The recent heart-breaking death of a 26-year-old employee working at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune has brought due attention to workplace stress and burnout. Ernst & Young is a multinational company that is also a part of the Big Four Accounting Firm. For many, becoming a part of this company is a dream. However, unfortunately, one such hardworking employee met a tragic death due to work-related stress. Anna Sebastian Periyal, a 26-year-old employee from Pune, had just been working for four months before she unfortunately passed out.
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She was a chartered accountant from Kerala and was a part of the audit team at S.R. Batiliboi. She had only been working in Pune for four months before overwork and burnout took a toll on her health. Her devastated mother wrote to the India head of the company, explaining how the glorified workload led to her daughter’s death. She shared Anna’s struggle with a new environment and long work hours. Unfortunately, the toxic work culture and disregard for employee health led to her tragic death at a young age.
Workplace stress is a highly overlooked issue. Her father shared how she barely got to sleep or eat ever since she joined the firm. However, quitting a job at a reputed firm is a hard choice for anyone. Netizens blame toxic work culture and disregard for employee health as the root cause of this incident. In today’s world, balancing work and rest has become a near-to-impossible goal to achieve. However, it is extremely important to protect your mental wellbeing and physical health. Some strategies to avoid burnout and chronic stress include:
- Examine and reflect on your physical and mental health. Recognising early symptoms and warning signs is crucial to preserving your health.
- Start by understanding what is causing you stress and create an action plan towards gradually managing it. Ensure that this plan is realistic and simple to avoid making it another source of stress.
- Discuss your findings with your employer to see if they can make adjustments to your workload. This will help your employer to become more aware of the challenges you are facing, allowing them to help you cope with stress.
- Find the method that best suits your needs and implement it into your everyday life. Make sure to take regular breaks and practice time management strategies to avoid the buildup of stress.
- Practice mindfulness or the practice of being there in the present moment. Allow your emotions to flow without judgement and accept them as they are. This will help you stay grounded during stressful events, allowing you to deal with stress effectively.
Remembering that health is equally important as meeting workplace demands is important. Unfortunately, toxic work culture has become a common practice almost everywhere. It is extremely important to prioritise personal well-being and focus on a healthy balance between work and personal life.
