The death of a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant (CA) named Anna Sebastian Perayil allegedly due to overwork has brought EA India under fire on social media. Anna Sebastian Perayil had joined Ernst & Young (EY) as a Chartered Accountant just four months before she died due to work pressure, her mother Anita Augustine said in a letter addressed to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani. Anita Augustine in her hard-hitting & emotional letter revealed that Ernst & Young was her daughter’s first job and she was thrilled about joining the company. Within just four months, however, she died to 'excessive workload.' Anna worked late into the night and on weekends, returned to her paying guest accommodation completely exhausted on most days, and was burdened with 'backbreaking work' as a newcomer. This has brought EY India under the scanner and the firm is getting slammed on social media.
In the meanwhile, a post went viral on social media in which EY India flaunted that it has been featured among the ‘Top 10 Best Companies for Women in India 2023’ and one of the 2023 Champions in the Most Inclusive Companies Index by Avtar The Power of Diversity and Seramount. Sharing the snip, a user asked, "How much did you pay for this? 1Cr??"
Another user wrote, "Shameful company with an even more shameless boss and group head! But who are her cowardly colleagues ?"
What did Anna's mother allege in her letter?
Anna's mother Anita in her letter alleges that since many “employees resigned due to the excessive workload,” her daughter’s boss told her to “stick around and change everyone’s opinion about the team”.
“Her manager would often reschedule meetings during cricket matches and assign her work at the end of the day, adding to her stress. At an office party, a senior leader even joked that she would have a tough time working under her manager, which, unfortunately, became a reality she could not escape..
She also stated that her daughter worked “late into the night and even on weekends”: “Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the 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.”
Augustine recounted an incident where her daughter’s boss assigned her a task at night with a deadline next morning. She added, “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’.”
What did Ernst & Young (EY) say about Anna's death?
EY India in their official statement reportedly said, "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. 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."