A 26-year-old employee at multinational consulting firm Ernst & Young in India passed away, with her family blaming it on “stress from excessive workload.”
In a heartbreaking letter, the mother claimed that Ernst & Young was her daughter’s first job, and she was overjoyed to join the team. However, in just four months, Anna gave in to her “excessive workload.” The letter claimed that as a newcomer, she was burdened with “backbreaking work,” working late into the night and on weekends, and returning to her paid guest accommodation exhausted most of the time.
Her mother added that no one from the company attended her 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 stated in her letter addressed to the EY India CEO.
She also mentioned that Anna started working at EY Pune on March 19, 2024. However, on July 20, 2024, the bright young woman passed away. The mother continued by saying that although Anna put in a lot of effort at EY, the toxic work environment had a negative physical and mental impact on her, resulting in sleeplessness, anxiety, and stress.
“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 stated, adding that her manager and the company showed no consideration for a new employee who had moved away from her hometown and was having a hard time adjusting in a new city.
After the letter had gone viral, Ernst & Young released a statement stating that the company is taking the family’s correspondence with “utmost seriousness and humility.”
“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family,” EY said.
Rajiv Memani, EY India chief, also stated that they do not believe that work pressure was the reason for Anna’s passing, saying, “We have around one lakh [100,000] employees. There is no doubt each one has to work hard. Anna worked with us only for four months. She was allotted work like any other employee.”
“We don’t believe that work pressure could have claimed her life,” he continued.
The company stated that while no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, they have provided all the assistance they always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so.
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