Mother writes letter following death of 26-year-old daughter due to ‘work stress’, urges EY chairman to address toxic work culture

Pune-based Chartered Accountant (CA) Anna Sebastian Perayil (26) lost her life due to a “backbreaking workload” and “work stress” at Ernst & Young (EY), as claimed by her mother. She had worked for four months at the accounting firm.

Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, wrote an email to the EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, describing the circumstances that led to the death of her daughter and calling her death a “wake-up call” for the company to reflect on their work culture and prioritize employees’ well-being.

In the email, Ms. Anita said, “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. She began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress soon after joining, but she kept pushing herself, believing that hard work and perseverance were the keys to success.”

Anna, originally from Kerala’s Kochi, became a CA in November 2023 and joined EY Pune in March 2024 as an executive. She died on July 20, her mother said. The cause of her death is unclear, but the email mentions details of her health conditions a few weeks before her demise. “She complained of 'chest constriction'. The cardiologist told us that she was not getting enough sleep and eating very late,” Anita stated.

Anita also described her daughter’s deteriorating condition, where Anna always returned home “exhausted”, only to be “bombarded” with messages asking for more reports. Anita asked her to quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure.

Anita called out EY for “glorifying overwork” and condemned the firm’s toxic work culture. She said, “This is a systemic issue that goes beyond individual managers or teams. The relentless demands and the pressure to meet unrealistic expectations are not sustainable, and they cost us the life of a young woman with so much potential.”

Highlighting the inconsiderate attitude of her team manager, Anita claimed her manager assigned work untimely with impossible deadlines, forcing her to work late into the night, at weekends with barely any time to rest. Recalling an incident, she said, “Her manager assigned her work at night with a deadline of the next morning. When she raised her concern, the manager responded- ‘You can work at night; that’s what we all do’.”

Anita also claimed that EY Pune employees skipped her daughter’s funeral, which was “hurtful”. “After her funeral, I reached out to her managers but 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?” she wrote in the letter. 

Similar experience

A former employee with EY GDS, Joseph Jochu, shared his experience with The Hindu. Currently based in Bangalore, Mr. Jochu said, “I used to work 12 hours minimum and had daily fallouts with the manager. If someone took leave, we were burdened with extra work. At times, I suffered panic attacks, so I left the job in five months.”

Mr Jochu worked with EY as an AML (Anti Money Laundering) analyst from December 2021 to April 2022. According to him, the company makes unrealistic commitments to the clients of completing work in a stipulated time frame and the pressure of achieving the target is put on staff.