A 26-year-old employee of EY in Pune, Anna Sebastian Perayil, passed away in July, just four months into her first job. Her mother has alleged "work stress" took a toll on the young chartered accountant from Kerala, eventually claiming her life.
Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, has reached out to EY's India head, Rajiv Memani via an email, that has gone viral on social media. In the letter, Augustine expresses her concerns about the company's work culture and the disparity between its professed human rights values and her daughter's experiences.
The letter states Anna complained of "chest constriction" after coming from office one night, following which her parents took her for a medical checkup. The doctor told them Anna was sleep deprived and was eating her meals very late, probably causing the unease. The doctor prescribed Anna some antacids, which reassured them it wasn't anything serious. However, shortly afterward, Anna passed away.
Anna, who completed her CA exams in 2023, joined EY as an executive in March 2024. Augustine alleged the overwhelming workload took a significant toll on her daughter's mental and physical health. "Anna started facing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after starting, but kept pushing herself, thinking hard work and perseverance were the key to success," the email said.
Augustine alleged that many employees on Anna's team had quit due to the heavy workload, mentioning that Anna's boss encouraged her to "stay and change everyone's opinion about the team." According to Augustine, Anna's manager would often reschedule meetings during cricket matches and assign her last-minute tasks, further exacerbating her stress levels.
"Her assistant manager once called her at night with a task that needed to be completed by the next morning, leaving her with barely any time to rest or recover," Augustine recalled. When Anna voiced her concerns, she received a dismissive response: “You can work at night; that’s what we all do.”
Augustine alleged that her daughter worked "late into the night and even on weekends", feeling overwhelmed by additional tasks beyond her official duties. "I advised her not to take on so much, but the managers kept pushing. She had no time to rest, working late and on weekends," Augustine said.
Augustine has described how her daughter would return home exhausted, sometimes collapsing without even changing her clothes, only to receive messages demanding reports. "She was giving her best, working hard to meet deadlines. She was a fighter and never gave up easily," Augustine added.
In her email to EY's management, Augustine accused the firm of "glorifying overwork", saying her daughter felt overwhelmed.
"Anna was a young professional. Like many in her position, she did not have the experience or the agency to draw boundaries or push back against unreasonable demands," Augustine explained. "She did not know how to say no."
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