The Pune office of EY faced a probe after the tragic death of 26-year-old audit executive Anna Sebastian Perayil, whom her mother blames was succumbing to an overwhelming workload. According to a senior government official, the office has operated since 2007 without the state permit stipulated in the Shops and Establishments Act regulating working hours.
The incident has prompted an investigation by the central government over concerns for employee welfare in high-stress working conditions. The debate for increased job protection arguments has significantly heated up, especially after the May suicide of a junior Bank of America banker. JPMorgan recently took the lead when the company announced the creation of a new position that would work specifically to identify the health concerns of employees.
Maharashtra’s additional labor commissioner, Shailendra Pol, said the company hadn’t registered itself under the state’s Shops and Establishments Act, which caps adult working hours at nine per day and 48 per week. “The company applied for registration only in February 2024, which was rejected due to its long-standing non-compliance since 2007,” he said, referring to a weeklong opportunity for EY to explain the oversight. The offense would attract a six-month imprisonment or fines up to ₹500,000 if its violation led to an accident, injury, or even death.
EY India has so far refused to comment on the matter but has stated, “We are deeply concerned about the well-being of our colleagues and have always been committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment. We are also deeply disturbed by the letter written by the family.”
Her mother, Anita Augustine, in her now-viral letter, recounted the “backbreaking” work routine her daughter had to endure. “She never had time to breathe,” Augustine wrote, pointing out she was working late into the night into weekends. Her family said she died of cardiac arrest.
This team at Pol also seeks information from EY, including employee hourly logs, wellbeing policies, whether Perayil was exposed to out-of-ordinary workload expectations during her time as an associate, and similar questions.
