Woman Says Daughter Died Of "Overwork" At EY India, Company Responds

Facing criticism over the viral letter of a woman who alleged that her 26-year-old daughter had died of "overwork" just four months after joining Ernst & Young, the consulting firm promised to make efforts to make the work environment healthier. 

"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family," Ernst & Young, which is among the Big 4 consulting firms, said in a statement Wednesday. 

The company said they are providing all the assistance to the family and would find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace to its employees.

"While 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 and will continue to do so".

"We are taking the family's correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India", the firm added.

A letter written by the woman's mother to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani was in wide circulation on social media on Wednesday. In the letter, she claimed that her daughter died of "overwork" just four months after joining the company and no one from the organisation attended her funeral.  

She also describe how her daughter was thrilled to be part of EY as it was her first job.

"She was full of life, dreams, and excitement for the future. EY was her first job, and she was thrilled to be part of such a prestigious company. But four months later, on July 20th, 2024, my world collapsed when I received the devastating news that Anna had passed away. She was just 26 years old," she wrote.

Anna had cleared her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23 last year and joined EY Pune on March 19.