'Chakkar aa rahe hai': After EY employee's tragic death, former Deloitte staff recounts working for 20 hours
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Sep 19, 2024, 9:51 PM ISTThe tragic death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY), has brought to light the harsh working conditions in many corporate environments, particularly in large consulting firms.
The tragic death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY), has brought to light the harsh working conditions in many corporate environments, particularly in large consulting firms. Anna, who had joined EY just four months prior, passed away due to severe overwork, according to her mother. This incident has sparked widespread debate and drawn significant public attention to the mental and physical toll such environments place on employees.
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Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, penned an emotional letter that has since gone viral, outlining how her daughter was subjected to unrelenting pressure and long working hours at EY. According to Anita, the overwork Anna experienced led directly to her untimely death, shedding light on the darker side of corporate culture within consulting firms.
Anna's case is far from an isolated one. Many current and former employees of consulting firms, particularly the "Big 4" firms, have come forward to share their own experiences of grueling work schedules and relentless expectations. These firms—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG, and EY—are known for their demanding work environments, where employees often face extreme pressure to meet tight deadlines and client expectations, frequently at the expense of their health and well-being.
The outpouring of shared stories has added to the discourse on the exploitative work culture in large multinational corporations (MNCs) and consulting firms. Jayesh Jain, a former employee of Deloitte - one of the Big 4, took to social media to express his sympathies for Anna’s case. He shared that during his time at a similar firm, employees routinely worked up to 20 hours a day, but were only allowed to bill for 15.
"With EY case getting some lights. I would like to share my personal experience at Deloitte. Attaching some screenshots of chats with my team mate - friend where we were discussing the work and our health at 5AM in the morning. We use to work for around 20 hours and they won’t even let us charge more than 15 hours. I can totally understand what Anna would have gone through. Always remember you are just an employee number for them. But for your family you are everything. Corporate life is tough. Glad that I was able to get out from there in time.," he wrote in a post on X, which has gone viral since then.
With EY case getting some lights. I would like to share my personal experience at Deloitte.
Attaching some screenshots of chats with my team mate - friend where we were discussing the work and our health at 5AM in the morning.
We use to work for around 20 hours and they won’t… pic.twitter.com/EjtqWjhwSm
Other social media users echoed similar concerns, highlighting instances where employees were pressured to respond to work messages even during personal or medical appointments. One user recounted how their sister, employed at a Big 4 firm, was forced to respond to work-related messages even while sitting in a dentist’s chair on a day off. These incidents emphasize the extent to which work often intrudes into employees' personal lives, leading to burnout and extreme stress.
In another account, a user shared their first job experience, where they were expected to attend client meetings late into the night and mimic the workaholic behavior of their boss, who placed unreasonable demands on his team.
Many commentators have pointed out the lack of strong labour laws in India that could protect employees from such exploitative practices. While overwork is a global issue in many high-pressure industries, the absence of strict labour regulations in India allows these practices to persist unchecked. Employees are often afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs, leaving them with little recourse when faced with such demanding environments.
Anna’s death has resonated with many across the country, leading to a broader discussion about the need for reform in corporate work culture, particularly in industries where long hours and extreme pressure are normalized.
The tragic incident has also caught the attention of public figures. Saket Gokhale, a Member of Parliament and National Spokesperson for the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), has vowed to bring the issue to Parliament. He expressed deep concern over Anna’s death, condemning the brutal work culture prevalent in many private firms and consultancies.
Gokhale also cited the letter written by Anna’s mother, which highlighted the extreme work demands placed on her daughter. In response, he has written to the Labour Secretary of Maharashtra, calling for a thorough investigation into the working conditions at EY. Gokhale is urging the government to examine the systemic issues that led to Anna’s death and to hold firms accountable for the well-being of their employees.
In his letter to the Labour Secretary, Gokhale pressed for a review of the labour practices at EY, specifically calling for an investigation into the work pressures Anna endured. He also emphasized the broader issue of corporate overwork, calling for systemic reforms to protect employees from such harsh conditions.
As the outcry surrounding Anna’s death continues to grow, it has become clear that the issue of corporate overwork is not confined to a single firm or industry. The incident has reignited calls for stronger labour protections and has drawn attention to the need for cultural change within the corporate world.
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