New Delhi:

Amid an uproar over the death of a 26-year-old employee at tax consultancy major Ernst&Young (EY) allegedly due to work pressure, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday suggested a 40-hour work week. Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant (CA) from Kerala who worked at EY’s Pune office for four months, died this July. Her mother, Anita Augustine, wrote to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani this month, flagging the “glorification” of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.

Taking to his official X account, Mr Tharoor, who is a Member of Parliament from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, said Anna passed away after a cardiac arrest, following “four months of deeply stressful seven-day weeks of 14 hours a day” at the Big Four accounting firm.

He said he had a “deeply emotional and heartrending” conversation with her father, Sibi Joseph. 

“He (Anna’s father) suggested, and I agreed, that I raise the issue of legislating, through Parliament, a fixed calendar for all workplaces, whether in the private sector or the public, that would not exceed eight hours a day, five days a week,” Mr Tharoor said.

“Inhumanity at the workplace must be legislated out of existence with stringent punishment and fines for offenders. Human rights do not stop at the workplace,” the Congress MP wrote.

Had a deeply emotional and heartrending conversation with Shri Sibi Joseph, the father of young Anna Sebastian, who passed away after a cardiac arrest, following four months of deeply stressful seven-day weeks of 14 hours a day at Ernst&Young. He suggested, and I agreed, that I…

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) September 20, 2024

He also said he will raise the matter at the “first opportunity” during the next session of Parliament, which is expected to be held in December.

“Advised Her To Quit”: EY Employee’s Father

Anna Sebastian Perayil’s father spoke to the media this week and said she had to work through the night, till 12.30 am.

“We advised her to quit, but she insisted that this stint would provide valuable professional exposure,” Siby Joseph said.

He also claimed the issue of extreme work pressure was mentioned before the senior officials of the EY, but no action was taken.

“She had complained to the assistant manager, but they insisted on working even at night,” he said.

The family alleged that the company responded only after her mother’s letter went viral.

“We are not planning to move legally, but we don’t want anyone else to face the same fate. We don’t want the newbies joining such corporate companies to face similar situations,” Mr Joseph said.

Anna’s mother, Ms Augustine, had also said in the letter that no one from the company had attended her funeral, which the family found deeply hurtful.

EY On Employee’s Death

As the issue snowballed, EY on Wednesday issued a statement saying it was deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s “tragic and untimely” passing in July 2024.

It said it works with about 1,00,000 people at its member firms in India and that Anna had worked at one such firm –  S R Batliboi – for four months.

“Since the death, EY has been in touch with the family, helping them but it is only now that her family has chosen to write to the company, complaining about the “excessive workload”, the accounting giant said.

EY India Chairman On Anna Sebastian Perayil’s Death

EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani also issued a statement on Thursday and said the fact that no one from the company attended the funeral is alien to their culture and that he “would not rest” until the objective of nurturing a harmonious workplace is accomplished. 

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Mr Memani said that, as a father, he could understand the anguish of the woman’s mother.

“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 truly regret the fact that we missed being present at Anna’s funeral. This is completely alien to our culture. It has never happened before; it will never happen again,” he said.

The EY India Chairman said he was aware that people had commented on some of the company’s work practices on social media and emphasised that the company places the “highest importance” on the well-being of its employees.

“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,” he added.

The Union government has said it is investigating the circumstances that led to Anna’s death. 

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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New Delhi:

After the family of a 26-year-old claimed that she died due to extreme work pressure at Ernst & Young, the consulting firm said that they will make efforts to make the work environment healthier. 

“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family,” the firm, which is among the Big 4 consulting firms, said in a statement. 

The company said they are providing all the assistance to the family and will find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace to its employees.

“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”.

“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 100,000 people across EY member firms in India”, the firm added.

A letter written by the woman’s mother woman to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani vent viral on social media. In the letter, the mother claimed that her daughter died of “overwork” just four months after joining the company and no one from the organisation even attended her funeral.  

She also describe how her daughter was thrilled to be part of EY as it was also her first job.

“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,” she wrote.

Anna had cleared her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23 last year and joined EY Pune on March 19.

A young woman’s mother has written a gut-wrenching letter to the chairman of Ernst & Young India claiming that her daughter died of “overwork” just four months after joining the company and no one from the organisation even attended her funeral.  

In the letter, the mother also made a fervent plea to the brass at the company to rectify a work culture that “seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the role” and said she hoped her daughter’s death would serve as a wake-up call. 

