Pune: A 26-year-old employee of the multinational consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune died due to “overwhelming workload,” her mother has claimed. Anna Sebastian Perayil had joined EY as a chartered accountant just four months before she succumbed to work pressure, her mother Anita Augustine said in a letter addressed to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani.
In her letter, Anna’s mother claimed that Ernst & Young was her daughter’s first job and she was thrilled about joining the company. Within just four months, however, she succumbed to “excessive workload.” Anna worked late into the night and on weekends, returned to her paying guest accommodation completely exhausted on most days, and was burdened with “backbreaking work” as a newcomer, the letter claimed.
No one from Ernst & Young attended her funeral, Anna’s mother said in her heartbreaking letter.
“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 in her letter to EY India chairman.
She said that Anna joined EY Pune on March 19, 2024. She died on July 20, just four months later.
The team that joined at EY was one where several employees had already resigned due to excessive workload. “The team manager told her, ‘Anna, you must stick around and change everyone’s opinion about our team.’ My child didn’t realize she would pay for that with her life,” her mother said, adding that the company and her manager showed no consideration for a new employee who had moved away from her hometown and was struggling to adjust in a new city where she did not know the people or the language.
