Death of an EY employee: Experts say “compassion” can reduce such incidents; call for concrete measures

The death of an EY employee, allegedly due to “overwork”, has sparked a debate in the corporate world. Executives from various companies have now spoken out about workload and stress in the company and how to deal with it.

Corporate outbound expert Tanmay Pendse called on the government to develop “specific measures” that would help deal with such situations.

“We have been training people for 15-16 years and through our management activities we ensure that such sessions are incorporated in the organisation as they help in reducing stress. When employees return home, they should spend quality time with their families and keep their hands off mobile phones. I appeal to the government to come up with a special policy to address such situations. Yoga sessions should be provided in every organisation,” said Pendse.

Commenting on the incident, Nikhil Badgujar, Associate Consultant at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), stressed how to deal with stress as it always remains an “unavoidable factor”.

“Whatever happened, it is very unfortunate. People need to understand how to respond to stress. Stress is relative because the stress I feel is different for other people. People need to understand how to respond. I can understand that because such things are very common these days. We need to think about how to reduce the impact. That is the only thing we can manage. Stress cannot be avoided but it can be managed. In the business world, stress is a part of our lives… We need to understand how to respond to it… We are the solution providers ourselves…” said Badgujar.

Sharing his experience, Anand Kulkarni, process specialist at Infosys, agreed that there is stress in the workplace but said one should know how to manage stress. Responding to the death of an EY employee allegedly caused by 'overwork', Anand Kulkarni, process specialist at Infosys, said, “I have been in the corporate world for more than ten years and have experienced and observed a lot of work stress… I deal with stress by enjoying work… Stress exists in the corporate world but it is how you deal with it that matters…” Author and educationist Pushkar Aurangabadkar pointed out factors including 'compulsive obsession with certain desires' that make people work more, and said that compassion and a longing for spiritual wisdom can help people overcome the compulsion and loneliness they face in the corporate world.

“The incident is very painful and has a lot to do with the aspirations we have these days. Most of these come from the compulsive obsession to own as many things as possible. It is not just the corporate trap but we also have to consider what makes people fall into these traps in the first place when they are subjected to social pressure to buy certain necessary goods which pushes them into certain areas and profiles in the first place. Also the corporate system which in turn is heavily driven by the material values ​​of the industry and all these things come together to create pressure. It is definitely painful,” Aurangabadkar told ANI.

“But there are ways and means to deal with it better and as a society we should look into it. It depends on the corporate culture and as everyone would know, every company has a different culture. It depends from company to company, what kind of culture they have that determines how much pressure is there in that organization. But beyond that, I believe that compassion and a yearning for spiritual wisdom needs to be encouraged in society because that can potentially reduce the possibility of such incidents. The reason is that beyond the pressure that people face in companies, the duress and loneliness that we face comes to the fore and the answers to that could lie in compassion…” Aurangabadkar said.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday took cognizance of the death of a chartered accountant from Kerala in Pune, reportedly due to excessive workload at her firm.

The Commission has also asked the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks.

The Commission also called on companies to review their work culture and employment policies and regulations to ensure compliance with global human rights standards.

“The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India has taken cognizance of media reports that a 26-year-old chartered accountant from Kerala died on July 20, 2024 in Pune, Maharashtra, allegedly due to excessive workload at Ernst & Young, where she had joined four months ago,” an official press release said.

The young professional's mother had written a letter to the employer claiming that the long working hours had severely affected her daughter's physical, emotional and mental health. The company denied this allegation. The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is investigating the case.