EY India chairman's email on Anna's death with 'do not forward' directive gets leaked. Here's what he said...

Amid the brewing controversy over the heart-wrenching letter of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother Anita Augustine who has blamed Ernst & Young's toxic work culture for her daughter's death, the company's India chairman Rajiv Memani sent an email to the staff with a “do not forward” directive which eventually got leaked online.

Anna had joined the audit and assurance team of the company in Pune in March of this year and died after four months allegedly because of extreme work stress.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The girl's mother in a strongly-worded letter called out the company for ignoring employees' well-being and having a toxic work culture and also highlighted how her colleagues even failed to attend her funeral.

Also Read:EY under fire after 26-year-old employee dies tragically due to 'work stress'

The mother said that her daughter received no weekends and often came back “utterly exhausted" from the office.

“I am writing to you now, Rajiv, because I believe EY has a profound responsibility to ensure the well-being of its employees. Anna's experience sheds light on a work culture that seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human beings behind the roles,” said Augustine, in her letter.

EY India chairman's leaked email

The leaked email, which is said to have been sent by Rajiv Memani to staff, has the subject line “News in media” after the letter written by Augustine went viral.

The email was sent with a “do not forward” directive, however, it got leaked on Reddit and has been widelycirculated on social media.

In the letter, the chairman spoke about receiving an “anguished email from Anna’s mother” and said that he had “taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility.”

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of the post shared on social media. While filing this copy, we reached out to the company for their statement over the same which will be added after receiving the response.

Here's the entire text of Rajiv Memani’s email

Dear all,

As you all would be aware, since yesterday, several messages regarding our firm have been circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

These pertain to the tragic passing away of Anna Sebastian on 20 July 2024, who joined us in our Assurance team in Pune on 18 March 2024. The fact that her journey with the firm was so short-lived - only four months - makes this tragedy even more poignant for all of us.

Anna hailed from Kochi and worked at our Pune office. During the difficult period following her passing, the firm was in regular contact with members of her family. While we acknowledge that 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 while respecting the family's privacy and preferences.

Though no words can comfort a grieving family, I have personally expressed my condolences and have shared my deepest regret for their irreparable loss. I received an anguished e-mail from Anna's mother and have taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility.

I would like to reaffirm to all of you that our firm places the highest importance on the health and well-being of our people, and we will recommit ourselves to providing a supportive, healthy, and balanced work environment to you all. I would like to make this an ongoing dialogue with you to ensure we are continually building a healthy workplace for everyone.

We have several well-being programs and open channels of communication available in the firm to ensure that you always have a safe space to voice your concerns anonymously, including through our existing Speak Up forum and Ethics Hotline. We will also create more avenues for you to share transparent and honest feedback on our workplace practices.

If you ever face challenges or need guidance, I will strongly encourage you to please reach out to your team leaders, members of the talent team and your support network across the firm. I would like to personally assure you that when you speak up, you will be heard with empathy and understanding. If there are any suggestions that you have, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

In the meantime, I urge you to handle this information with the utmost compassion and sensitivity.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Warm regards,

Rajiv

Centre to investigate death of E&Y's 26-year-old employee

Meanwhile, the Centre has said that they will thoroughly investigate the death of 26-year-old Anna and will look into the allegations of excessive work pressure.

Also Read:Ernst & Young (EY) India responds to employee Anna's death

"Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. We are committed to ensuring justice and the Labour Ministry has officially taken up the complaint," said Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje in a post on X.

Reacting to the mother'sletter,EY in a statement said,"Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us."

The company added, "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 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 1,00,000 people across EY member firms in India," the company further stated.

(With inputs from agencies)