26-Year-Old EY Pune Employee Dies Due To 'Work Stress'; Labour Ministry To Investigate Claims

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New Delhi: Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje has tweeted that the labour ministry will do investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment that led to the death of a 26 year old Charter Accountant at EY in Pune.

“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,”  Karandlaje posted on X.

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.@mansukhmandviya https://t.co/1apsOm594d — Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) September 19, 2024

Anna Sebastian Perayil, the EY Pune CA from Kerala, lost her life, with her mother alleging that it was due to office stress and overwork.

In a letter, addressed to EY, her mother wrote, "...Burdening newcomers with such backbreaking work, making tehm work day and night even on Sundays, has no justification whatsoever."

She highlighted that it is a 'systemic issue that goes beyond individual managers or teams'. "The relentless demands and the pressure to meet unrealistic expectations are not sustainable, and they cost us the life of a young woman with so much potential"

Her mother further described the work culture at EY that glorifies overwork, reminding the company that her daughter's death should serve as a wake-up call for EY.

Meanwhile, EY has officially responded to the allegations of toxic work culture at the company. EY said, "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."

The company added, "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. 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 100,000 people across EY member firms in India."

As per a report by digital healthcare platform MediBuddy and CII, published in July this year, around 62 per cent of Indian employees experience burnout, triple the global average of 20 per cent, due to work-related stress and poor work-life balance. The report also highlighted that a massive number of job seekers consider employee wellness programmes crucial in their decision-making process.