Days after the death of 26-year-old Ernst & Young (EY) consultant Anna Sebastian, allegedly due to “work stress,” another corporate employee has come forward to discuss his own challenges with toxic work culture. Jayesh Jain, a former Deloitte employee from Indore, recounted his experience, stating he could “totally understand what Anna would have gone through.”
Sharing His Story
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Jain revealed how excessive work hours affected both his physical and mental health. “With the EY case gaining attention, I want to share my experience at Deloitte,” he said, attaching screenshots of conversations with colleagues that occurred as early as 5 AM.
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
— Jayesh Jain (@arey_jainsaab) September 18, 2024
Grueling Work Schedules
The messages show a taxing work schedule, with employees working up to 20-hour shifts but only being able to officially log 15 hours. One message from 5:12 AM said, “I was also sitting here with a lot all the time for FI-HI doubts.” At 4:08 AM, another colleague expressed their frustration, stating, “Bahot ho gaya” (That’s enough), and suggested, “turn off the laptop.” Another message showed a colleague planning to file a complaint. Employees also struggled to balance work with their health, as seen in messages like, “Mere se nahi hora bilkul: Chakkar aare hai” (I can’t do it at all: I feel dizzy).
It's happening due to no law to safeguard employee in india. These companies can not exploite employee overseas due to strong laws.
— Neeraj SRIVASTAVA (@neerajs15569427) September 19, 2024
A Warning to Others
Mr. Jain concluded his post by offering sympathy to Anna’s family, writing, “Always remember, you are just an employee number for them. But for your family, you are everything.” He expressed relief that he had managed to leave the company in time.
Reactions on Social Media
The post garnered reactions from others who shared similar frustrations. One user commented, “It’s happening because there are no laws in India to protect employees. These companies can’t exploit workers overseas due to stricter laws.”
Another recounted a similar story from KPMG, where employees were asked to clock in for only 9-10 hours despite working over 14 hours daily.
My friend who is working in KPMG is asked to punch in only 9-10 hours and he is working more than 14 hours each day.
Alag hi scam hai and people have normalised it.
— Sachin (@CrypticReally) September 19, 2024
As public outrage grows over the circumstances surrounding Anna Sebastian’s death, the Union Labour Ministry has announced an investigation into the work environment at EY. Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje confirmed that the ministry is looking into claims of unsafe and exploitative conditions.
