Excessive work stress claims life of young CA in Pune; mother writes letter to firm
Her family describes her final months as marred by excessive work demands, which took a severe toll on her physical and mental health
PTC Web Desk: In a deeply troubling incident, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant, Anna Sebastian Perayil, working at a company in Pune, has tragically lost her life, allegedly due to overwhelming work stress. The news has stirred significant concern.
Perayil, a native of Kerala, had joined the said company in March 2024, shortly after passing her CA exams. Her family describes her final months as marred by excessive work demands, which took a severe toll on her physical and mental health. Despite it being her first job, Perayil reportedly worked tirelessly to meet high expectations, but was eventually overwhelmed.
In a poignant email addressed to company's head, Perayil’s mother, Anita Augustine, condemned the company culture that "glorifies overwork." Augustine highlighted a stark contrast between the company's stated human rights values and the harsh reality her daughter faced.
According to Augustine, Perayil experienced significant stress almost immediately after joining the firm. She developed symptoms of anxiety, sleeplessness, and mental strain, exacerbated by the demanding workload. Augustine recounted that despite numerous warnings, Perayil continued to push herself, believing that hard work was essential for career success. Augustine also noted that many colleagues resigned due to the excessive workload, and her daughter’s supervisor allegedly pressured her to “stick around and change everyone’s opinion about the team.”
Augustine described a troubling work environment where Perayil's manager frequently rescheduled meetings during cricket matches and assigned tasks at the end of the day, compounding her stress. At an office event, a senior leader even joked about the difficult nature of working under Perayil’s manager, a situation that became all too real for her.
Perayil reportedly worked late into the night and on weekends, facing relentless demands from her superiors. Augustine recalled an incident where her daughter was assigned a task late at night with a tight deadline, leaving her little time to rest. When Perayil raised concerns about the unreasonable demands, she was dismissively told, “You can work at night; that’s what we all do.”
Her deteriorating health was evident, with Augustine describing how Perayil would return home utterly exhausted, often collapsing without changing clothes, only to be bombarded with additional work requests. Despite her efforts and determination to succeed, the overwhelming pressure proved too much. Augustine expressed that Perayil’s death should serve as a "wake-up call" for the company, urging them to reflect on their work culture and prioritise employee health and wellness.
The cause of Perayil’s death is not yet clear. However, Augustine mentioned that in the weeks leading up to her death, Perayil had complained of "chest constriction." A hospital visit in Pune had not revealed any serious issues, with doctors attributing her symptoms to lack of sleep and late-night eating, prescribing antacids as a precaution.