EY Employee Death: Workplace stress caused 26-year old Anna Sebastian Perayil death?

EY Employee Death: Anna Sebastian Perayil died just four months after joining EY India in March. Rahul Gandhi spoke with Anna Sebastian's parents via a video call arranged by the AIPC chairman Praveen Chakravarty who visited their home in Kochi.

EY Employee Death: Workplace stress caused 26-year old Anna Sebastian Perayil death?

Anna Sebastian Perayil, the 26-year-old EY India employee who allegedly died of 'overwork', sparking outrage and a nationwide debate on working conditions, was supposed to get married this month, one of her cousins has revealed.



Sunil George Kuruvilla, an assistant director at research and analytics firm Acuity Knowledge Partners, also recounted that Anna had two options: pursuing an MBA or chartered accountancy, and she chose the latter, going on to join EY India after finishing the course. Quoting Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken', he said: "And that has made all the difference."

After Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani on the challenges her daughter faced at work, Mr Memani said that he would not rest until the company accomplishes its objective of nurturing a harmonious workplace.

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On Friday, in a powerful and eloquent LinkedIn post, Kuruvilla said that although her cousin Anna is gone forever, she is more powerful than ever. He likened her to a canary in a coal mine and said what happened to her could save a young life "from the hands of a clear-eyed leader, which feels like the Grim Reaper's play."
"A few years ago, Anna was at a career crossroads between an MBA from IRMA and a CA degree. She had a long discussion with her father and ultimately decided to pursue a CA degree against her father's advice. To quote Frost, two roads diverged in the forest, but she chose the equally fair one. And that made all the difference," Kuruvilla wrote.

The manager said he called Anna's grandfather after learning of Anna's death. Her grandfather spoke at length, he recalled, with a trembling voice.

"I didn't even cry when he told me the wedding was planned for this month. Sometimes tears just aren't enough... Now we have to stop. But Anna lives on in me and in those who have fond memories of her. "Anna is stronger than ever," he wrote.

Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother describes the working condition

In her letter to Mr Memani, Ms. Augustine wrote that Anna passed her chartered accountancy exams on November 23 last year and joined EY Pune on March 19, dying just four months later. 

"She 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. But four months later, on July 20th, 2024, my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away. She was just 26 years old," she said.

The heartbroken mother said Anna's workload was so high that she had been complaining of chest constriction for a week after reaching her paying guest accommodation at 1 am every day and insisted on going to work even after seeing a doctor, saying she had a lot of tasks pending and would not get leave. 

Ms Augustine also pointed out that no one from the company had attended Anna's funeral, which the family found deeply hurtful, and added that she hoped that her letter would spark real change so that no other family has to endure what they went through.

Rahul Gandhi speaks with Anna's parents

In a video call arranged by Praveen Chakravarty, Chairman of the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC), Gandhi spoke with Anna's parents and offered his sympathies, praising the family’s courage in speaking out during such a difficult time. He also pledged to raise the issue in Parliament. 
"I spoke with the heartbroken parents of Anna Sebastian, a bright, ambitious young professional whose life was tragically cut short by harmful and unforgiving working conditions," Gandhi wrote on X, sharing a video of the conversation.

"In the face of unimaginable grief, Anna's mother demonstrated incredible courage and selflessness, transforming her personal loss into a powerful call for safer and more equitable workplaces for all," he added.

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