EY responds to tragic death of 26-year-old CA amid work pressure concerns: ‘Have provided all the assistance as…’

Ernst & Young on Wednesday released a statement after the death of a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant, Anna Sebastian Perayil, allegedly due to extreme work pressure at the firm, turned the spotlight on work-related stress.

In its statement, the accounting and advisory services firm said, “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.”

Anna Sebastian Perayil had worked at the EY Pune office for four months before she succumbed. The mother of the deceased young woman had sent a mail to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani flagging the ‘glorification’ of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.

In the statement, EY further said, “We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family.”

“Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the EY statement read.

Hinting at possible changes to make a rather conducive workplace environment, EY informed, “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.”

In her letter, Anna’s mother claimed that Ernst & Young was her daughter’s first job and she was thrilled about joining the company. Within just four months, however, Anna succumbed to “excessive workload.” 

Anna worked late into the night and even on weekends, returned to her paying guest accommodation completely exhausted on most days, and was burdened with “backbreaking work” as a newcomer, the letter to EY India head Rajiv Memani claimed.

What EY said in a statement on employee's death

“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family.

Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. 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 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."