Mother criticizes EY’s work culture after 26-year-old Pune employee dies from ‘work stress’

A 26-year-old employee of the multinational consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune has tragically passed away, with her mother attributing the cause to “work stress.” Anna Sebastian Perayil, a Chartered Accountant from Kerala, had joined the firm just four months prior. According to her mother, Anita Augustine, Anna was overwhelmed with work demands. In an email to Rajiv Memani, EY India’s head, Anita criticized the company for encouraging a heavy workload and highlighted the disconnect between the firm’s professed human rights values and her daughter’s experience.

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Impact of work Stress on Health and Work Pressure

Perayil, who cleared her CA exams in 2023, began her career at EY Pune as an executive in March 2024. It was her first job, and she was determined to meet expectations. However, the intense workload severely affected her health. According to her mother, she quickly began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress, but continued to push herself, believing that dedication and perseverance would lead to success. Her mother also mentioned that many employees left the company due to the heavy workload. Despite this, Perayil’s boss urged her to stay, encouraging her to “change everyone’s opinion about the team.”

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Excessive Workload and Unreasonable Demands

Augustine revealed that Perayil’s manager frequently rescheduled meetings to accommodate cricket matches and assigned tasks late in the day, which contributed to her stress. At an office party, a senior leader even joked about the difficulties of working under Perayil’s manager, a situation that sadly became a harsh reality for her. Her mother noted that Anna worked “late into the night and even on weekends.” Augustine shared, “Anna spoke about the overwhelming workload, including additional verbal tasks that went beyond her official responsibilities. Despite my advice to avoid taking on so much, the managers continued to push her. She had no time to rest, working late hours and weekends.” Augustine also recounted an instance when Perayil’s boss assigned her a task late at night with a deadline for the following morning.

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Unreasonable Expectations and Declining Health

Augustine recounted, “Her assistant manager once called her at night with a task that had to be completed by the next morning, leaving her with almost no time to rest. When she expressed her concerns, the response was dismissive: ‘You can work at night; that’s what we all do.’”

She further described how her daughter’s health deteriorated: “Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing clothes, only to receive more messages requesting reports. Despite her best efforts and hard work to meet deadlines, the relentless pressure took a toll. She was a determined fighter who never easily gave up. We suggested she quit, but she was eager to learn and gain experience. Sadly, the pressure became unbearable for her.”

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