A young woman's mother has written a gut-wrenching letter to the chairman of Ernst & Young India claiming that her daughter died of "overwork" just four months after joining the company and no one from the organisation even attended her funeral.
In the letter, the mother also made a fervent plea to the brass at the company to rectify a work culture that "seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the role" and said she hoped her daughter's death would serve as a wake-up call.
Issuing a statement, EY India said it was deeply saddened by the death of the employee and was taking the family's correspondence with the "utmost seriousness and humility".
Writing to Rajiv Memani, the chairman of EY India, Anita Augustine, the mother of Anna Sebastian Perayil, said her heart was heavy and her soul was shattered but the letter was necessary in the hope that no other family has to endure what hers went through.
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 wrote.
Describing Anna as a fighter who excelled in academics, Ms Augustine said she topped in school and college, excelled in extracurricular activities and passed her CA exams with distinction.
When she joined EY Pune, Anna was told that her specific team had seen many employees resign because of excessive workload and her manager herself had asked her to stick around to change that perception.
"She worked tirelessly at EY, giving her all to meet the demands placed on her. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining, but she kept pushing herself, believing that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success," Ms Augustine recalled.
Late For Her Own Convocation
Ms Augustine recounted that she and her husband went to Pune on July 6 to attend Anna's CA convocation and her young daughter had been complaining of chest constriction after reaching her paying guest accommodation around 1 am for the week before that. They took her to a hospital in Pune and her echocardiogram (ECG) was normal, with a cardiologist telling the family that she was eating very late and not getting enough sleep. The fact that he prescribed antacids, she wrote, allayed their fears.
"Though we had come all the way from Kochi, she insisted on going to work after seeing the doctor, saying there was a lot of work to be done and she wouldn't get leave. That night, she returned to her PG late again. On Sunday, July 7th, the day of her convocation, she joined us in the morning, but she was working from home even that day until the afternoon, and we reached the convocation venue late," she said.
Ms Augustine pointed out that it was Anna's dream to pay for her parents to attend the convocation and she had booked their flight tickets.
"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.
Working Nights, Sundays
Ms Augustine wrote that not only had Anna's manager asked her to change the perception about her team, but a senior leader had also joked at an office party that she would have a tough time working under that particular colleague.
She said that tasks were assigned verbally beyond official work and she would ask her daughter not to take them on, but the managers were relentless.
"She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath. 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. When she voiced her concerns, she was met with the dismissive response, 'You can work at night; that's what we all do'," she wrote.
"Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet the deadlines. She was a fighter to the core, not someone to give up easily. We told her to quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure. However, the overwhelming pressure proved too much even for her," Ms Augustine despair.
The heartbroken mother said because Anna was just embarking on her career, she did not have "the experience or the agency" to draw boundaries or push back against unreasonable demands. In her efforts to prove herself, she said, Anna ended up pushing herself beyond her limits.
"I wish I had been able to protect her, to tell her that her health and well-being mattered more than anything else. But it is too late for my Anna," she wrote.
Call For Change
Terming what happened to Anna a systemic issue, Ms Augustine appealed to Mr Memani to look into the organisation's work culture.
"Anna would never have blamed her managers. She was too kind for that. But I cannot remain silent. Burdening newcomers with such backbreaking work, making them work day and night, even on Sundays, has no justification whatsoever… You should show some consideration to new employees. Instead, the management took full advantage of the fact that she was new and overwhelmed her with both assigned and unassigned work," the mother wrote.
"Anna's experience sheds light on a work culture that seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the roles. This is not just about my daughter, it's about every young professional who joins EY filled with hopes and dreams, only to be crushed under the weight of unrealistic expectations… Anna's death should serve as a wake-up call for EY. It is time to reflect on the work culture within your organisation and take meaningful steps to prioritize the health and wellness of your employees," she said, adding that an environment should be created where employees feel safe to speak up, get support to manage their workload and "where their mental and physical well-being is not sacrificed for the sake of productivity".
Ms Augustine said no one from EY attended Anna's funeral, which the family found deeply hurtful. Emphasising that this points to a lack of empathy, she said she reached out to Anna's managers after the funeral, but got no reply.
"I don't know if anyone can truly understand a mother's emotions when she lays to rest her child – the child she held in her arms, watched grow, play, cry, and shared dreams with – unless they have experienced the same pain. 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," she signed off.
EY Statement
In a statement, EY India called Anna's death an irreparable loss.
"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family. Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so," the statement said.
“We are taking the family’s correspondence 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 1,00,000 people across EY member firms in India,” the company added.