26-Year-Old EY Pune Employee Dies Due To 'Work Stress'; Mom Accuses Firm Of 'Glorifying Overwork'

New Delhi: The death of a 26 year old Charter Accountant at EY in Pune has yet again brought the spotlight onto work-life balance that is diminishing from the lives of several corporate office goers. 

Anna Sebastian Perayil, the EY Pune CA from Kerala, lost her life, with her mother alleging that it was due to office stress and overwork.

In a letter, addressed to, her mother wrote, "...Burdening newcomers with such backbreaking work, making tehm work day and night even on Sundays, has no justification whatsoever."

She highlighted that it is a 'systemic issue that goes beyond individual managers or teams'. "The relentless demands and the pressure to meet unrealistic expectations are not sustainable, and they cost us the life of a young woman with so much potential"

Her mother further described the work culture at EY that glorifies overwork, reminding the company that her daughter's death should serve as a wake-up call for EY.

Heartbreaking news from EY Pune - a young CA succumbed to the work pressure and nobody from EY even attended her funeral - this is so appalling and nasty!!! pic.twitter.com/pt8ThUKiNR — Malavika Rao (@kaay_rao) September 17, 2024

As per a report by digital healthcare platform MediBuddy and CII, published in July this year, around 62 per cent of Indian employees experience burnout, triple the global average of 20 per cent, due to work-related stress and poor work-life balance. The report also highlighted that a massive number of job seekers consider employee wellness programmes crucial in their decision-making process.