“Anna has always been a fighter, from her childhood to her academic years, where she excelled in everything she did. She was a topper in school, and also a topper in college, excelled in extracurricular activities, and passed her CA exams with excellence. She worked tirelessly at EY, and gave her all to meet the demands placed on her,” she wrote in the letter.
He added, “Imposing such tough work on newcomers, making them work day and night, even on Sundays, is in no way fair. She had just left her hometown and loved ones. Everything was new for her – the organisation, the place, the language – and she was trying very hard to adjust. You should show some respect to new employees. Instead, the management took full advantage of the fact that she was new and overwhelmed her with both assigned and unassigned work.”
The full text of the letter is here
On behalf of Anitha Augustine, mother of late Ms. Anna Sebastian Perayil
To, Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India
Dear Rajiv,
I am writing this letter as a grieving mother who has lost her beloved child Anna Sebastian Perayil. My heart is heavy, and my spirit is broken as I write these words, but I believe it is important to share our story in the hopes that no other family has to suffer the pain we have suffered.
Anna passed her CA exams in November 2023 and joined EY Pune as an executive on March 19, 2024. She was full of enthusiasm for life, dreams and the future. EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be a part of such a prestigious company. But four months later, on July 20, 2024, my world came crashing down when I got the devastating news that Anna had passed away. She was just 26 years old.
Anna has always been a fighter, from her childhood to her academic years, where she excelled in whatever she did. She topped school, and also in college, excelled in extracurricular activities, and passed her CA exams with distinction. She worked tirelessly at EY, and gave her all to meet its demands. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally. Soon after joining she began experiencing anxiety, sleeplessness, and stress, but she pushed herself forward, believing that hard work and perseverance are the keys to success.
On Saturday, July 6, my husband and I reached Pune to attend Anna’s CA convocation. Since she had been complaining of chest tightness for the past one week, we rushed her to the hospital in Pune when she reached her PG late at night (around 1 am). Her ECG was normal, and the cardiologist came to allay our fears, telling us that she was not getting enough sleep and was eating very late. He prescribed antacids, which reassured us that it was nothing serious. Though we had come from Kochi, she insisted on going to work after seeing the doctor, saying there was a lot of work to do and she would not get leave. That night, she again returned late to her PG. On Sunday, July 7, the day of her convocation, she joined us in the morning, but that day too she was working from home till afternoon, and we reached the convocation venue late.
It was my daughter’s dream to take her parents to the convocation with her hard-earned money. She booked our flight tickets and took us. It pains my heart to tell you that even those two days, which were the last days she was to spend with our daughter, she could not enjoy them due to work pressure.
When Anna joined this specific team, she was told that many employees had resigned due to the excessive workload, and the team manager said to her, “Anna, you should stay here and
Change everyone’s opinion about our team.” My daughter didn’t realize she would pay the price for this with her life.
Her manager would often reschedule meetings during cricket matches and assign her work at the end of the day, which added to her stress. At an office party, a senior leader joked that she would find it difficult to work under her manager, which unfortunately became a reality she couldn’t escape.
Anna told us about her excessive workload, especially the verbally assigned extra tasks on top of official work. I would tell her not to do such things, but the managers were ruthless. She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no chance to breathe. Once her assistant manager called her in at night to do a task that had to be completed by the next morning, giving her no time to rest or recover. When she expressed her concerns, she received the dismissive response, “You can work at night; that’s what we all do.”
Anna would return to her room completely exhausted, sometimes even falling into bed without changing her clothes, and then she would be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was doing her best, working very hard to meet deadlines. She was a total fighter, not giving up easily. We asked her to leave, but she wanted to learn and gain new experience. However, the extreme pressure proved too much even for her.
Anna would never blame her managers. She was too kind for that. But I couldn’t keep quiet. It is in no way fair to impose such a difficult task on newcomers, making them work day and night, even on Sundays. She had just left her hometown and loved ones. Everything was new to her—the organization, the place, the language—and she was trying very hard to adjust. You should show some respect to new employees. Instead, management took full advantage of the fact that she was new and overwhelmed her with both assigned and unassigned work.
This is a systemic issue that goes beyond individual managers or teams. The constant demands and pressure to meet unrealistic expectations are not sustainable, and they cost us the life of a young woman who did not have a lot of potential.
Anna was a young professional who had just started her career. Like many people in her position, she didn’t have the experience or ability to set boundaries or resist unreasonable demands. She didn’t know how to say ‘no.’ She was trying to prove herself in a new environment, and in doing so, she pushed herself beyond her limits. And now, she’s no longer with us.
I wish I could protect her, tell her that her health and well-being matter more than anything. But it’s too late for my Anna.
I am writing to you now, Rajiv, because I believe EY has a huge responsibility to ensure the well-being of its employees. Anna’s experience sheds light on the work culture that seems to be
Glorifying excessive work and ignoring the humans behind the roles. This isn’t just about my daughter; it’s about every young professional who joins EY full of hopes and dreams, but is burdened by unrealistic expectations. I took the time to read EY’s human rights statement, signed by you. I can’t reconcile the values expressed in that statement with the reality my daughter faces. How can EY actually start living up to the values it proclaims?
Anna’s death is a wake-up call for EY. Now is the time to reflect on the work culture within your organisation and take meaningful steps to prioritise the health and wellbeing of your employees. This means creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up, where they are supported to manage their workload and where their mental and physical health are not sacrificed for the sake of productivity.
No one from EY attended Anna’s funeral. This absence at such a crucial moment, for an employee who gave her all to your organisation until her last breath, is deeply hurtful. Anna deserved better, and so do all the employees who continue to work under these conditions. My heart aches not only for the loss of her child but also for the lack of empathy shown by those who were supposed to guide and support her. After her funeral, I contacted her managers, but I received no response. How can a company that talks about values and human rights not show up in the last moments of one of its own members?
Becoming a Chartered Accountant requires years of hard work, difficulty and sacrifice – not just for the student but also for the parents. My child’s years of hard work went to waste because of EY’s callous attitude of just four months.
I hope this letter reaches you with the gravity it deserves. I don’t know if anyone can truly understand the feelings of a mother as she puts her baby to sleep – the baby she held in her arms, watched grow, play, cry and share dreams with – unless they have experienced the same pain.
I hope that my child’s experience will bring about real change so that no other family has to suffer the pain and trauma we are going through. My Anna is no longer with us, but her story can still bring about change.
Best regards, Anita Augustine.
