Whose fault is it when you die of work stress?

The death of a young 26-year-old Chartered Accountant, Anna Perayil, employed by Ernst & Young in July, four months after joining the firm, has kindled a heated debate on the toxic work culture in corporate environments. Perayil’s death caught the public’s attention when her mother wrote a letter to EY recently that went viral on social media. In the letter, Anna’s mother accused the company of allegedly pressurising her daughter to work such inhuman hours that it ultimately led to her demise.

Strong allegations, understandable coming from a grieving and recently bereaved mother.

EY refuted the allegations, justifying that she was allotted work the same as any other colleague of hers and that her death couldn’t possibly be due to the company’s policies.

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Earlier this week, a 45-year-old female employee of HDFC Bank fell off her chair, dying instantly, while at work in Lucknow. Social media is now on fire, with people calling for resignations, accountability, and condemning corporate work culture.
So, who’s fault is it? Is it fair to blame the company and the managers, all of whom have had to go through the same drill themselves while climbing the hierarchy of corporate success?

We are the same society that pushes our students to suicide because of not being able to crack important government entrance exams or gaining admission to top-tier engineering and medical colleges.

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We are also the same people who have decided that our social currency in society will depend on which Big 4 company our children get employed by.
Also, the same parents base their approval of suitors for their children depending on which multinational company the individual is working for.

Yes, society is hypocritical. However, is it fair to blame a company for a death that might or might not have happened due to stress? Stress is not caused just by the work environment but also by societal pressures.

The “hustle culture” that we are so strongly condemning at the moment is also what we glorify and secretly, or not so secretly, aspire to.

“All companies and government departments will have to think seriously in this regard. This is an irreparable loss of the country’s human resources. Such sudden deaths bring the working conditions under question,”- posted Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party Chief on X.

Yes, it is an irreparable loss, but in this confused pointing of fingers in every direction here, who is really to blame? The answer is not the corporations or any certain individuals, but our society as a whole.

Firstly, for businesses, it’s simply a math problem. For productivity and profits, work labour power is simply a commodity to be purchased. Most business owners or CEOs can’t afford to think on a macro level and are focused on maximising their profits and productivity. This is why it’s unfair to brand them evil, even if they are enforcing a 49-hour work week. They are making the best decisions for their businesses and, in a way, the future of their employees because of the opposing nature of the relationship between labour and capital.

Due to this, it’s up to the workers to make certain decisions for themselves and for businesses to incorporate those decisions positively. For example, stress management and a focus on mental health.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was heavily criticised due to her comments on the death of Anna Perayil, when she urged her colleagues to take stress management and spirituality seriously.

She recently clarified that she was referring to the importance of finding inner strength, management of stress, and spirituality in the general context of a university’s newly established Meditation Hall.

Indeed, these are real-time solutions, while systemic and societal reform can only be hoped for. Emphasis on mental health, positive ways to cope with stress, and maintaining good spiritual hygiene can perhaps set the ball rolling for the ecosystem change we want and need.

Indians across the globe are known and lauded for their extreme discipline, work ethic, and professionalism. It has helped us become one of the most influential and ambitious diasporas in the world.

Hard work and ambition are not personality traits that need to be demeaned.
This does not mean we have to glorify overwork or toxicity in the workplace. Toxicity that could well be occurring due to other reasons, such as harassment or gender disparity. These are separate issues.

However, it will serve businesses, companies, and employees everywhere to focus on the mental health of every stakeholder involved for the better functioning of the community as a whole.

If employees are feeling overwhelmed or not being able to cope, every office should have mechanisms in place to help them through this complexity.
There are lessons to be learnt from many successful companies that have taken some serious measures to elevate the mental health of employees.

Every company, however big or small, should have a dedicated mental health service. Not just a notional or decorative one, but an actively functioning unit. Western society takes their mental health very seriously. They have understood long before our Indian corporate managers the importance of having a mentally healthy and relaxed workforce.

Microsoft has set up its initiative “Microsoft Cares”, which offers in-person, digital, and telephonic counselling. There are also support groups and mental health workshops. Employees must be checking in at certain stipulated intervals; it is a compulsory action. For a more flexible work environment, they also offer hybrid work for their employees, which means they can work from home and office. Additionally, they have recreational activities and clubs such as paddleboarding, tennis, etc. Whatever floats your boat!

Levis Strauss & Co., the denim wear company, now calls its work culture “human centred”. They offer accessible therapy/counselling and even substance abuse recovery plans. They provide flexible paid leave plans and bereavement leave programmes.

In 2021, Samsung won an award for their employee health and wellness programmes at Canada’s Workplace Benefits Awards.

They take a holistic view of employee health and support their staff with all kinds of wellness services. Their Semiconductor Program provides every employee with access to professional medical services as well as personalised health plans.

Their employees can visit their counselling centre or their separate health clinic at any time during or outside of work hours, where they are offered various facilities such as meditation, body scans, and other targeted checkups, in case anyone’s feeling tense or stressed out.

Google has been consistently voted as one of the top employers globally, and they truly stand out. In 2021, they even developed clinically validated screeners for depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and anxiety-related disorders. They made this available to every one of their employees. They even offer massage programmes and digital sleep improvement programmes.

It’s a myth that working hard or working for a multinational corporation means you have to have a difficult life. However, under current circumstances, businesses in India need to take a long, hard look at how they can support their employees best and make mental health a priority.

The onus is also on individuals and their families. If you are feeling overwhelmed or feel that your mental health is compromised, seek help.

Families also need to watch out for warning signs and ensure that their relatives get the assistance that’s required, in case they are suffering from mental health-related problems.

The carpet needs to be ripped off in India when it comes to mental health, and every person involved needs to take accountability and make changes.

No more brushing things under the carpet.

The author is a freelance journalist and features writer based out of Delhi. Her main areas of focus are politics, social issues, climate change and lifestyle-related topics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.