Harsh Goenka reacts to Ashneer Grover’s ‘toxic work’ culture comment amid EY row

A video clip of Indian businessman Ashneer Grover describing the work environment at Ernst & Young or EY as “lifeless” and praising the work done in “toxic” office spaces has gone viral on social media.
In the video, Ashneer Grover states that during a visit to the EY office, he had to fake a health issue to leave as he was uncomfortable with the office environment.
“It was extremely quiet. They were all so lifeless, as if just their final rites were left,” Ashneer Grover says in the video.
The video is being circulated on social media in the wake of the recent death of a 26-year-old employee, Anna Sebastian Perayil, who worked at EY, Pune.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who succumbed to work-related stress as claimed by her mother in an email to EY India boss Rajiv Memani, was a chartered accountant (CA) from Kerala.
In Grover’s comment which he made at an event, he also said office spaces which are “toxic” are better, as people can fight and voice their opinions at least.
“Offices where people say the work culture is toxic are the best offices, where people talk and fight. There are plenty of ‘non-toxic’ spaces but the the toxic ones is where the actual work gets done,” he said.
While his comments were specific to the silence and “lifelessness” of the EY offices, people have also questioned if glorifying toxic work culture was the right choice.
Chairman of RPG enterprises Harsh Goenka posted Grover’s video on X and said, “It’s baffling to see anyone advocate for a toxic environment.”
After Perayil’s death, several former employees of EY India as well as other companies have shared their sentiments about brutal work culture in office environments.
The Union labour ministry has taken up the complaint and will be investigating Anna Perayil’s death and its connection to her work at EY.