Amid widespread criticism over work stress which led to the death of one of their employees, Big4 company Ernst & Young issued a statement today, expressing their “deepest condolences” and stating that the company has “provided all assistance to the family and will continue to do so”.
Anita Augustine, mother of Anna Sebastian Perayil, wrote a letter to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani, detailing the harmful work culture her 26-year-old daughter was subjected to, which led to her death on July 20.
"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family," EY said in its statement.
“Anna was a part of the Audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on March 18, 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us."
While the company understands that “no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family”, it claimed to have provided the family with all the assisstance they usually do in situations such as this and will “continue to do so”.
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"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."
Anita, in the letter, claimed that no one from EY Pune attended her funeral.
She mentioned that Anna was very excited to join a reputed company like EY.
“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.”
The letter went viral on social media, with several netizens calling out EY for its unhealthy work culture.