All workplaces need fixed work hours, say Shashi Tharoor and EY employee Anna's father

Pune

As a 26-year-old employee's death continues to spark anger in India, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday suggested a 40-hour work week. Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant (CA) from Kerala, passed away after working with tax consultancy major Ernst&Young (EY) for four months. Her mother wrote to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani and blamed overwork and stress for her daughter's death. 

Tharoor shared on his X handle that he had a "deeply emotional and heartrending" conversation with her father, Sibi Joseph. He stressed the need for legislation regarding the workplace, both private and public, to limit work hours to 8 hours a day, five days a week. 

Tharoor shared that Anna passed away after suffering from a cardiac arrest after "four months of deeply stressful seven-day weeks of 14 hours a day" at the Big Four accounting firm.

"He (Anna's father) suggested, and I agreed, that I raise the issue of legislating, through Parliament, a fixed calendar for all workplaces, whether in the private sector or the public, that would not exceed eight hours a day, five days a week," Mr Tharoor said.

He further called for punishing such offenders who bring "inhumanity" to the workplace.

"Inhumanity at the workplace must be legislated out of existence with stringent punishment and fines for offenders. Human rights do not stop at the workplace," the Congress MP wrote.

Tharoor said he will raise the matter in the Parliament during the next session of Parliament likely to commence in December.

Anna's father speaks on his daughter's trauma

After her mother's letter caused an uproar, her father spoke to the media this week and detailed the agonising time his daughter was going through at the company. He said that she 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," Siby Joseph said.

He also claimed that she had raised the issue of extreme work pressure with the senior officials of the EY, but they normalised overwork.

"She had complained to the assistant manager, but they insisted on working even at night," he said.

The family doesn't plan on taking legal action and simply wants no one else to suffer the same fate. "We are not planning to move legally, but we don't want anyone else to face the same fate. We don't want the newbies joining such corporate companies to face similar situations," Sibi Joseph said.

EY India Chairman On Anna Sebastian Perayil's Death

The chairman of EY, Rajiv Memani, in a statement, said that the company places the "highest importance" on the well-being of its employees.

"I would like to affirm that the well-being of our people is my top-most priority and I will personally champion this objective. I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished," he added.

Anna's mother also mentioned in the letter that no one from the company attended her funeral, which deeply hurt the family. Mentioning this, Memani wrote, "I truly regret the fact that we missed being present at Anna's funeral. This is completely alien to our culture. It has never happened before; it will never happen again."