Recently, the mother of a deceased employee wrote a letter to the Indian leadership of Ernst & Young, after which a big uproar is being seen on social media. Anita Augustine, mother of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, wrote a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani in which she mentioned the poor work culture in the company’s Pune office.
The letter was circulated on social media
The letter mentions that Anna was made to work excessively by her seniors. She was forced to work extra hours and even on weekends, which led to her death. A copy of the letter was circulated on social media. However, NDTV Profit has not received a response from her parents.
Anna’s mother wrote in her letter that she worked tirelessly at EY. However, the work pressure, new environment and long hours affected her physically, mentally and emotionally.
She was a resident of Kochi and had joined the audit team at the Pune office of SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in March. She died in July due to cardiac arrest.
What did mother tell in the letter?
The letter also mentions Ana’s work. According to it, her manager used to reschedule meetings during cricket matches and give her work at the end of the day. According to her mother, this increased Ana’s already heavy workload.
When Anna joined the audit team, she was warned that many other employees had left the team due to excessive workload and stress. She was told to stay in the team and change everyone’s perception of the team. She would often come home so tired that she could not even change her clothes before going to bed.
Her mother also referred to EY’s human rights statement. The statement states that everyone has the right to work in a physically and mentally safe work environment.
According to a person familiar with the matter, current and former senior leaders at EY are discussing the matter. Many people have pointed out that there should be some relaxation in the work culture so that attention can be paid to the health of the employees.
Memani is looking into the matter directly. HR is investigating the matter internally. However, it is not clear why the investigation is being conducted two months after Ana’s death.
An EY spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that it is a great loss that his career has been cut short in such a tragic way. While nothing can compensate for the family’s loss, we have provided all the help we can, as we always do and will continue to do in times of such stress.
