"Will Not Rest Until...": EY Chief On Employee's Death Due To 'Overwork'

Issuing a statement on the alleged death of a 26-year-old employee because of 'overwork', Ernst & Young (EY) India Chairman Rajiv Memani has said the fact that no one from the company attended the funeral is alien to their culture and that he "would not rest" until the objective of nurturing a harmonious workplace is accomplished. 

Mr Memani also said that, as a father, he could understand the anguish of the woman's mother, who had written a heartbreaking letter to him, and added that he has conveyed his deepest condolences to the family. 

In her letter to Mr Memani, Anita Augustine, the mother of Anna Sebastian Perayil, wrote that her daughter had died four months after joining EY's office in Pune and said the company's culture seemed to glorify overwork while neglecting the human beings behind the role.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn on Thursday night, Mr Memani said, "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."

The EY India Chairman said he was aware that people had commented on some of the company's work practices on social media and emphasised that the company places the "highest importance" on the well-being of its 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," he added.

Mother's Letter

Ms Augustine wrote that Anna passed her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23 last year and joined EY Pune on March 19. 

"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. But four months later, on July 20th, 2024, my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away. She was just 26 years old," she said.

The anguished mother said that Anna's workload was so high that she had been complaining of chest constriction for a week after reaching her paying guest accommodation at 1 am every day for a week and insisted on going to work even after seeing a doctor, saying she had a lot of tasks pending and would not get leave. Ms Augustine and her husband were visiting from Kochi at the time to attend Anna's CA convocation, but the 26-year-old ended up being late even for that. 

"It breaks my heart to tell you that even during those two days, which were the last we would spend with our child, she couldn't enjoy them because of the work pressure," she said in the letter.

Ms Augustine said no one from the company had attended Anna's funeral, which the family found deeply hurtful and added that she hoped that her letter would spark real change so that no other family has to endure what they went through.

Anna's father has also said that she was "getting hardly any sleep and was unable to eat proper food".

The company had called Anna's death and irreparable loss and said it was taking the family's correspondence with the "utmost seriousness and humility".

Government Action

The Union government has said it is investigating the circumstances that led to Anna's death. 

Replying to a post on X by senior BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who termed the death "very sad but also disturbing at many levels" and sought an investigation, Junior Union Minister of Labour Shobha Karandlaje wrote, "Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint."