaked Email to Staff
In response to Augustine’s letter, which went viral, Memani sent an email to EY employees with the subject line “News in media.” The email, marked with a “do not forward” directive, was still leaked on social media and widely shared on platforms like Reddit.
In the email, Memani acknowledged receiving an “anguished email from Anna’s mother” and expressed that he took her message with the “utmost seriousness and humility.” Referring to Anna’s “short-lived” time with the firm, he stated that he had reached out to Anna’s family to share his “deepest regret for their irreparable loss.”
He included links to forums for employees to provide feedback and encouraged those experiencing difficulties to contact their “team leaders, members of the talent team, and support network across the firm.” Memani ended the message by urging staff to handle the situation with “utmost compassion and sensitivity.”
EY India head's email response to overworked employees' death
byu/behenkayoda1 inrecruitinghell
Full text of Rajiv Memani’s email
Dear all,
As you all would be aware, since yesterday, several messages regarding our firm have been circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
These pertain to the tragic passing away of Anna Sebastian on 20 July 2024, who joined us in our Assurance team in Pune on 18 March 2024, The fact that her journey with the firm was so short-lived – only four months – makes this tragedy even more poignant for all of us.
Anna hailed from Kochi and worked at our Pune office. During the difficult period following her passing, the firm was in regular contact with f sors of her family. While we acknowledge that no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress white respecting the family’s privacy and preferences.
Though no words can comfort a grieving family, I have personally expressed my condolences and have shared my deepest regret for their irreparable loss. I received an anguished e-mail from Anna’s mother and have taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility.
I would like to reaffirm to all of you that our firm places the highest importance on the health and well-being of our people, and we will recommit ourselves to providing a supportive, heatthy, and balanced work environment to you all. I would tike to make this an on-going dialogue with you to ensure we are continually building a healthy workplace for everyone.
We have several well-being programs and open channels of communication available in the firm to ensure that you always have a safe space to voice your concerns anonymously, including through our existing Speak Up forum and Ethics Hotline. We will also create more avenues for you to share transparent and honest feedback on our workplace practices.
If you ever face challenges or need guidance, I will strongly encourage you to please reach out to your team leaders, members of the talent team and your support network across the firm. I would like to personally assure you that when you speak up, you will be heard with empathy and understanding. If there are any suggestions that you have, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
In the meantime, I urge you to handle this information with the utmost compassion and sensitivity.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Warm regards,
Rajiv
