End glorification of the overwork culture, says RPG boss Harsh Goenka

The chairman of RPG Enterprises, Harsh Goenka, called on Indian corporates to take immediate action to foster a healthy workplace culture, in the wake of the death of Ernst & Young (EY) India chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil, allegedly due to work-related stress, on July 20. 

“India Inc must take urgent action following EY’s Anna Sebastian Perayil tragic death to foster a healthier workplace culture,” Mr Goenka said in his post on social media platform X. He has listed the following steps:

1. Prioritise well-being: Prioritise individuals' well-being. This requires companies to implement mental health programme, manageable workloads, and wellness initiatives.

2. Support new hires: Companies should support their new recruits and offer mentorship to help employees adjust to new roles and environments.

3. Tackle burnout: To deal with burnout, companies should end the glorification of the overwork culture and reward efficiency over working for long hours.

4. Foster open communication: Communication is crucial in any corporate environment, and addressing employee concerns without fear of retaliation is important.

5. Accountable leadership: Employees should hold leaders responsible for creating a toxic work environment in a corporate space. This adds to the factor of the leader's capability of taking up accountability as well.

6. Promote work-life balance: Employees should set clear boundaries between work and personal time; respecting the employee's well-being is needed.

Mr Goenka also said, “Real change, not condolences, is what’s needed”. 

Staff have to work hard, says EY India boss 

Meanwhile, Rajiv Memani, chairman and managing director of Ernst & Young India, has said  his company hires nearly 1,00,000 people who all have to work hard. “We have around one lakh employees. There is no doubt each one has to work hard,” he noted. 

On Thursday, the Union Labour Ministry announced that it will start an investigation into the incident, days after an emotional letter from Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother went viral.

According to the mother's letter, Ms Anna had worked very hard at EY. The workload and long working hours took a physical, emotional, and mental toll on her. The mother also noted that Anna continued to push herself despite suffering from immense stress and anxiety.

(By arrangement with livemint.com)