Heartbreaking loss: Shashi Tharoor demands law after EY employee dies from overwork

In a heart-wrenching development, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is pushing for a landmark change in workplace laws after the shocking death of Ernst & Young employee Anna Sebastian Perayil. Tharoor, speaking after a deeply emotional conversation with her father, Sibi Joseph, vowed to propose legislation in Parliament that would limit working hours to eight per day, five days a week. The move comes as a response to growing outrage over the corporate work culture in India, following Anna’s untimely death due to extreme overwork.

The 26-year-old, who had joined Ernst & Young in March, succumbed to cardiac arrest on 20 July after enduring months of crushing work hours. Her passing has sparked national outrage, prompting many to demand accountability from large corporations. Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, accused the company of subjecting her daughter to an abusive work environment in an open letter that went viral. The letter detailed how Anna had been working up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, for over four months—a pace no human body could withstand.

In the wake of this tragedy, Tharoor described his conversation with Joseph as “gut-wrenching” and stressed that no employee should ever be subjected to such inhumane conditions. Joseph urged Tharoor to push for a fixed calendar for workplaces across both public and private sectors. Tharoor agreed, stating that the proposed law would aim to regulate working hours and ensure stringent penalties for companies that violate the rule.

Anna’s death has led to significant public outcry, amplified by the fact that no one from Ernst & Young attended her funeral. The company has since denied that work pressure was the cause of her death, but their silence and refusal to acknowledge the family’s pain have only further inflamed the situation. The government, too, has now stepped in, with the Ministry of Labour launching an investigation into Ernst & Young’s work culture to determine if the environment contributed to Anna’s death.

In the larger context, the corporate world is facing increased scrutiny regarding employee treatment and workload expectations. This case has become a rallying point for reform advocates, who have long argued that excessive work hours, particularly in high-pressure sectors like finance and consulting, are unsustainable and deadly. With more voices joining the chorus, the pressure on Indian Parliament to act is mounting.

Call for reform: a watershed moment for India’s corporate world

Experts agree that Anna’s death highlights a critical need for reform in workplace practices. Dr Radhika Kapoor, a noted labour economist, remarked that India is at a tipping point. “This tragedy has brought to light what many workers endure in silence. There is a long-standing tradition of overworking employees, but this should never come at the cost of human life.”

Workplace rights advocates are calling this moment a pivotal opportunity for change. The challenge, however, lies in ensuring compliance, especially in the private sector, where pressure to meet profit targets often leads to dangerous working conditions.

Tharoor’s proposed legislation, if enacted, could mark the beginning of a new era in Indian corporate culture, where employee well-being is prioritised over profits.

Looking ahead: will this tragedy change workplace culture?

Anna’s death has sent shockwaves across the corporate world, forcing many companies to re-evaluate their internal policies. While there is hope that Tharoor’s initiative will lead to concrete legislative changes, it remains to be seen how quickly these reforms can take shape and whether they will address the deeper issues embedded in India’s corporate environment.

The tragic case of Anna Sebastian Perayil has forced the country to confront the cost of overwork in a very personal way. The question now is whether India’s lawmakers will seize this moment and ensure no other employee endures the same fate.