Accounting and consulting firm EY has sent an email to its Australian employees offering condolences and continued support after the death of a young member of staff at its Sydney headquarters in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The death of the 33-year-old woman, which has shaken the corporate accounting world, occurred after the woman returned to the office at 7:30 p.m., about two hours after meeting her colleagues for a drink at the Ivy nightclub on Friday night.
Then, about five hours later, just after midnight, a construction worker and his colleague working on a site next to the George Street headquarters heard a crash as the woman fell onto the awning over the main entrance of the building. building.
The worker said security guards inside the facility raised the alarm, with police and paramedics rushing to the area and closing off the scene.
A woman was found dead outside the Sydney headquarters of Ernst & Young (pictured) early on Saturday morning after leaving a work event.
A detective and a uniformed police officer were seen talking to a woman in the building’s reception area Tuesday morning.
The worker was surprised to learn details of the incident from first responders on the scene.
‘There was a big blue tarp over it…it’s horrible and so tragic.
‘We were quite surprised. We had no idea. She is terrible, the poor woman.
The employee’s death has shocked the accounting industry, which is now in the midst of peak auditing season, where some of the county’s brightest numbers analysts are scrambling to meet high-powered client deadlines. .
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that the work culture at EY contributed to the tragic circumstances, and the woman’s position in the company and personal circumstances are unknown.
Staff at EY (the trading name of the firm Ernst & Young) received an email from a member of management on Monday to say that “it is with great sadness that I share the news that one of our team members has died in the building at HEY in Sydney.” weekend’.
The woman returned to Ernst and Young’s head office in Sydney (pictured) around 7:30pm on Friday. She was found dead hours later.
“While the police investigation is ongoing, we have been advised that there were no suspicious circumstances,” the email added.
“We have contacted the person’s family to offer our condolences and continued support.”
The email said the company would launch a “comprehensive and wide-ranging internal review” of its health and safety and social policies in the wake of the tragedy.
A group of EY workers told Daily Mail Australia that advice had been offered to employees.
A uniformed NSW Police officer and a detective were at the scene Tuesday morning meeting with senior managers.
“This is the worst case scenario, so management is doing everything they can,” said a member of staff.
‘We have never known anything like this. It’s awful… it’s so creepy.
The employees, who did not know the woman, said the company is made up of several teams, each made up of about 30 or 40 people.
“The ‘work hard, play hard’ (culture) depends on your team,” they said. ‘Some are like that, others are not’.
The woman arrived at the bar around 5:30 p.m. Friday for an event organized by the accounting giant’s social club.
He spent the next two hours there, leaving just before 7:30 pm to walk back to his office.
Police have been reviewing CCTV footage from nearby cameras (pictured) to piece together the woman’s final moments.
Police are not treating the death as “suspicious” and investigations are still ongoing to determine what happened after she had her last drink.
It has been alleged that staff escorted her out of the venue due to excessive alcohol consumption, The Australian reported.
But CCTV footage seen by investigators once she returned to 200 George Street at Circular Quay, overlooking Sydney Harbour, did not suggest she was noticeably intoxicated.
It is also unclear if the employee returned to the skyscraper to continue working until the night or if she was there for another reason.
Temporary repairs have been made to an awning damaged during the incident, but blood has yet to be cleaned from the scene.
Floral tributes were notably absent from the scene Tuesday morning, as a myriad of workers streamed in and out of the building, walking under the blood-soaked awning.
A detective and uniformed police officer were seen entering the building and waiting in the lobby until a woman came to greet them and then led them upstairs.
In recent years, EY had faced criticism along with other large accounting firms – KPMG, Deloitte and PWC – for its extreme work hours and competitive corporate culture.
Last year, an email from the heads of EY’s Hong Kong financial services team exposed their grueling “peak season work protocol and expectations”. It is not suggested that the same edict be applied in Australia.
“Staff must start work at 9:30 am and finish no earlier than 11:30 pm,” the email said.
‘I think midnight is common in high seasons, it depends on self-discipline and responsibility.
“For the weekends, I hope that at least one day we spend the whole day (from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm) in the office.”
The woman found dead at Ernst and Young’s head office in Sydney had spent two hours earlier in the evening at Sydney’s glitzy watering hole, the Ivy nightclub (pictured)
The management of the company is now prepared to carry out a ‘comprehensive and wide-ranging internal review encompassing health and safety, security and social events as it pertains to our staff’.
EY CEO and regional managing partner David Larocca said the company’s employees were being counseled about the tragedy.
“Our Director of Mental Health will be part of an ongoing review and has been instrumental over the weekend in providing ongoing advice and guidance,” he said.
‘Advice has been offered to all staff and team members.’
EY is also assisting the police with their ongoing investigation while a coroner’s report is prepared.
“Our hearts go out to the family and we have reached out to offer our support and condolences,” Larocca said.
For 24-hour confidential support in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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