New Delhi:

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has responded to the massive row surrounding her remarks on the death of a 26-year-old chartered accountant working with Ernst & Young, allegedly due to work pressure.

Ms Sitharaman had said people need inner strength to handle pressure and this can only be achieved by divinity. Several social media users, including leaders from the Opposition, termed the remarks insensitive.

The minister has now responded to Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), who had flagged the Finance Minister’s remarks and accused her of victim-shaming.

“Had referred to this matter in a talk delivered in Tamil at a deemed University on the outskirts of Chennai. Had specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable. No names were taken, neither of the lady nor of the firm,” Ms Sitharaman said in her response to Ms Chaturvedi’s post on X.

Dear @priyankac19,

Had referred to this matter in a talk delivered in Tamil at a deemed University on the outskirts of Chennai.

Had specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable. No names were taken,…

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 23, 2024

“The University has set up a Meditation Hall and a place of worship for all its students and faculty. It is in this context that I spoke on how it is necessary to build inner strength for students. With a sense of grief over the tragic loss, I highlighted the importance of institutions and families to support the children, and in no way victim shaming was done nor intended, even remotely,” she added.

The Finance Minister also underlined that the Union Labour Ministry has assured a thorough investigation into the allegations of an exploitative work environment leading to the death of Anna Sebastian Perivayil.

The Finance Minister, in her remarks at the deemed university, had said the 26-year-old who studied CA was unable to cope with the work pressure.

“What should families teach — whatever you study and the job you do, you should have the inner strength to handle that pressure and this can be achieved through divinity only,” she said. “Believe in God, we need to have God’s grace. Seek God, and learn good discipline. Your Atmashakti will grow only from this. The inner strength will come only with growing Atmashakti,” the Finance Minister added.

“Educational institutions should bring in divinity and spirituality. Then only will our children get the inner strength, it will help in their progress and that of the country. That is my strong belief,” she was quoted as saying, according to a PTI report.

The remarks sparked a row, with many social media users terming them insensitive.

Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a post on X, “Dear Nirmala Sitaraman ji, Anna had (the) inner strength to handle the stress that came with pursuing a gruelling Chartered Accountancy degree. It was the toxic work culture, long work hours that took away her life which needs to be addressed. Stop victim shaming and at least try to be a little sensitive, am sure god will be the guide if you seek.”

Dear Nirmala Sitaraman ji,

Anna had inner strength to handle the stress that came with pursuing a gruelling Chartered Accountancy degree. It was the toxic work culture, long work hours that took away her life which needs to be addressed. Stop victim shaming and atleast try to be… pic.twitter.com/HP9vMrX3qR

— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) September 23, 2024

Anna Sebastian Perayil’s death has sparked a nationwide conversation on how toxic workplaces are affecting the well-being of employees.

The matter came to light after Anna’s mother Anita Augustine wrote to Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani and said her daughter had died just four months after she joined the company and flagged a work culture that “seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human being behind the role”.

“Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet the deadlines. She was a fighter to the core, not someone to give up easily. We told her to quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure. However, the overwhelming pressure proved too much even for her,” she wrote.

Ernst & Young India has said it was deeply saddened by Anna’s death and was taking the family’s correspondence with the “utmost seriousness and humility”. In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Mr Memani said, “I am deeply saddened and as a father, I can only imagine Ms Augustine’s grief. I have conveyed my deepest condolences to the family, although nothing can fill the void in their lives. I would like to affirm that the well-being of our people is my top-most priority and I will personally champion this objective. I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished.”

New Delhi:

A Bengaluru-based techie has shared his wife’s horrific experience working at Ernst & Young (EY). Aakash Venkatasubramanian explained how his partner quit her job at EY due to the company’s “toxic work culture”, often demanding 18-hour workdays. Mr Venkatasubramanian’s LinkedIn post came days after the death of a 26-year-old EY employee allegedly due to “overwork”.

