People join jobs in the hope of a better life. They hope that in return for their hard work, their family’s ‘tomorrow’ will be secure. But what if the work culture of the workplace is bent on ruining their ‘today’! Just pay attention to these incidents from India and the world:
Anna Sebastian, who worked in EY India, died due to the pressure of toxic work culture. She had joined the company only 4 months ago. After this incident, the discussion on toxic work culture has intensified across India.
35 year old Leo Lucanas, who worked in Bank of America, also became a victim of work pressure and died due to a heart attack. He had to work for about 100 hours a week. After this there was a big uproar in America.
In India too, bank employees are under tremendous pressure of deadlines and overwork. In 2023, a video of an HDFC manager went viral in which he is seen abusing in an online meeting. Amid heavy criticism, the bank sacked the manager.
Similarly, videos of officials of Bandhan Bank and Canara Bank also surfaced where they were seen severely scolding their juniors for alleged ‘non-performance’.
Nikita Kumari, who worked at HSBC in Hyderabad, faced panic attacks and mental health issues due to the toxic work culture, after which she left the job. She shared her ordeal on LinkedIn.
There is a long list of such incidents in which voices were raised against the bad environment in big companies, but they became history in just one or two posts on social media.
There is a term in Japan called ‘Karoshi’. It means ‘overwork deaths’. It means deaths caused by physical and mental stress in a toxic environment at the workplace. The Japanese government considered it a socio-economic problem and made policies to address mental health. Perhaps some such reforms are needed in India today.
The country was shaken by the death of Anna Sebastian
Anna Sebastian, who worked in EY, died in Pune on 20 July 2024. When her mother Anita Augustine wrote a letter to the company’s chairman Rajiv Memani, the whole country’s attention was drawn to it.
The cardiologist did not find any heart related problem in Anna and said that her main problem was lack of sleep. The cardiologist also said that Anna was also suffering from acidity and acid reflux due to irregular eating habits. On July 20, while climbing to the second floor, Anna fainted and fell down and died.
According to Anita Sebastian, Anna died due to work stress and other reasons. Anna was given extra work by her manager, due to which Anna was under stress.
70% of employees in India are dissatisfied with their jobs
Some surveys have highlighted the huge problem of toxic working environment.
Happiest Places to Work ‘Happiness at Work’ A popular report named has been released. It has revealed that 70% of Indian employees are dissatisfied with their jobs, while 54% even want to leave their jobs.
Similarly, YourDost conducted a survey of 5,000 employees in July. It revealed that employees between the ages of 21 and 30 are most stressed. This means that new entrants to the industry are most stressed.
Delhi High Court While hearing an anticipatory bail in 2023, the Supreme Court had described toxic work culture and related deaths as a social problem. The court had said that to solve this, the government, labor unions, corporates and health officials need to formulate the right policies together.
But are big companies ready to change the situation?
But is the work culture being taken care of while advocating for long hours? Employees are already under pressure of long hours.
But in the meantime the RPG group Harsh Goenka, Chairman There are also people like them who are advocating major changes in the working culture of India.
According to ‘Happiness at Work’, the main reasons for dissatisfaction with the job include conflicts with the boss and colleagues, inability to speak openly, inability to pursue personal interests, uncertainty of the job and lack of freedom in work.
Harsh Goenka has written the introduction to this report. He has also given important suggestions to end the toxic work culture on Twitter.
Prioritize employee well-being: Implement mental health programs, manageable workloads, and wellness initiatives.
It is important to provide mentorship support to new people so that they can adjust to their new role and environment.
Don’t let burnout set in: Stop glorifying overwork. Reward efficiency, not long hours.
Open communication: Create an environment in which employees’ concerns can be addressed. They should not fear retaliation.
Accountable Leadership: Leaders should be held accountable for toxic work environments.
Encourage work-life balance: Clear boundaries between work and personal time.
It is hoped that Anna Sebastian’s death will not go in vain and the debate on work culture across the country will bring about some concrete changes.
