"The excessive work pressure and toxic work culture took a toll on our daughter so much that it took her life. No other parent should have to endure this kind of pain. No one else should be treated this way."
It's been exactly two months since Sibi Joseph Perayil, a resident of Kerala's Kochi, lost his younger daughter Anna Sebastian Perayil – and the family is yet to come to terms with the loss.
On 20 July, Anna, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant (CA) employed at EY India in Pune, lost her life allegedly due to "backbreaking workload" and work-related stress, just four months after joining the company.
She collapsed in her rented accommodation in Pune after she allegedly encountered chest pain and uneasiness. The incident came to light after a letter written by her mother Anita Augustine to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani went viral on 17 September.
“EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be part of such a prestigious company. But four months later, on 20 July 2024, my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away.”Anita Augustine in her letter
Though he did not anticipate for the letter to be made public, Joseph told The Quint:
"We are not going to take any legal steps against the company."
In a statement released on 18 September, the auditing firm said that Anna's death was an "irreparable loss" to the company. Meanwhile, the Union government on Thursday, 19 September said that it will investigate allegations of an exploitative work environment.
'A Perfect Child... Excelled in Everything She Did'
Originally from Kochi, Anna is survived by her father Sibi Joseph, mother Anita Augustine, and older brother Arun Sebastian. Joseph is a retired bureaucrat who served as the additional secretary of agriculture in the Kerala government.
Speaking to The Quint, Anna's childhood friend Ann Mary described her as a "precious, flawless girl."
"Anna and I have known each other since school. She was perfect in every sense. She excelled in everything she did. She was a school topper, and a college topper, and passed her CA exams with distinction. She was also a great daughter, sister, and friend."Ann Mary to The Quint
After passing her CA examinations in November 2023, Anna joined SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, on 19 March 2024 as an Executive.
In her letter, Augustine described Anna as someone who was "full of life, dreams, and excitement for the future." "EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be part of such a prestigious company...." she added.
Adding to this, Ann Mary said that despite receiving offers from multiple companies, Anna chose EY India in Pune. "She wanted to work in a particular sector of auditing which the Pune branch offered. Though initially skeptical, she wanted to move out of home and experience life outside Kochi."
Originally from Kochi, Anna is survived by her father Sibi Joseph, mother Anita Augustine, and older brother Arun Sebastian.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
'Would Complain of Work Pressure... Had Sleepless Nights'
Life changed for 26-year-old Anna after she reached Pune. Her family said that 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...”Anita Augustine
Sibi Joseph told The Quint that his daughter confided in them about the "overwhelming workload," especially the additional tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work.
"We used to speak to her on call every day. She told us about how hectic work was for her. Sometimes she would call us crying. She was hardly getting any sleep and was unable to eat proper food due to her work schedule. Most of the days she used to work till 12:30 in the night and used to get back to her paying accommodation by 1:30 am. She never said no to anybody," Joseph said.
Ann Mary alleged that her friend faced "mental torture" due to the work pressure, forcing her to work even during the weekends.
"She would call me and send me voice notes crying. I would speak to her every day... She would tell me that she worked 16-17 hours a day and would sleep only 4-5 hours. She had no time for herself. In the last four months, she took only three days off. She used to complain about this often and it reached a point that we told her to quit the job."Ann Mary to The Quint
Sibi Joseph added that whenever they urged her to resign, Anna insisted that the job offered valuable exposure, and she planned to stay for a while longer.
"My wife and I would tell her several times to resign and come back to Kochi. We said we will find her a job here. But she said that she is getting more exposure in auditing and that EY was a reputed firm," added Anna's father.
In the letter addressed to EY India Head Rajiv Memani, Anita Augustine highlighted that several employees in Anna's team had resigned due to "excessive workload."
"When Anna joined this specific team, she was told that many employees had resigned due to the excessive workload, and the team manager told to her, 'Anna, you must stick around and change everyone’s opinion about our team.' My child didn’t realise she would pay for that with her life. Her manager would often reschedule meetings during cricket matches and assign her work at the end of the day, adding to her stress. At an office party, a senior leader even joked that she would have a tough time working under her manager, which, unfortunately, became a reality she could not escape."Anita Augustine in her letter
Her father also alleged that once Anna's assistant manager called her at night with a task that needed to be completed by the next morning. "When she raised concerns, she was told, 'You can work at night; that’s what we all do,'" he claimed.
