EY Employee Death: A 26-year-old Chartered Accountant (CA) working at Ernst & Young in Pune died due to “excessive workload”, her mother said in a letter to the accounting firm. The deceased female employee, identified as Anna Sebastian Perayil, had joined EY, one of the Big Four accounting firms just four months before she succumbed to ‘work pressure’. The incident has shaken the corporate world.
In a letter addressed to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, Anna’s mother Anita Augustine said Ernst & Young was her daughter’s first job and she was excited when she joined the firm. However, within just a few months of joining, she succumbed to ‘excessive workload’.
Anna’s mother in her letter said that her daughter joined EY Pune on March 19, 2024 and died on July 20, just four months later. She also claimed that her daughter used to work late into the night and on weekends.
The letter mentioned that Anna returned to her paying guest accommodation completely exhausted on most days, and was burdened with “backbreaking work” as a newcomer.
EY Employee Death: ‘No One From EY Attended Funeral’: Anna’s Mother
In her heartbreaking letter, Anna’s mother also claimed that no one from the accounting firm attended her daughter’s funeral. “Anna was a school topper, and a college topper, excelled in extracurricular activities, and passed her CA exams with distinction. 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,” Anita Augustine said.
“No one from EY attended Anna’s funeral… After her funeral, I reached out to her managers, but I received no reply. How can a company that speaks of values and human rights fail to show up for one of its own in their final moments?” her mother asked.
Anna’s grieving mother urged EY to treat her daughter’s tragic death as a wake-up call to reassess its work culture. She emphasized that Anna’s passing was a stark reflection of a culture that prioritizes productivity over people, sacrificing employees’ well-being at the cost of relentless hard work.
“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 concluded.
