Shashi Tharoor Calls for Action Against ‘Toxic Work Culture’ After Meeting EY Employee’s Parents

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has reignited the debate on “work culture” after meeting the parents of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant employed at Ernst and Young (EY) who tragically passed away due to a heart attack allegedly caused by “overwork.”

Tharoor’s Call for Accountability and Reform

In a heartfelt post on X, Tharoor shared his thoughts after visiting Anna’s parents, emphasizing the urgent need for an inquiry, accountability, and reform of work culture norms. “Paid an emotional visit to the parents of EY India’s Anna Sebastian Perayil, who died of a heart attack at age 26 from overwork and intolerable stress & pressure from her managers,” Tharoor wrote. He stressed the need for new laws and regulations to tackle the toxic work environment in under-staffed, profit-driven companies.

“If a company needs 16-hour days and nights from its employees all the time, it needs to hire more people, not abuse the rights of those it recruits and exploits,” Tharoor asserted.

Pushing for an 8-Hour Workday

Last week, Tharoor advocated for an 8-hour workday, five days a week, and pledged to bring up this issue in the next Parliament session. Following a conversation with Anna’s father, he agreed to push for legislation to enforce a standardized work schedule in both public and private sectors. “Inhumanity at the workplace must be legislated out of existence with stringent punishment and fines for offenders. Human rights do not stop at the workplace,” he stated.

EY Responds to Public Outcry

Anna Sebastian Perayil, originally from Kerala, passed away in July after just four months at EY’s Pune office. Her mother, Anita Augustine, penned a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, condemning the “glorification” of overwork, which quickly went viral.

In response, EY issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over Anna’s “tragic and untimely” death. The company mentioned that it employs approximately 100,000 people across its member firms in India and noted that Anna had been with SR Batliboi during her brief stint. EY also stated that they have been in touch with the family and assisting them but acknowledged the recent letter from the family addressing concerns over the “excessive workload.”

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