Are Toxic Workplaces Killing Young Dreams?

The notion of being on the top of every game and having it all together is so glamorised and normalised that a person who doesn't know which path to take, or which road to consider feels like they are a failure. We live in a world where sprinting towards the next big goal, hustling to the ends of our sanity and fulfilling the expectations of the ones around us are put on a pedestal. Unfortunately, we don't realise that anything external to us, whether it is society’s perception of us, a job, our performance at a workplace or societal timelines is not more important than our mental and physical well-being.

In a recent heartbreaking case, we talk about a dynamic young professional Anna Sebastian Perayil, who reportedly lost her life due to extreme work pressure and a toxic work culture. In this article, we talk about the detrimental effects of toxic workplace culture and notions of hustle through the lens of Anna Perayil’s journey and how necessary it is to prioritise our health over our jobs. 

What exactly happened?

Her mother has penned a heartbreaking letter to the chairman of Ernst & Young India, asserting that her daughter passed away from "overwork" just four months after starting at the firm, and noted that no representatives from the company attended her funeral. In her letter, she passionately urged the company's leadership to address a work culture that "appears to celebrate overwork while overlooking the individuals who fill these roles." She expressed hope that her daughter's death would prompt necessary changes.

Augustine shared that Anna completed her chartered accountancy (CA) exams on November 23. 2023 and began her career at EY Pune on March 19. "However, my life shattered on July 20, 2024, when I received the heartbreaking news of Anna's passing at the age of just 26," she expressed.

Workplace Harassment and Toxic Workplace Culture 

In the letter, Anna's mother expressed her daughter's excitement about landing her first job. She described Anna as a determined individual who had performed exceptionally well in her academic pursuits and worked diligently at EY, fully committing to meet the challenges presented to her. It's devastating to see how the idea of working 70-hour weeks leads to terrible work environments.

For many, landing a specific job represents a chance to escape their socioeconomic status. We all hope to achieve the lives we've always desired, but at what cost? 

Toxic workplaces are characterised by high levels of stress, unethical practices, cutthroat competition, disrespect, and a lack of inclusivity. Such environments can lead to employee stress and burnout, prompting some individuals to "quit" by only doing the minimum required in their roles.

In these harmful settings, employees often feel punished, rejected, guilty, defensive, and humiliated, making it challenging to work due to negative behaviours exhibited by both management and colleagues. Additionally, toxic workplaces can foster unethical behaviours, including racism, dishonesty, and making false promises.

Signs of a toxic work culture 

The signs of a toxic work environment may vary depending on the employee, their work styles, and the motivations that may be driving them. However, there are some common characteristics of a toxic work environment to look out for, including the following:

Lack of trust: In a bad work environment, people often don’t trust each other. Bosses might keep a close eye on their workers, which can make employees feel like they can’t do their jobs well. 

Excessive stress: Workers can feel a lot of stress for different reasons, like feeling burnt out, having arguments with their bosses, not getting enough communication, or being afraid of making mistakes. This stress can make them feel tired, have trouble sleeping, or feel pain in their bodies. 

No room for mistakes: Everyone wants to do well, but when people are too scared to make mistakes, it can create a scary place to work. If workers think they’ll get in trouble for messing up, they might not try new things. This can make the whole team not do as well. 

Role confusion: If workers don’t know what their jobs are or what is expected of them, it can lead to confusion and disagreements. It’s important to clearly explain who does what to avoid problems between team members.

The toxic glorification of hustle culture 

It seems like there's always something we have to do or finish, which makes this idea of "hustle culture" very common. Because of this, we often don't even notice how much we're working every day. Working too much has become something we do without thinking, and if someone isn't busy or productive, they can be seen as lazy or unmotivated. This makes it even harder for people to take a break and just relax. 

These days, many people are focused on working super hard to be successful, even if it makes them feel sick or tired. Sometimes, when we need a break, we hear speakers at events like TED telling us to "follow our passion," but we might wonder why we need to have a specific goal at all. In our society, people often feel like their worth is based on how much they can produce. So, hustle culture is just a modern version of this old idea, where people are pushed to work as hard as they can, even if it isn't good for them.

Reflecting on Anna's incident, one thing that makes itself abundantly clear is that hustle culture has fed the need to be constantly working and proving ourselves to society and the ones around us. But the truth is if something devastating happens to anyone, the company they work with or the society that tells them to hustle would not even care, it will only cost us our well-being and remorse to our loved ones.

Work-Life Balance - The way forward

Anna's story shows that some workplaces value working too much instead of caring about the people who work there. It's not just about Anna; it's about all the young people who start their jobs excitedly but end up feeling stressed because of too many expectations. Anna's passing should put a lens on corporates and about how they run things. They need to make changes to take better care of their workers' health and happiness. Everyone should feel safe to ask for help, manage their work, and not have to worry about their well-being just to get things done.

We are all using technology and social media more and more, which makes it easier to stay connected. Many people are now working from home, and it’s getting harder to keep work and home life separate. It’s normal for people to check work emails late at night, take calls during dinner, and work on weekends. Why is this okay? 
 
As we mourn the loss of Anna Perayil, it is a wake-up call to the Indian corporate culture to improve their toxic working environments and enforce policies that ensure employee wellness and work-life balance. When employees feel happy about their jobs, they do better work, make fewer mistakes, and are more likely to talk positively about their company. 

Views expressed by the author are their own.