Ernst & Young India Chairman Rajiv Memani’s email addressing the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil was leaked online despite a “do not forward” directive.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who joined EY’s audit and assurance team in Pune in March, passed away just four months later at 26, allegedly due to extreme work stress. Her mother, Anita Augustine, accused EY of overworking her daughter and noted that no one from the company attended Anna’s funeral.
In her letter, Augustine described Anna’s grueling work schedule, including long hours and no weekends, which left her exhausted. Augustine criticized EY’s work culture for seemingly prioritizing overwork and neglecting employees’ well-being. She also noted a lack of response from Anna’s managers and company representatives following the funeral.
In response, Rajiv Memani sent an email to staff titled “News in Media,” which was intended to be confidential but was leaked on social media, notably Reddit. In his email, Memani acknowledged receiving Augustine’s distressed message and expressed his deep regret for the loss. He mentioned his communication with Anna’s family and included links for employees to provide feedback or seek support. Memani urged employees to handle the matter with sensitivity and compassion.
Dear all,
As you all would be aware, since yesterday, several messages regarding our firm have been circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
These pertain to the tragic passing away of Anna Sebastian on 20 July 2024, who joined us in our Assurance team in Pune on 18 March 2024, The fact that her journey with the firm was so short-lived – only four months – makes this tragedy even more poignant for all of us.
Anna hailed from Kochi and worked at our Pune office. During the difficult period following her passing, the firm was in regular contact with f sors of her family. While we acknowledge that 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 white respecting the family’s privacy and preferences.
Though no words can comfort a grieving family, I have personally expressed my condolences and have shared my deepest regret for their irreparable loss. I received an anguished e-mail from Anna’s mother and have taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility.
I would like to reaffirm to all of you that our firm places the highest importance on the health and well-being of our people, and we will recommit ourselves to providing a supportive, heatthy, and balanced work environment to you all. I would tike to make this an on-going dialogue with you to ensure we are continually building a healthy workplace for everyone.
We have several well-being programs and open channels of communication available in the firm to ensure that you always have a safe space to voice your concerns anonymously, including through our existing Speak Up forum and Ethics Hotline. We will also create more avenues for you to share transparent and honest feedback on our workplace practices.
If you ever face challenges or need guidance, I will strongly encourage you to please reach out to your team leaders, members of the talent team and your support network across the firm. I would like to personally assure you that when you speak up, you will be heard with empathy and understanding. If there are any suggestions that you have, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
In the meantime, I urge you to handle this information with the utmost compassion and sensitivity.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Warm regards,
Rajiv
Disclaimer: ‘The Daily Guardian’ could not independently verify the authenticity of the email.
