26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, passed away on July 20, 2024, allegedly due to immense work stress and the toxic environment at her workplace. Her untimely death has sparked an uproar on social media, with thousands of people sharing their own experiences of toxic work culture in corporate offices.
One such story that has come to the forefront is that of Rohan Dixit, a former employee at EY. Rohan, a graduate of Delhi Technological University, worked at EY for nearly 2.5 years and recently took to LinkedIn to share his painful experience.
Rohan revealed that he joined EY in July 2022, full of hopes and expectations. However, things soon took a dark turn. Despite working long hours, including weekends and holidays at client locations, he found his efforts going unnoticed and unrecognized.
What made things worse was the fact that most of this work was unpaid as he was not given a chargeability code. His dedication and hard work, which even earned him glowing reviews, were rewarded with a mere 5% salary hike and a 2% bonus over his entire tenure.
The tipping point came in May 2023 when Rohan was unfairly placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) without any explanation, just before a promotion he had been working towards. This decision not only took away his chance at a promotion but also robbed him of a bonus and a raise. When Rohan took some time off after a family member’s death, instead of being met with understanding, he was removed from his project.
Rohan’s experience was even more challenging due to his 75% spinal disability, which made the physical and emotional toll of his work environment unbearable. He mentioned that despite his loyalty, he was constantly threatened with termination.
“This is not how anyone deserves to be treated. I’m sharing this not only to express my frustration but to seek support from others who’ve been through similar experiences. No employee should be subjected to such treatment, and it’s time for accountability. If you believe in fair treatment for all employees, please stand with me in demanding that EY rectifies this injustice and ensures no one else is treated this way,” he wrote.
Have a look at his full LinkedIn post here:
The tragic loss of Anna and the growing number of toxic work culture stories are a wake-up call for companies. It’s time to prioritize employee well-being, mental health, and fair treatment in the workplace before more lives are irreparably harmed.