EY junior passed away due to ‘high stress and overwork’, says mother

19 September 2024 Consultancy.in

Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old junior from Kerala, tragically passed away due to what her family claims was work-related stress after joining professional services giant EY in Pune.

Just four months into her first job as part of the Audit team of EY, Anna began experiencing severe stress and physical symptoms. Her mother, Anita Augustine, penned a heart-wrenching letter to EY India’s chairman Rajiv Memani, blaming the company’s “excessive workload and toxic work culture” for her daughter’s death.

The letter, which has gone viral on Instagram and LinkedIn, sparked a national conversation about mental health and corporate work environments, and comes shortly after a similar case at a strategy consulting firm.

Anna, described by her mother as a “fighter” and an exemplary student, had graduated as a chartered accountant in November 2023 and began working at EY in March 2024. She was enthusiastic about starting her career, thrilled to join one of the most prestigious firms in the industry.

However, her mother recounted how the heavy workload, long hours, and unrelenting expectations quickly took a toll on Anna’s physical and mental health. Despite experiencing anxiety, sleepless nights, and chest constriction, Anna continued working late into the night, often receiving last-minute assignments that left her with little time to rest.

In her emotional letter, Augustine highlighted the systemic issues within the company’s culture, criticizing how overwork was normalized. She pointed out that Anna’s managers were unresponsive to her concerns, emphasizing that the stress she endured led to her untimely death.

Her health deteriorated rapidly, and despite seeking medical attention for chest pains, the seriousness of her condition was not fully realized until it was too late. Anna died on July 20, 2024, leaving her family devastated.

The letter, which unleashed widespread outrage online, called for a re-examination of corporate work environments, particularly in firms like EY, which is one of the Big Fours firms alongside Deloitte, KPMG, and PwC. Notably, all four firms are regularly accused of not doing enough to lower work-related stress.

Several social media users and activists condemned the corporate culture that glorifies overwork, with some sharing personal experiences of the pressures in similar work environments. The fact that no one from EY attended Anna’s funeral further intensified the backlash against the company.

EY’s response

In response, EY released a statement expressing condolences over Anna’s passing and emphasized that the company had offered assistance to the grieving family. EY acknowledged the need to reflect on its workplace environment and pledged to prioritize employee well-being moving forward.

In a response to the Augustine’s letter, chairman Memani however did express that Anna was allocated work comparable to that of her peers and rejected claims that work pressure alone could have been the cause of her death.

Despite EY’s reassurances, the incident has now unleashed a national conversation, with many urging corporations such as EY to improve how they handle employee well-being, particularly in high-pressure sectors like auditing and consulting.

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