Navigating employee well-being: The dark side of hustle culture and how corporates should turn the page

Trigger warning: This article contains discussions of suicide and mental health issues. If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek support from the National Mental Health Helpline: 1800-599-0019

For years, toxic work pressure and hustle culture in the Indian corporate environment have been left unaddressed, with employees often expected to work overtime given the promise of upward mobility. But in July, the tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil blew the lid off the jar.

The 26-year-old chartered accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY) had died of cardiac arrest barely four months into the job. In a letter to EY (which has now been leaked), Anna’s mother Anita Augustine blamed the workload, new environment, and long hours for her deteriorating health and eventual death.

For her family, friends and her dog, Scotch, Anna was an anchor. In the corporate world, she is a statistic—yet another casualty of 'the hustle'—as relentless, glorified overwork defines new-age work culture.

Less than a month after her death, Mumbai-based Kritarth Mittal, a 25-year-old techie and founder of AI startup Soshals app, landed up in the hospital following a relentless work schedule, inadequate sleep, and an unhealthy diet. Posting a picture on X from the hospital bed, he cautioned his followers against hustle culture. “Hustle culture comes with a cost—some you incur right away and some over decades,” he wrote.

Corporate work environments, especially in high-stakes, profit-driven industries, often subject employees to cumbersome routines. With tight deadlines, performance metrics, and unending competition, many workers face workloads that take a toll on not just their bodies but also their minds.

However, barring the recent public outbursts, most experiences of struggle and burnout get drowned out in the frenzy of bustling corporate work environments, where efficiency and output are prioritised over individual welfare. 

As workplace mental health issues rise alarmingly—with a Deloitte study revealing that 80% of Indian professionals experience mental health challenges while only 20% seek help—the need for systemic change has become urgent.   

Small, mindful steps are key to change

Even when employees recognise the mental toll of immense workplace pressures, breaking out of this cycle is incredibly difficult, say those within the ecosystem. 

Bengaluru-based Veena Ashiya, Founder and CEO of Monrow Shoes, says one of the biggest mental health challenges startup employees face is the tendency to take on too many tasks, which results in overwhelming workloads. 

“A significant factor behind this is the leadership's difficulty in prioritising effectively. When leaders struggle to identify what needs immediate attention and what can be deprioritised, they often end up trying to tackle everything, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary strain across the organisation,” says Ashiya.

“This pressure is especially felt by departments where outcomes are easily measurable, such as the sales team. Their performance is closely tracked, and during high-demand periods like the festive season, the pressure can escalate dramatically as their work is translated into clear, quantifiable results,” she adds.

Every Monday at Monrow Shoes, Ashiya holds what she calls ‘Monday Dopamine High’, a group exercise for all departments to acknowledge and celebrate small wins from the previous week. The company also assigns a guardian for new joiners—someone from outside their immediate team—who helps them navigate the workplace and its culture during their first month.

In response to this corporate mental health crisis, a few companies and startups are stepping up as a way to enhance employee productivity and satisfaction—which is a good place to start, says Rajat Goel, Co-founder and CEO of Emoneeds, an online psychiatric counselling and therapy service based in Gurugram. 

Emoneeds surveyed a big multinational company to identify different mental health and wellness needs across generations of employees. 

The report showed that employees aged between 20-30 years experienced stress, anxiety, depression and burnout related to career pressure, relationships, and self-discovery. Meanwhile, those aged between 31-40 years experienced interpersonal issues, inability to adjust to changing expectations at work, and social anxiety. Those above 40 sought emotional well-being and security at the workplace.

“For wellness programmes to thrive, HR teams must design initiatives that cater to the diverse needs of each generation,” says Goel. 

The mental wellness startup suggested the company conduct initial screenings to understand the specific mental health needs of employees. It also suggested OPD sessions by psychiatrists and psychologists, regular monitoring and support, and feedback mechanisms.

Likewise, Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, has a 24/7 people assistance programme that offers counselling services and resources, including an anonymous helpline for round-the-clock support. The company has also established a mental well-being ambassador network, which includes trained professionals providing confidential guidance, and Vox, a centralised hub for materials on mental well-being.

The company has also introduced a mental health playbook to equip employees with actionable strategies to address mental health challenges, and provides its workforce with reflective thought boxes that contain journal prompts, and Amigo, an AI-powered chatbot that reminds employees to take regular breaks.

“Anxiety about the future and fewer in-person interactions have been identified as major stressors impacting performance,” says Shefali Sharma Garg, Vice President - People Strategy, Publicis Sapient.

Having ‘people-first’ strategies  

Akshit Bhasin, Design Lead at Non Zero, a design agency, notes that startups are increasingly realising that they can’t grow without keeping their team’s well-being in mind. “Having a long-term vision that takes into account the goals of your team members can help relieve much of the anxiety towards their career. 

“Stress and anxiety may be work-related or stem from personal issues, and we must recognise and accept this, and create safe spaces and open channels for communication,” says Bhasin. 

Non Zero has ‘no-questions-asked’ mental health and menstrual leave policies—something many startups are adapting—and hosts upskilling peer workshops for its employees.

Psychologist and the founder of Another Light Counselling, Aanchal Naarang (they/them) says most managers lack genuine care and view mental health as merely a checklist item. 

“A lot of companies view people as dispensable, because there are enough others who want those very jobs and opportunities. In essence, people are not respected,” says Naarang. “Mental health engagements are limited to an hour once in a month. This apathy also reflects in the scanty budgets allotted for these programmes,” they add.

They suggest implementing feedback mechanisms, mental health training for managers, and allowing employees time for self-care. 

“If companies really care, they should allow employees to submit surveys to improve conditions and comprehensively train supervisors to give genuine, effective feedback, rather than degrade or stretch employees unrealistically,” says Naarang, “This is what leads to burnout, high attrition rates, and long-term, chronic anxiety and depression.