Published 13:32 IST, September 20th 2024
'Will Never Happen Again' EY India Chairman after missing employee's funeral
The controversy has stimulated a broader conversation on social media regarding the toxic work environment in leading consulting firms.
Memami on EY: Rajiv Memani, Indian Chairman of EY has expressed regret for not attending the funeral of Anna Sebastian Perayil due to work pressure. Memani took to Linkedin and said, “Nothing can fill the void in their lives." He admitted that EY India had no representative during the funeral of Anna in Kerala. He pointed out it was "completely alien to our culture" and "It has never happened before; it will never happen again."
Memani also dealt with some grave issues related to the practice at work, indicating that most workers had shared their complaints on social media after the death of Anna. The company vowed to become healthy, pointing out that the good health of the workers was above all. "I am fully committed to creating a harmonious work environment and will not take my eyes off the objective," he said.
Anita, mother of Anna had written to Memani citing a variety of concerns related to the work environment at EY India which she believed killed her daughter. Anna had been with S R Batliboi-a member firm of EY Global for just four months before her tragic death. Augustine said, "She would come home every evening and fall into bed, sometimes not even changing clothes after getting completely exhausted so that she could be deluged with requests for additional reports. "She put her best effort in, working very hard to meet deadlines," Augustine wrote.
The controversy has stimulated a broader conversation on social media regarding the toxic work environment in leading consulting firms, where others have spoken out about their own experiences working for the major consulting firms and criticised the glorification of hours of work without adequate empathy for workers' mental well-being.
Updated 13:32 IST, September 20th 2024