The death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, an employee at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, has brought the firm under scrutiny for both its employee treatment and legal compliance. Perayil reportedly succumbed to an overwhelming workload, raising concerns about the mental and physical toll of corporate jobs. It has now been revealed that EY’s Pune office has been operating since 2007 without the required state permit regulating work hours under the Shops and Establishments Act, which limits working hours to nine per day and 48 per week. EY applied for the permit only in February 2024, leading authorities to reject their late application.
Maharashtra’s additional labor commissioner, Shailendra Pol, disclosed that EY has been given a week to explain the oversight, and a federal investigation is now underway to examine the circumstances of Perayil’s death and EY’s compliance with labor laws. Perayil’s mother, Anita Augustine, had written a heartfelt letter to EY’s chairman, blaming her daughter’s death on a “backbreaking workload,” which sparked a wider discussion about employee well-being in high-pressure environments. Investigators are currently reviewing EY’s work hour logs and welfare policies to determine if labor law violations contributed to Perayil’s tragic passing.
This incident has drawn attention to broader issues of corporate responsibility in India, particularly in terms of protecting employees from excessive stress and overwork. EY, which employs around 100,000 people across India, has yet to respond formally to the latest findings but previously stated that it values employee well-being. With the investigation ongoing, the firm is under increasing pressure to address operational discrepancies and ensure that employee safety is a priority.
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