Within four months of joining EY pune, one of the Big Four accounting companies, a 26-year-old lady sadly lost her life from what her family characterized as work-related stress. Young Keralan chartered accountant (CA) Anna Sebastian Perayil passed away after being "burdened with backbreaking work" by the firm. Perayil's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote an email to the company's india director, Rajiv Memani, following this tragic loss. She denounced the corporation in her letter for "glorifying overwork" and emphasized how the company's human rights principles were in direct opposition to what her daughter had to go through.
Perayil became an executive at EY pune in march 2024 after passing her CA exams in 2023. She "worked tirelessly to meet the expectations," but the effort hurt her physical, mental, and emotional well-being because it was her first employment. Her mother states that "shortly after joining, she began experiencing anxiety, insomnia, and stress, but she continued to push herself, believing hard work and perseverance were the path to success."
Her mother stated that her daughter's supervisor advised her to "stick around and change everyone's opinion about the team" because a lot of "employees resigned due to the excessive workload."
Her manager would frequently assign her work at the end of the day and postpone meetings during cricket matches, which made her feel more stressed. Augustine said, "At a work party, a senior leader even made a joke about how difficult it would be for her to work under her manager, which, regrettably, turned into a reality she could not escape."
The mother said, "Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work." Her daughter worked "late into the night and even on weekends." Although I would advise her against taking on such responsibilities, the management persisted. Even on weekends, she worked long hours without taking a break to breathe.
Augustine related a story about being given an assignment by her daughter's supervisor late at night that had an early deadline. She went on, "She had hardly had time to relax or recuperate when her assistant manager once contacted her at night with work that had to be finished by the next morning. She was given the condescending comment, "You can work at night; that's what we all do," when she expressed her worries.
She continued, detailing her daughter's worsening state: "Anna would come back to her room completely worn out, often passing out on the bed without even getting dressed, just to get a barrage of texts requesting more information. She was working so hard to fulfill the deadlines and giving it her all. She was a fierce warrior who did not give up easily. She wanted to learn and experience new things, even if we advised her to give up. But even she found the intense strain to be too much.
Augustine accused the corporation of "glorifying overwork" in an email to the director of the india division. She continued by saying that her daughter felt "overwhelmed by both assigned and unassigned tasks" since she was unfamiliar with the "organization, location, and language."
"Anna was a recent graduate. She lacked the expertise and agency, like many in her situation, to set limits or refuse irrational demands. She was unsure of how to refuse. She pushed herself to the edge as she attempted to explore herself in a foreign setting. And she's not with us anymore now," Augustine said.
Augustine also emphasized the glaring discrepancy between her daughter's experiences and the company's human rights declaration. "How can EY begin to truly live by the values it professes?" the woman questioned.
"It is time to reflect on the work culture within your organization and take meaningful steps to prioritize the health and wellness of your employees," the bereaved mother said, describing her daughter's passing as a "wake-up call" for the business.
Adding, "This absence at such a critical moment, for an employee who gave her all to your organization until her last breath, is deeply hurtful," Augustine further alleged that EY pune staff had missed her daughter's burial. I contacted her management following her burial, but I never heard back. How can a business that promotes human rights and ideals abandon one of its own in its last moments?
The communication made apparent that Perayil had been complaining of "chest constriction" a few weeks before she passed away, even if the precise reason of her death is still unknown. "We brought her to the pune hospital. The cardiologist came to assuage our anxieties after confirming that her ECG was normal and that she was eating extremely late. We were encouraged that it wasn't anything serious when he prescribed antacids. On July 20, the 26-year-old lady passed away.
The business did not respond right away. The email did not indicate the precise circumstances behind the woman's death.
Perayil became an executive at EY pune in march 2024 after passing her CA exams in 2023. She "worked tirelessly to meet the expectations," but the effort hurt her physical, mental, and emotional well-being because it was her first employment. Her mother states that "shortly after joining, she began experiencing anxiety, insomnia, and stress, but she continued to push herself, believing hard work and perseverance were the path to success."
Her mother stated that her daughter's supervisor advised her to "stick around and change everyone's opinion about the team" because a lot of "employees resigned due to the excessive workload."
Her manager would frequently assign her work at the end of the day and postpone meetings during cricket matches, which made her feel more stressed. Augustine said, "At a work party, a senior leader even made a joke about how difficult it would be for her to work under her manager, which, regrettably, turned into a reality she could not escape."
The mother said, "Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work." Her daughter worked "late into the night and even on weekends." Although I would advise her against taking on such responsibilities, the management persisted. Even on weekends, she worked long hours without taking a break to breathe.
Augustine related a story about being given an assignment by her daughter's supervisor late at night that had an early deadline. She went on, "She had hardly had time to relax or recuperate when her assistant manager once contacted her at night with work that had to be finished by the next morning. She was given the condescending comment, "You can work at night; that's what we all do," when she expressed her worries.
She continued, detailing her daughter's worsening state: "Anna would come back to her room completely worn out, often passing out on the bed without even getting dressed, just to get a barrage of texts requesting more information. She was working so hard to fulfill the deadlines and giving it her all. She was a fierce warrior who did not give up easily. She wanted to learn and experience new things, even if we advised her to give up. But even she found the intense strain to be too much.
Augustine accused the corporation of "glorifying overwork" in an email to the director of the india division. She continued by saying that her daughter felt "overwhelmed by both assigned and unassigned tasks" since she was unfamiliar with the "organization, location, and language."
"Anna was a recent graduate. She lacked the expertise and agency, like many in her situation, to set limits or refuse irrational demands. She was unsure of how to refuse. She pushed herself to the edge as she attempted to explore herself in a foreign setting. And she's not with us anymore now," Augustine said.
Augustine also emphasized the glaring discrepancy between her daughter's experiences and the company's human rights declaration. "How can EY begin to truly live by the values it professes?" the woman questioned.
"It is time to reflect on the work culture within your organization and take meaningful steps to prioritize the health and wellness of your employees," the bereaved mother said, describing her daughter's passing as a "wake-up call" for the business.
Adding, "This absence at such a critical moment, for an employee who gave her all to your organization until her last breath, is deeply hurtful," Augustine further alleged that EY pune staff had missed her daughter's burial. I contacted her management following her burial, but I never heard back. How can a business that promotes human rights and ideals abandon one of its own in its last moments?
The communication made apparent that Perayil had been complaining of "chest constriction" a few weeks before she passed away, even if the precise reason of her death is still unknown. "We brought her to the pune hospital. The cardiologist came to assuage our anxieties after confirming that her ECG was normal and that she was eating extremely late. We were encouraged that it wasn't anything serious when he prescribed antacids. On July 20, the 26-year-old lady passed away.
The business did not respond right away. The email did not indicate the precise circumstances behind the woman's death.
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