The tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a young employee at EY India in Pune, Maharashtra, highlights the devastating impact workplace stress can have on individuals, especially in the high-pressure environments common in today’s corporate world.
Anna’s demise is not an isolated incident. In the past six months, there have been similar cases, such as the death of Saurabh Laddha, underscoring an alarming trend where young professionals buckle under overwhelming stress, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Laddha, 25, a graduate of IIT Madras and IIM Calcutta has been working for the strategy consulting firm McKinsey & Company since August 2022.
A health and police report has confirmed his death was due to suicide, adding that it was due to “pressure at his workplace”.
Workplace stress has reached epidemic proportions, particularly in industries known for long hours, tight deadlines, and the glorification of ‘hustle culture’. This culture, which rewards individuals for pushing themselves to the brink, often at the expense of their health and well-being, creates a toxic environment that leaves little room for personal life, relaxation, or mental health. When productivity is prized above all else, the humanity of the workforce is often sacrificed.
The corporate sector’s relentless pursuit of performance and profit frequently neglects the very people responsible for driving those results. What’s even more tragic is that many of these young employees, often at the start of promising careers, may feel trapped by expectations. They fear being perceived as weak if they express concern or ask for help. As the article suggests, managers and corporate leaders sometimes lack the empathy or awareness to see the human cost of this pressure.
EY India’s recommitment to a ‘supportive, healthy, and balanced work environment’ is an important step, but mere promises will not be enough to shift the deep-seated cultural norms that glorify overwork. Anna’s mother, Anita Agustin, was clear in her critique of the excessive demands placed on her daughter, illustrating the broader systemic failure to address workplace stress.
The phenomenon is not unique to India. In the US and other global corporate sectors, burnout and stress-related health issues are common, with some employees reporting working over 100 hours a week. The expectation to constantly be on-call, respond to emails, and meet ever-increasing targets without sufficient downtime has led to a widespread mental health crisis.
Ultimately, companies must foster environments where employees can thrive both professionally and personally. This means not only offering well-being programs but also reshaping organizational culture to genuinely prioritize mental health and work-life balance. Employees must be encouraged to voice concerns without fear of reprisal, and managers must be trained to support their teams through empathy and understanding, rather than through relentless pressure.
If companies do not act decisively, we risk losing more talented young people to a preventable crisis. The deaths of Anna Sebastian Perayil and others should serve as a wake-up call to corporate leaders worldwide that the time to prioritize human well-being over relentless productivity is now.
