In a heartbreaking letter to Ernst & Young India’s chairman, the mother of a young lady claimed that her daughter had died from “overwork” four months after joining the company and that no one from the company had even attended her funeral.
The mother expressed her strong desire for her daughter’s death to act as a wake-up call and pleaded with the company’s hierarchy to change a work culture that “seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the role” in the letter.
EY India released a statement expressing its profound sorrow for the employee’s passing and pledging to handle the family’s letter with “utmost seriousness and humility”.
Anita Augustine, Anna Sebastian Perayil’s mother, wrote to Rajiv Memani, the chairman of EY India, expressing her sadness and soulbreak, but stating that the letter was important in the hopes that no other family would have to go through what hers did.
Anna joined EY Pune on March 19 after passing her chartered accountant (CA) examinations on November 23 of last year, according to Ms Augustine’s letter.
“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.
Ms. Augustine described Anna as a fighter who did exceptionally well in school and college, dominated extracurricular activities, and completed her CA exams with honours.
When Anna first started working at EY Pune, she was informed that her manager had personally urged her to stay on the team to counter the image that her team had seen a lot of staff quit due to an overwhelming workload.
“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 said that the week prior, after arriving at her paying guest lodging at one in the morning, her small daughter had been complaining of chest tightness. She and her husband had travelled to Pune on July 6 to attend Anna’s CA convocation. After bringing her to a Pune hospital, the cardiologist informed the family that she was eating very late and not getting enough sleep, but her echocardiography (ECG) came back normal. She claimed that their anxieties were alleviated by his prescription of antacids.
“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 brought up the fact that Anna had purchased her parents’ plane tickets because it was her desire to pay for them to attend the convocation.
“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.
In addition to being encouraged by her manager to alter the way people saw her team, Ms Augustine stated that during a work party, a senior leader had made a joke about how difficult it would be for her to work with that specific colleague.
She claimed that verbally imposed tasks went beyond formal labour, and although she would advise her daughter not to accept them, the supervisors persisted.
“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 devastated mother said that because Anna was just starting her profession, she had “the experience or the agency” to set boundaries or refuse unjustified requests. She added that Anna ultimately pushed herself past her breaking point in an attempt to prove herself.
“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.
Ms. Augustine urged Mr. Memani to investigate the work culture of the business, citing what transpired with Anna as a systemic problem.
“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”.
The family found it quite distressing that no one from EY showed up for Anna’s funeral, according to Ms Augustine. She added that she contacted Anna’s supervisors following the funeral, but received no response, emphasising that this indicates a lack of empathy.
“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 death 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.
