A 26-year-old chartered accountant, working in Ernst & Young, Pune, passed away allegedly due to “work stress”. Kochi native Anna Sebastian Perayil joined EY in March, after clearing the C.A. exam last year. She died on July 20.
Now, a letter written by her mother Anita Augustine to EY chairperson Rajiv Memani, detailing the work culture in the office, has exposed the work pressure prevalent in the organisation.
“I am writing this letter as a grieving mother who has lost her precious child, Anna Sebastian Perayil. My heart is heavy and my soul is shattered as I pen these words, but I believe it is necessary to share our story in the hope that no other family will have to endure the pain we are going through,” she wrote in a letter, which was shared on social media on Tuesday night.
Anna joined EY as an Audit and Assurance Executive. According to the letter, she was excited to be part of a reputed company. However, her mother said the workload took a massive toll on her.
“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.”
Accoring to the letter, Anna had been “complaining of chest constriction” for a week. When her parents came to visit her in Pune, two weeks before her death, for her C.A. convocation, they took her to the cardiologist, who said it was due to the lack of proper sleep and eating late.
“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,” the grieving mother wrote.
Anita also mentioned Anna's manager in the letter. She said that he would reschedule meetings as per his convenience, and attend cricket matches. When Anna voiced her concerns about the workload, the assistant manager replied, “You can work at night; that's what we all do.”
Her mother said that Anna would never blame her managers, adding that she was too kind for that. Anita added that she can no longer remain silent about the issue.
“Burdening newcomers with such backbreaing work, making them work day and night, even on Sundays, has no justification whatsoever.”
Anita ended the letter saying that she read the “EY's human rights statement”, which bears the signature of the chairman. “I cannot reconcile with the values expressed in the statement... How can EY begin to truly live by the values it professes?” she asks.
“Anna's death should serve as a wake-up call for EY. 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.”
Another letter, a person claiming to be Anna's colleague, confirmed what Anita wrote in the letter about the manager. The employee said the manager bought IPL final tickets and “showed it off on Insta”.
“When he reviews your work, his focus is not on the correctness of the work, he points out as many mistakes as he could, depicting how smart he is and in other words how dumb you are.”
“We average about 16 hours a day in the busy season, and 12 hours a day in non busy seasons. No weekends or public holidays are off,” the person added.
The letter by Anita Augustine has sparked a debate online about work-life balance, with many netizens, mostly ex-employees, calling out EY.