Controversy surrounding EY India chairman, employee death, and work pressure

The sudden death of a female employee of Ernst & Young – Anna Sebastian Perayil – has sparked massive outrage online after her mother’s heart-wrenching letter. Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani responded to the ‘work pressure’ claims.

After the heart-wrenching letter from the mother of a 26-year-old employee who passed away, Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani responded, denying the ‘work pressure’ claims. Anna Sebastian Perayil, an employee at Ernst & Young India, died in July this year. The issue gained attention when Anna’s mother wrote a distressing letter to the company’s boss, which went viral online and sparked widespread outrage.

What Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani Said?

Responding to the demise, Rajiv Memani dismissed the claims that work pressure could have contributed to Anna’s death. He stated that she was assigned responsibilities similar to any other employee.
“We have around one lakh employees. There is no doubt each one has to work hard. Anna worked with us only for four months. She was allotted work like any other employee. We don’t believe that work pressure could have claimed her life,” The Indian Express quoted Rajiv Memani as saying.

Memani Condoled Anna’s Death

The Ernst & Young India Chairman also expressed condolences on Anna’s sudden demise and called it an irreparable loss for the company.
“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,” Memani said in a statement on Wednesday.

A Reply To The Deceased Employee’s Mother

Memani assured us that he’d replied to the correspondence sent by Anita Augustine, Anna’s mother, pledging both support and the implementation of more measures to strengthen the system. He said, “We view the family’s outreach as profoundly important and deserving utmost respect. We consider the welfare of all our staff key, and will never stop striving for improvements to provide a positive work atmosphere for our wide network of 100,000 employees across all EY branches in India.”

What Did The Deceased Employee’s Mother Say?

Anna’s mom fondly shared that her daughter stepped into the professional world through her first job at EY, an experience that Anna cherishes. She painted a picture of Anna as a tenacious personality who sailed through her academic journey with flying colors by smashing all her tests. According to her mom, one could sense the high levels of dedication Anna showed in her work at EY; she wholeheartedly embraced the challenges of her role.