Adding to this, Ann Mary said that when Anna raised concerns on working overtime, her senior allegedly told her, "You should be proud that you are working with this client in your first year."
'Doctor Asked Her to Get Enough Sleep'
Two weeks prior to Anna's death, both Sibi Joseph and his wife Anita travelled to Pune to attend their daughter's CA convocation.
"We reached Pune on 6 July. The next day, we took her to a hospital as she had been complaining of chest pain. She was kept for an observation for a few hours. Her ECG was normal, and the cardiologist said that there was nothing to worry. He did advise her to get enough sleep and eat on time. He prescribed antacids which reassured us that it wasn’t anything serious."Sibi Joseph to The Quint
However, soon after this, Anna allegedly returned to work as she wouldn't get leave, her father said. "Even on the day of her convocation, she joined us in the morning, but she was working from home even that day until the afternoon. We reached the convocation venue late," he added.
Anna and her parents at her convocation in Pune.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
"It was my daughter’s great dream to take her parents to her convocation with her own hard-earned money. She booked our flight tickets and took us. It breaks my heart to tell you that even during those two days, which were the last we would spend with our child, she couldn’t enjoy them because of the work pressure."Anita Augustine in her letter
Speaking to The Quint, Sibi Joseph alleged, "What they want is for them to complete work. They are not concerned about the well-being of the employee."
What Happened on 20 July?
The incident took place on 20 July after Anna returned home from work.
"I had been trying to reach out to her for 3-4 days. We spoke two hours before her death. Even on that day, she told me that she only had 5 minutes to speak as she had a late-night meeting. She had plans of coming to Kochi in the first week of August as her parents asked her to take work from home as they were worried."Ann Mary to The Quint
Anna Sebastian Perayil at her CA convocation on 7 July.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
According to Anna's father, she collapsed when she went to pick up her food from downstairs.
"My wife had spoken to her on video call at around 10 pm. Her childhood best friend too spoke to her... She had ordered food on Swiggy and went downstairs to collect it. But when she was climbing up the stairs, she collapsed. Her roommates then rushed her to the hospital..." he said.
But it was too late. Anna had already passed away after she allegedly suffered a cardiac arrest. “She had no prior health issues. She was very healthy and would often join me for morning jogs when she was home. This happened only due to work stress," Joseph said.
'No One Attended Her Funeral...'
Anna’s parents claimed that EY Pune employees skipped her daughter’s funeral.
“No one from EY in Pune or Kochi attended her funeral. We reached out to her managers but received no reply. How can a company which claims to speak of values fail to show up for one of its own in their final moments?” Joseph asked.
Joseph told The Quint that the family decided to write a letter to the chairman to "to ensure that even though our daughter is gone, such a thing should not happen to any other person."
Stating that Anna was a young professional starting her career, Joseph said, "She was trying to prove herself in a new environment, and in doing so, she pushed herself beyond her limits."
"This is not just an issue in EY, but across corporate offices in India. We sent a letter to the chairman only to ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone else. We didn't send it to punish them. But they need to take this seriously. They need to address the work issues. No one else should go through what we are. No one should endure this much pain."
In a LinkedIn post, EY India head Rajiv Memani expressed regret for missing Anna's funeral. "This is completely alien to our culture. It has never happened before; it will never happen again," he said.
In a statement, EY India 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. 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."
Meanwhile, Sibi Joseph confirmed that four officials from EY India visited their residence in Kochi on 19 September. “They didn’t promise anything. They said that they will look into the matter."
On Thursday, 19 September, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje assured that a proper probe would be conducted.
A day after the letter went viral, EY India chairman, in a leaked email to his employees, acknowledged that he had received an “anguished email from Anna’s mother” and that he had “taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility.”
In a separate LinkedIn post, Memani reiterated that that EY India's top-most priority was the "well-being" of its employees. "I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished," he said.
“We are all distraught. I still can’t believe that I lost my best friend. It's hard for me to accept that she's no longer here. It feels as though she's out there somewhere, not talking to me, as if we've had a fight,” concluded Ann Mary.
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