EY responds to tragic death of 26-year-old CA due to work pressure concerns: “Have provided all possible support…”

Accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young released a statement after the incident of 26-year-old auditor Anna Sebastian Perayil, who succumbed to work pressure at the firm, came to light. EY said in its statement, “Although no measure can compensate for the family's loss, we have provided every support as always in such times of need and will continue to do so.”

Anna Sebastian Perayil had worked at the EY office in Pune for four months before she succumbed to her injuries. The deceased young woman's mother had sent an email to EY Chairman Rajiv Memani in India denouncing the “glorification” of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.

In its statement, EY said: “We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely death in July 2024 and our deepest condolences go out to the grieving family.”

“Anna was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a short period of four months and joined the firm on March 18, 2024. That her promising career has ended in this tragic way is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the EY statement continued.

Hinting at possible changes to create a conducive work environment, EY said, “We receive the family's correspondence with utmost seriousness and humility. The wellbeing of all employees is our highest priority and we will continue to look for ways to provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 employees across EY member firms in India.”

In her letter, Anna's mother claimed that Ernst & Young was her daughter's first job and that she was excited about the opportunity to join the company. However, after just four months, Anna succumbed to the “excessive workload.”

Anna worked late into the night and on weekends, returned to her guest accommodation completely exhausted on most days and had to do “backbreaking work” as a newcomer, the letter to EY India CEO Rajiv Memani said.