Work-life balance: Ajit Pawar expresses concern over EY employee's death

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has raised the cases of “young people dying due to stress”, referring to the death of a 26-year-old Ernst & Young employee in Pune, allegedly because of extreme work pressure.

Pawar, who is the guardian minister of Pune, said in a post on X on Thursday that he was saddened to learn about the death of the EY employee “due to stress”.

Very saddened to hear about the death of a 26-year-old employee of EY in Pune. The rising cases of young people dying due to stress need our attention. I hope Ernst & Young India will take corrective steps.https://t.co/JADVq8kRkK

— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) September 19, 2024

“The rising cases of young people dying due to stress need our attention. I hope Ernst & Young India will take corrective steps,” he said.

Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023, worked at the EY Pune office for four months before she succumbed. Her mother this month wrote to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani flagging the “glorification” of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.

The Ministry of Labour & Employment on Thursday said it is investigating the alleged “unsafe and exploitative work environment”.

The woman’s father, Siby Joseph, spoke to the media on Thursday and said his daughter had to work through the night, till 12.30 am. “We advised her to quit, but she insisted that this stint would provide valuable professional exposure,” he said.

He said the issue of extreme work pressure was mentioned before the senior officials of the company, but no action was taken.

After the matter went viral on social media, EY on Wednesday issued a statement saying it was deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024.

EY said it would continue to improve and provide a healthy workplace in its offices throughout the country.