A 26-year-old woman died just four months after accepting a position at EY Pune, a Big Four accounting firm. Her mother blamed her company's overwhelming workload.
Anna Sebastian Perayil from Kerala, India, wrote in a LinkedIn post just months ago, "I'm happy to share that I'm starting a new position as Audit and Assurance Executive at EY!" It was her first job since passing her Chartered Accountant exam last year, so Perayil "worked tirelessly to meet the expectations," according to an email from her mother, Anita Augustine, to EY's chairman of the India region, Rajiv Memani, and obtained by Republic World.
Shortly thereafter, Augustine wrote that her daughter began "experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress." Despite her family's plea to quit, Perayil continued pushing herself because she believed "hard work and perseverance were the path to success."
When her teammates started leaving because of the "excessive workload," Perayil stayed. Her boss encouraged her to "stick around and change everyone's opinion about the team."
Perayil's mother said her daughter consistently worked into the night and on weekends, completing last-minute assignments from her manager at all hours of the day. Her mother said she never had a chance to catch her breath.
"Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work. I would tell her not to take on such tasks, but the managers were relentless," Perayil's mother wrote in her email. She also shared that when her daughter voiced her concerns, her manager told her, "'You can work at night; that's what we all do.'"
Augustine wrote that her daughter's death should serve as a "wake-up call" for EY and companies like it that continue "glorifying overwork." She also implored Memani to "reflect on the work culture within your organisation and take meaningful steps to prioritise the health and wellness of your employees."
To make matters worse, Augustine also shared that none of Perayil's colleagues attended her funeral. Her managers also did not respond to Augustine when she reached out afterward.
"How can a company that speaks of values and human rights fail to show up for one of its own in their final moments?," she asks.
Although it's unclear what Perayil's cause of death was, her mother said she had been complaining of "chest constriction" weeks prior. Her family took her to the hospital, but her ECG was normal. Augustine said their cardiologist recommended Perayil sleep more and stop eating late. She was reassured it was nothing serious and sent home with a prescription for antacids.
Augustine closed her letter by writing, "I hope my child's experience leads to real change so that no other family has to endure the grief and trauma we are going through. My Anna is no longer with us, but her story can still make a difference."
Heartbreaking news from EY Pune - a young CA succumbed to the work pressure and nobody from EY even attended her funeral - this is so appalling and nasty!!! pic.twitter.com/pt8ThUKiNR
— Malavika Rao (@kaay_rao) September 17, 2024
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