The tragic case of a 26-year-old Ernst & Young employee who, her parents have claimed, worked herself to death has been dominating headlines in India. Four months into her first job as a chartered accountant in the western city of Pune, Anna Sebastian Perayil died of cardiac arrest, leaving behind shattered parents and a federal investigation into India’s toxic work culture and labour laws.
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Her grief-stricken mother wrote to the chairman of EY India to point out how work stress had taken a toll on the young woman. Perayil worked long hours with barely enough time to rest, and was given assignments with impossible deadlines.
Her story resonated with many young Indians, who took to social media to express their fury under the hashtag #JusticeForAnna.
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According to a 2023 report on work-life balance by the International Labour Organization, South Asia as a region had the longest working hours in the world – 49 hours per week on average.
Perayil’s case has shone a light on labour problems in India, particularly the lack of respect for an employee’s boundaries and the exploitation of young people in the workforce.