EY India Chairman and Managing Partner Rajiv Memani expressed regret that nobody from the company attended the funeral of Anna Sebastian Perayil. The 26-year-old former EY executive reportedly died of work stress and a letter written to Memani by her mother Anita had kicked up a storm on social media.
Sharing his regret that none of Anna Sebastian's colleagues attended her funeral, Memani jotted on LinkedIn that it was not a culture EY was familiar with. "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."
Memani vouched to personally ensure the well-being of EY 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," his concluding lines on the social media platform said.
Rajiv Memani's full LinkedIn post
Many of you will be aware of the tragic demise of Anna Sebastian, a young woman who worked in our Pune office, and the anguished letter her mother, Ms Anita Augustine wrote to me.
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.
Over the past few days, I am aware that people have in their social media posts commented on some of our work practices. It has always been very important to us to create a healthy workplace and we attach the highest importance to the well-being of our people.
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.
Anna Sebastian Perayil's demise: The controversy
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. A letter written by her mother Anita Augustine to EY chairperson Rajiv Memani, detailing the work culture in the office, exposed the work pressure prevalent in the organisation. The letter sparked a debate online about work-life balance, with many netizens, mostly ex-employees, calling out EY.
Anita ended the letter by 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.”
In 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”.