Billion Strong reposted this
Co-founder Billion Strong | Empowering Young Innovators with Disabilities | Curator, "Green Disability" | Exploring Conscious AI for Social Change | Advaita Vedanta | SDGs 10 & 17 |
Open Letter to EY India: A Tragic Reflection on Work Culture and Accountability To the Leadership at EY India, The tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old employee in your Pune office, exposes a glaring truth about how global corporations, especially those from the Global North, treat employees in countries like India. The differential standards in workplace ethics, employee care, and human rights are stark and undeniable. Anna's heartbreaking death, as her mother so poignantly expressed, was a consequence of relentless work pressure, a culture that glorifies overwork, and a lack of fundamental support for employees navigating the challenges of new environments. This incident demands introspection, not mere damage control. EY’s official statements expressing condolences are hollow when no one from the company attended Anna’s funeral. This absence reflects a troubling corporate culture that fails to see employees as individuals, treating them instead as expendable. Anna’s case highlights how employees in India are subjected to unmanageable workloads, deprived of basic support systems, and pushed to their limits without regard for their mental or physical well-being. The email from Rajiv Memani to staff, while expressing sympathy, subtly implies that EY’s focus will not be on improving the toxic work culture but on ensuring employees are "fit" enough to withstand it. The notion that the company would rather assess whether employees can endure exploitation rather than fix the conditions leading to burnout is disturbing. This response points to a mentality that treats workers as commodities rather than human beings. Anna’s death is not an isolated incident; it is symptomatic of a broader issue within your work environment. If EY is genuinely committed to employee welfare, it must go beyond surface-level expressions of sympathy. The exploitation of employees, particularly in countries like India, under the guise of productivity needs to end. Real change requires structural adjustments, manageable workloads, and a deep commitment to mental health and well-being. Anything less is a disservice to Anna and to all those who are silently enduring an exploitative workplace. In Grief, A Concerned Advocate for Workplace Justice #EY #EYIndia #EYPune #WorkPlace #SocialJustice #MentalHealth
The glorification of overworking is something that needs to be addressed from a workplace culture perspective. I know many who boast about working more than 80 hours a week and are on call always. It's not a badge of honour. For some reason, senior leadership believes that longer hours equal more productivity. That's not only baseless but also the major contributing factor to workplace stress. Companies like EY claim to be inclusive but how can a workplace that insists on untenable hours and views diversity only from the lens of economic gains ever be inclusive? Words don't make a difference without changing culture to be supportive of every employee and fostering environments that nourish instead of neglect.
Puneet Singh Singhal Thank you very much for sharing this letter. First of all, this is despicable on the part of EY, but a part of me is NOT AT ALL surprised. Hustle culture, overworking and a complete absence of work life balance equate to a fundamentally flawed work environment. The lack of empathy and emotional intelligence on EY’s part is absolutely appalling!
That is sad. This is one reason the younger generations are starting to turn away from working for these large corporate brands. #WeAreBillionStrong.
This is such a heartbreaking story. EY you need to do better than this.
Disabled Artist painting portraits of marginalised people
1moThere needs to be massive adjustment in priorities regarding life/work balances and treatment and support of employees. Its getting worse in the Global North too, so can only imagine how horrendous it must be in other more exploited countries. The letter is excellent but unfortunately, as shown from the comment of the guy below. There is no point appealing to the better nature of companies as they dont have one. I think the only way to exert influence and change in these situations is via collective action and unions etc. Though Im not up on what the law is in India regarding unions. Im so sorry to the family for their awful loss of their daughter