Ernst & Young responds after mother of 26-year-old Indian employee claims she died due to work stress

After the death of her daughter, Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother Anita Augustine wrote an email to the company head Rajiv Memani slamming the firm for "glorifying overwork".

Perayil's mother claimed that while several employees of Ernst & Young quit over "excessive workload", her daughter was told by her boss to "stick around and change everyone’s opinion about the team".

"Her assistant manager once called her at night with a task that needed to be completed by the next morning, leaving her with barely any time to rest or recover. When she voiced her concerns, she was met with the dismissive response: ‘You can work at night; that’s what we all do," Augustine wrote in the email.

In response, the company has shown deep sadness for the death of Perayil, who was a Chartered Accountant from Kerala. 

"While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so. We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family," the firm, which is one of the largest professional services networks in the world, said in a statement.

Anita wrote in her email to EY India that her daughter's death is a "wake-up call" for the company and now it should take steps to "prioritise health and wellness" of its employees.

The company, which is headquartered in London, has tried to accept the grieving mother's suggestion as it says in its response, "We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India."

EY has responded to the death expressing "deep sadness" saying "we are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility". Photo credit: LinkedIn Screenshot.

EY has responded to the death expressing "deep sadness" saying "we are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility". Photo credit: LinkedIn Screenshot.

Weeks before her death, Perayil was complaining of 'chest constriction' following which she was taken to a hospital in Pune.

The concerned cardiologist had said Perayil, who died on July 20, was sleep deprived and eating late leading to the complications.

Augustine has also claimed none from the company had attended the funeral of her daughter.

She said as quoted by Hindustan Times, "No one from EY attended Anna's funeral… After her funeral, I reached out to her managers, but I 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?"