'I could have been another Anna Sebastian; work pressure, harassment almost killed me, my unborn child': Ex-EY employee
The shocking death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old CA from Kerala, who died just four months after she started working at EY's Pune office, has opened a Pandora's box of allegations about the toxic work culture at one of the Big Four accounting firms. Since the letter Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote to Rajiv Memani, the Chairman of EY India, leaked online, many current and former employees have also opened up about their harrowing experiences.
'You have to give your 120 per cent at EY'
Urmi Bhattacharjee, who used to work with EY in its Bengaluru office from July 2020 to August 2024, alleged she nearly lost her life due to the constant harassment she had to endure during her stint there. Urmi told Indiatimes that she has been left traumatised by her manager and by the lack of empathy from the senior management when she tried to raise the issue of harassment with them.
"I was told that to be a part of EY, I had to be 120 per cent perfect, and that was the bare minimum," Urmi, who used to work as a Senior Consultant at EY, said.
According to Urmi, who worked as a journalist before switching to a corporate career, at EY employees were responsible for getting projects assigned to them, and if they were not successful in doing so, they were at risk of losing their jobs.
'You are not the only one pregnant'
Urmi alleged that she was put on 'shadow work', where she was made to work but not on real projects, and added that things got even worse after she became pregnant.
"I was about 32 weeks pregnant with a very high-risk pregnancy. I told my manager about this, but she played it down, asking if I 'was the only person pregnant in the office'. Due to the medication I was on, I couldn't attend some meetings, which she documented as 'missed'. She even wrote that after I came back from my maternity leave, I would be put on PIP," Urmi said.
"Then, out of the blue, I was asked to submit a proposal for a big client and was told that I had to submit it in 24 hours, which, despite the condition I was in, I was able to complete," she added.
'Work stress almost killed me'
According to Urmi, after she raised the matter with HR, she was promised that the PIP would be rolled back. But the stress was too much, and she went into early labour.
"I started bleeding and had to be rushed to a hospital, where I overheard doctors telling my mother that I might die. Thankfully, I survived, but both I and my baby were admitted to the ICU. My husband suggested we should file a criminal case against my manager for harassment, but since HR said my PIP would not be implemented, I thought I would let it go, which was a mistake," she said.
'Manager continued harassment'
Urmi resumed work after maternity leave in January 2022, with the additional responsibility of taking care of her entire family, as her husband lost his job during COVID-19.
Despite her best efforts and appreciation for her work from Senior Partners, Urmi alleged that her manager was constantly putting her down.
"She was trying to push me out, and the continued harassment took a toll on my health. Due to some issues in the family that also came up during the same time, I requested my manager to relieve me of the project, which she rejected. Then she went ahead and removed me from the project and documented it as though they threw me out," she alleged.
This was followed by another threat of PIP in May 2024, which she said she was forced to accept.
"My manager told me that I was put on PIP due to my performance over the past three years. This was despite the fact that I got an interim hike and appreciation from clients for my work," she said.
'Forced to resign on the spot'
On August 26, Urmi said she was called to the office and asked to resign.
"I was called for a closed-room meeting with two people from the HR department. I was asked to hand over my personal phone before the meeting, and I was asked to resign voluntarily on the spot. I refused, saying, 'You are asking me to resign at gunpoint'. They did not even allow me to use the washroom, saying that I could only do so after I put down my papers," she said.
'I could have been Anna Sebastian'
Currently unemployed, Urmi said she has lost confidence in herself due to her traumatic experiences at EY, which is also preventing her from attending other job interviews.
Speaking about the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, Urmi said it could have been her.
"I could have been Anna Sebastian, but I survived. But I have been traumatised for life, and I don't know if I can ever come out of the PTSD my three years at EY have given me," she said.
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