‘Life is pretty brutal’: concerns in India over high-pressure corporate jobs

For the average Indian, the working week is now longer than ever – totalling almost 47 hours.

According to recent labour data, India now has one of the most overworked labour forces in the world, enduring longer hours than in China, Singapore and even Japan, a country renowned for its relentless work culture. On average, Indians work 13 hours longer every week than an employee in Germany.

Almost 90% of those working in India are employed in the informal sector, which is largely unregulated and exploitative. However, concerns have also begun to be raised about the working conditions of those in formal employment, particularly those in India’s corporate sector where working practices have remained largely unchanged in decades and critics say pursuit of profit remains king.

In July, Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant at the India offices of corporate accounting giant Ernst and Young, died four months after joining. In a letter written in the aftermath, her mother said that the “overwhelming” high-pressure work environment had taken a heavy toll on Perayil and eventually led to her death.

“She worked late into the night, even on weekends, with no opportunity to catch her breath,” said her mother’s letter, which went viral across India. “The relentless demands and the pressure to meet unrealistic expectations are not sustainable, and they cost us the life of a young woman with so much potential.” She also noted that no-one from the company had attended her daughter’s funeral.

One former Ernst and Young employee, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their job, said that the toxic culture alleged by Peyaril’s mother was standard practice at the firm, and came from the very top.

“Life is pretty brutal and everyone is overburdened,” he said, describing it as the norm to work 12- or 13-hour days, finishing up around 10pm, and regularly working both days on the weekend.

The belittling and degradation of staff was commonplace, he added, with employees viewed as resources rather than human beings. “There is an extreme hierarchy,” he said. “Senior managers were known to terrorise junior staff to keep everyone on their toes constantly. They would shout and throw files around and people would often be reduced to tears.”

One issue he highlighted was just how competitive and sought after roles at these companies were in India. Growing numbers of young Indians are now going to universities and getting qualifications such as accounting, yet the number of positions in the corporate sector has not risen to meet demand and only 40% of graduates are employed. Often there are tens of thousands of applicants for a single position, with global firms such as Ernst and Young seen as particularly aspirational.

“There’s no incentives for big corporates to change their practices because executives know that if one person won’t do it or quits, there are thousands of other people who will take their place,” he said. “The sole focus is productivity and long hours, with no thought for the wellbeing of employees. It’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.”

In the aftermath, Ernst and Young’s India head, Rajiv Memani, released a statement stating that the allegations of high pressure were “completely alien to our culture” and said he attached “the highest importance to the wellbeing of our people”.

In a further comment to the Guardian, Ernst and Young said they were “deeply saddened” by Peyaril’s death. “We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve,” they said in a statement.

However many have pointed out that excessive demands were not only the preserve of the big accounting firms in India. Narayana Murthy, one of the founder of India’s biggest IT firm Infosys, suggested last year that Indians should be prepared to work 70-hour weeks to ensure the growth of the country.

Ravneet, who previously worked at an IT company, described a similarly toxic work environment where employees were not allowed to talk or socialise in the workplace, had all their breaks closely monitored and had their pay arbitrarily docked.

“Everything we did was so heavily policed,” he said. “They knew they could exploit people because everyone is desperate and wait years to get these kinds of jobs. They can’t afford to lose them, so they don’t complain even when we know when we are being exploited or labour laws are being broken.”

Ravneet said working there had taken a major toll on his mental health before one day he was fired, with no reason given.

Employees in other sectors, from media to entertainment, said the problem was endemic there too. Sara, who has worked in corporate events for over a decade, said it was completely normalised to work 16-hour days and be given tasks on at 11pm Sunday night and told to have them done by first thing Monday morning.

“These companies actually encourage gruesome office politics because they think it’s good for business to have employees feeling uncertain and threatened in their jobs, so they will work harder,” she said.

She eventually went freelance to free herself from some of the toxic corporate culture of the office where she worked. “You barely have time to eat or sleep properly and in the end you lose sight of yourself completely,” she said. “Of course it takes a huge toll – but no one seems to care.”