Issuing a statement, EY India said it was deeply saddened by the death of the employee and was taking the family’s correspondence with the “utmost seriousness and humility”.

Writing to Rajiv Memani, the chairman of EY India, Anita Augustine, the mother of Anna Sebastian Perayil, said her heart was heavy and her soul was shattered but the letter was necessary in the hope that no other family has to endure what hers went through. 

Ms Augustine wrote that Anna passed her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23 last year and joined EY Pune on March 19. 

“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,” she wrote. 

Describing Anna as a fighter who excelled in academics, Ms Augustine said she topped in school and college, excelled in extracurricular activities and passed her CA exams with distinction. 

When she joined EY Pune, Anna was told that her specific team had seen many employees resign because of excessive workload and her manager herself had asked her to stick around to change that perception. 

“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. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining, but she kept pushing herself, believing that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success,” Ms Augustine recalled. 

Late For Her Own Convocation

Ms Augustine recounted that she and her husband went to Pune on July 6 to attend Anna’s CA convocation and her young daughter had been complaining of chest constriction after reaching her paying guest accommodation around 1 am for the week before that. They took her to a hospital in Pune and her echocardiogram (ECG) was normal, with a cardiologist telling the family that she was eating very late and not getting enough sleep. The fact that he prescribed antacids, she wrote, allayed their fears. 

“Though we had come all the way from Kochi, she insisted on going to work after seeing the doctor, saying there was a lot of work to be done and she wouldn’t get leave. That night, she returned to her PG late again. On Sunday, July 7th, the day of her convocation, she joined us in the morning, but she was working from home even that day until the afternoon, and we reached the convocation venue late,” she said. 

Ms Augustine pointed out that it was Anna’s dream to pay for her parents to attend the convocation and she had booked their flight tickets. 

“It breaks my heart to tell you that even during those two days, which were the last we would spend with our child, she couldn’t enjoy them because of the work pressure,” she said in the letter.

Working Nights, Sundays

Ms Augustine wrote that not only had Anna’s manager asked her to change the perception about her team, but a senior leader had also joked at an office party that she would have a tough time working under that particular colleague. 

She said that tasks were assigned verbally beyond official work and she would ask her daughter not to take them on, but the managers were relentless. 

“She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath. Her assistant manager once called her at night with a task that needed to be completed by the next morning, leaving her with barely any time to rest or recover. When she voiced her concerns, she was met with the dismissive response, ‘You can work at night; that’s what we all do’,” she wrote. 

“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,” Ms Augustine despair. 

The heartbroken mother said because Anna was just embarking on her career, she did not have “the experience or the agency” to draw boundaries or push back against unreasonable demands. In her efforts to prove herself, she said, Anna ended up pushing herself beyond her limits. 

“I wish I had been able to protect her, to tell her that her health and well-being mattered more than anything else. But it is too late for my Anna,” she wrote. 

Call For Change

Terming what happened to Anna a systemic issue, Ms Augustine appealed to Mr Memani to look into the organisation’s work culture. 

“Anna would never have blamed her managers. She was too kind for that. But I cannot remain silent. Burdening newcomers with such backbreaking work, making them work day and night, even on Sundays, has no justification whatsoever… You should show some consideration to new employees. Instead, the management took full advantage of the fact that she was new and overwhelmed her with both assigned and unassigned work,” the mother wrote. 

“Anna’s experience sheds light on a work culture that seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the roles. This is not just about my daughter, it’s about every young professional who joins EY filled with hopes and dreams, only to be crushed under the weight of unrealistic expectations… Anna’s death should serve as a wake-up call for EY. It is time to reflect on the work culture within your organisation and take meaningful steps to prioritize the health and wellness of your employees,” she said, adding that an environment should be created where employees feel safe to speak up, get support to manage their workload and “where their mental and physical well-being is not sacrificed for the sake of productivity”.

Ms Augustine said no one from EY attended Anna’s funeral, which the family found deeply hurtful. Emphasising that this points to a lack of empathy, she said she reached out to Anna’s managers after the funeral, but got no reply. 

“I don’t know if anyone can truly understand a mother’s emotions when she lays to rest her child – the child she held in her arms, watched grow, play, cry, and shared dreams with – unless they have experienced the same pain. 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 signed off. 

EY Statement

In a statement, EY India called Anna’s death an irreparable loss. 

“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.