Thursday, September 19, 2024 - A young woman's mother has written a gut-wrenching letter to the chairman of Ernst & Young India, claiming that her daughter, Anna Sebastian Perayil, 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 plea to the higher-ups
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.
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.
Ms Augustine wrote that not only had Anna's manager asked
her to change the perception of 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.
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.
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.
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