“My wife quit EY just because of the toxic work culture,” Mr Venkatasubramanian wrote, “and if she had not quit, I don’t know what would have happened to her.” He went on to explain that the normalisation and glorification of 18-hour workdays by many multinational companies (MNCs) in India have created a harmful environment for workers. 

The techie condemned the disparity in work expectations, saying the same MNCs would not do that outside India. “Indians are being seen as donkeys to offload work to, and India is seen as a huge factory willing to operate 24x7x365,” he wrote in his post. 

He also criticised the government’s lack of intervention, saying, “The Indian government is happy to take tax from us without ensuring the bare humane conditions to work.” They (the government) don’t help taxpayers when they are laid off, but would “happily collect the taxes from us when they aren’t even giving us the basic necessities,” he added.

“Let this be the last death,” he said. 

Anna Sebastian, a consultant, died four months after joining EY. Her mother, Anita Augustine, wrote a letter to EY India’s chairman, Rajiv Memani, accusing the company of fostering a culture that “glorifies overwork.” Ms Augustine claimed that no one from EY attended her daughter’s funeral, despite her death being linked to the company’s demanding environment.

Anna, who passed her Chartered Accountancy (CA) exams in late 2023 and joined EY’s Pune office in March 2024, had been struggling with anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress due to long work hours. Her mother described how Anna’s enthusiasm for her first job quickly turned into an experience of exhaustion and pressure. Despite warnings from her family to quit, Anna pushed herself. However, the demands, including working nights and weekends, placed on her proved too overwhelming, leading to her death. 

Amid growing concerns, the Union Labour Ministry has announced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the 26-year-old’s death. Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje confirmed that the ministry was looking into allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment at the company. 

Cochin:

Anna Sebastian Perayil – the 26-year-old Ernst and Young employee who died of “work-related stress” – was “getting hardly any sleep and was unable to eat proper food”, her father, Sibi Joseph, was quoted by news agency IANS. Mr Joseph said his wife and he had advised Ms Perayil to quit, but “she said she would continue to work… as this is a reputed firm”.

Mr Joseph said his daughter – engaged in an audit of Bajaj Auto – would work till well past midnight each day and “used to get back to her paying (guest) accommodation by 1.30 am”.

“She used to complain about this often… it reached a point we told her to quit, but she said she would continue to work. In July we took her to a cardiologist and, after a check-up, he said she was healthy but lacked proper sleep and proper food,” Mr Joseph told IANS.

He said the letter his wife wrote to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani was meant to ensure that even though their daughter had died, “such a thing should not happen to any other person”.

“We are not going to take legal steps against the company,” he added.

Mr Memani has denied any suggestion that “work pressure” led to Anna Perayil’s death, pointing out EY has around 100,000 employees across the country. “There is no doubt each one has to work hard (but) we don’t believe work pressure could have claimed her life,” he said.

READ | After Mother Says Daughter Died Of “Overwork”, EY India Responds

In a statement issued Thursday the India office of EY, one of the Big 4 consulting firms, expressed sorrow over Ms Perayil’s death and offered “deepest condolences to the bereaved family”.

The company – now under government scrutiny over a possible “unsafe and exploitative work environment” – also said it would find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace.

READ | Centre Probes EY Employee’s Death As Mother Blames ‘Overwork’

Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje said the government was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss”, and that a “thorough investigation” is underway into the circumstances of her death.

Ms Perayil’s death made headlines after her mother’s letter to Mr Memani.

The long and gut-wrenching letter urged EY India to rethink a work environment that “seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the role”, and led to anger and furious debate online and in the media, over the need for a healthy work-life balance.

READ | Daughter Died Of Overwork At EY, No One Came To Funeral: Mother

“She was full of life, dreams, and excitement for the future. EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be part of such a prestigious company. But four months later, on July 20th, 2024, my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away. She was just 26 years old,” her mother, Anita Augustine, wrote.

The grieving mother also pointed out nobody from EY had attended Ms Perayil’s funeral, and that when she tried reaching out to the company at a later date she got reply.

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