“Irreparable loss for all of us,” says EY India on death of 26-year-old CA | Company News

“Anna would return to her room completely exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without fresh clothes, and then be bombarded with messages asking her for more reports. She made every effort and worked very hard to meet deadlines,” Augustine wrote in the letter.

“She was a fighter through and through and not one to give up easily. We told her to stop, but she wanted to learn and gain new experiences. However, the overwhelming pressure proved to be too much even for her,” she added.

In the statement, EY India said that Anna was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune. She joined the firm on March 18, 2024. According to her mother's letter, she died on July 20.

The Big Four company said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic and untimely death of Anna Sebastian in July 2024” and expressed “our deepest condolences to the grieving family.”

“The fact that her promising career has ended in this tragic way is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the statement said.

“While no measure can compensate for the loss the family has suffered, we have, as always in such times of need, provided and will continue to provide all possible assistance,” it added.

“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 improve and ensure the health of our 100,000 employees in EY member firms in India,” the statement added.

In recent months, several cases have emerged at leading management consultancies and investment banks around the world in which employees complained about high work pressure.

A report released earlier this month by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Boston Consulting Group found that 58 percent of Indians suffer from burnout and exhaustion at work – a significantly higher percentage than the global average of 48 percent.

A similar incident occurred in February this year when Saurabh Kumar Laddha, a 25-year-old consultant at McKinsey & Company, committed suicide allegedly due to pressure at work.

“We also found some messages in which he talks about work pressure,” police said.

Back in January, Goldman Sachs' former head of human resources sued the investment bank for over a million pounds. He claimed that the bank had required him to work “unreasonable and excessively long hours”, which had led to “physical and psychological harm” and “suicide attempts”.

In the viral letter, Anna's mother wrote that she wished she could have protected her and told her that her health and well-being were more important than anything else.

“But it is too late for my Anna,” the letter said.

First published: September 18, 2024 | 6:01 p.m. IS