EY Pune employee dies of work stress: Ernst & Young India released a statement on Wednesday, expressing condolences for the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant from Kerala who died after four months of working with the firm.
The statement comes in the wake of a heart wrenching letter from Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, which has gone viral. In her letter addressed to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, Augustine blamed her daughter’s deteriorating health on an “excessive workload” and “four months of EY’s callous attitude.”
The company said it was “deeply saddened” by Anna’s passing and reiterated its commitment to improving and maintaining a healthy work environment across its offices nationwide, according to PTI.
Anna worked with the Audit team at SR Batliboi, an EY Global member firm in Pune, for a brief four-month period after joining on 18 March 2024. EY India has called her untimely death a profound loss, noting that “her promising career being cut short in such a tragic manner is an irreparable loss for us all.”
“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024,” EY said.
While no measure can fully make up for the family’s loss, the firm has provided all possible assistance and will continue to do so, the EY statement added, according to PTI.
EY emphasised that it is taking the family’s concerns 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 across EY member firms in India,” it added.
In the now-viral letter, Anna’s mother described her daughter as a “fighter,” noting that Anna was excited to start her career at EY, having topped all her exams in school and college, and worked “tirelessly” to meet the demands of her role.
The letter has sparked outrage over the young woman’s ordeal and highlighted the perils of a relentless work culture.