A 26-year-old employee of Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune passed away, reportedly due to “overwhelming workload,” according to her mother. Anna Sebastian Perayil, who joined EY as a chartered accountant, tragically succumbed to work stress just four months after starting her first job with the company, as stated by her mother, Anita Augustine, in a letter to EY India Chairman, Rajiv Memani.
In the letter, Anita revealed that Anna was excited to join EY but soon faced “excessive workload.” She worked long hours, late nights, weekends, and often returned to her paying guest accommodation utterly exhausted. Despite the demanding work environment, no one from EY attended her funeral, which left her family heartbroken.
“Anna was a school topper, and a college topper, excelled in extracurricular activities, and passed her CA exams with distinction. She worked tirelessly at EY, giving her all to meet the demands placed on her. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally,”
Anita added that Anna was assigned extra tasks, often verbally, and was forced to work overtime. Despite being urged by her family to quit, Anna wanted to continue and learn, but the pressure eventually became unbearable.
“The team manager told her, ‘Anna, you must stick around and change everyone’s opinion about our team.’ My child didn’t realize she would pay for that with her life,” her mother said, adding that the company and her manager showed no consideration for a new employee who had moved away from her hometown and was struggling to adjust in a new city where she did not know the people or the language.
Anna’s mother emphasized that her daughter’s death should be a wake-up call for EY and other companies that glorify overwork at the cost of employee health.
Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the additional tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work. I would tell her not to take on such tasks, but the managers were relentless. She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath,” her mother said.
“We told her quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure. However, the overwhelming pressure proved too much even for her.”
“No one from EY attended Anna’s funeral… After her funeral, I reached out to her managers, but I received no reply. How can a company that speaks of values and human rights fail to show up for one of its own in their final moments?” her mother asked.
She said that her daughter’s death should serve as a wake-up call for EY. Anna’s death was reflective of the larger work culture which glorifies hard work at the cost of health.
“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.
“I hope my child’s experience leads to real change so that no other family has to endure the grief and trauma we are going through. My Anna is no longer with us, but her story can still make a difference,” she concluded.
Here’s the full letter:
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Following the letter’s circulation, EY issued a statement expressing their sorrow over Anna’s passing and extending condolences to her family.
The company stated that they take employee well-being seriously and will continue to support the bereaved family while striving to improve workplace conditions.
“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family. Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While 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 and will continue to do so,” the statement said.
“We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 1,00,000 people across EY member firms in India,” the company added.
Here’s the statement:
This is the response of EY India Chairman, Mr. Rajiv Memani’s response to the DEATH of an employee.
Nowhere has he mentioned even launching an investigation into this matter.
Really cold on his part. This will only give more courage to the likes of Anna’s manager. pic.twitter.com/iiQW0vmECv
— Kanan Bahl (@BahlKanan) September 19, 2024
