A 26-year-old employee at EY Pune, one of the prestigious Big Four accounting firms, has tragically passed away, with her family attributing her death to work stress only four months after starting her role. Anna Sebastian Perayil, a Chartered Accountant (CA) from Kerala, succumbed to what her family describes as the overwhelming pressure of “backbreaking work.” This incident has shocked the EY community, highlighting serious concerns about employee well-being at major firms. The case of the Pune employee’s death underscores the urgent need to address and mitigate work-related stress in high-pressure environments.
Following this tragic event, Perayil’s mother, Anita Augustine, has reached out to the firm’s India chairman, Rajiv Memani, through a heartfelt email. In her correspondence, Augustine condemns EY for “glorifying overwork” and criticizes the disparity between the company’s professed human rights values and her daughter’s lived experience. The case of the Pune employee’s death has intensified scrutiny on EY Pune’s work culture and raised critical questions about the treatment of employees in high-pressure environments.
The Strain of Being a Pune Employee
Perayil, who had successfully completed her CA exams in 2023, joined EY Pune in March 2024 as an executive. As it was her first job, she dedicated herself to meeting the high expectations placed upon her. According to her mother, this commitment came at a severe cost to Perayil’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Augustine recalls that her daughter began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress almost immediately after her start date. Despite these growing concerns, Perayil continued to push herself, driven by the belief that perseverance was essential for success.
Her mother also revealed that many other employees had resigned due to the excessive workload, yet Anna’s manager encouraged her to “stick around and change everyone’s opinion about the team.” This encouragement, however, seemingly added to the pressure, as Perayil frequently faced rescheduled meetings during cricket matches and received tasks late in the day, further exacerbating her stress. At a company event, a senior leader even joked about the difficulty of working under Anna’s manager—a grim prediction that ultimately became her reality.
Unrelenting Pressure and Its Consequences
The high demands of her role led Perayil to work late into the night and on weekends, leaving her no time for rest. “She often shared with us how the workload was overwhelming, especially with tasks assigned verbally beyond her official responsibilities. Despite my repeated advice not to take on these additional tasks, her managers were relentless. She continued to work tirelessly, even on weekends, with no opportunity to rest,” her mother lamented.
In one particularly stressful instance, Perayil’s assistant manager called her late at night to complete a task due the following morning, leaving her with minimal time to recover. When she expressed her concerns, she was told dismissively, “You can work at night; that’s what we all do.”
Augustine painted a distressing picture of her daughter’s deteriorating health. She described how Perayil would return home utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing into bed without even changing clothes, only to be bombarded with requests for additional reports. “Despite her best efforts to meet every deadline, the constant pressure eventually became too much for her,” Augustine stated. Though her parents advised her to quit, Anna remained determined to gain new experiences and prove herself.
In her email to EY’s India leadership, Augustine harshly criticized the firm for glorifying overwork, pointing out that Perayil, new to both the company and the environment, was burdened with both assigned and unassigned tasks. “Anna lacked the experience and authority to set boundaries or push back against unreasonable demands. She was trying to navigate a new environment and, in the process, pushed herself beyond her limits. Now, she is no longer with us,” Augustine expressed.
The grieving mother also questioned the company’s commitment to its human rights values, given the stark contrast between its stated principles and the reality her daughter faced. “How can EY truly live by the values it claims to uphold?” Augustine asked.
Furthermore, Augustine urged EY to reflect on its work culture and take meaningful steps to prioritize employee well-being. She also expressed deep hurt over the absence of EY Pune employees at her daughter’s funeral, despite Anna’s dedication to the firm. “After the funeral, I reached out to her managers but received no response. How can a company that professes to value human rights ignore one of its own in their final moments?” she questioned.
While the exact cause of Perayil’s death remains unclear, she had been complaining of chest constriction in the weeks leading up to her passing. A hospital visit revealed no serious issues, with doctors attributing her symptoms to lack of sleep and irregular eating habits. Despite these reassurances, Anna passed away on July 20, leaving behind a poignant reminder of the severe impact of work-related stress.
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