In another tragic incident that has once again brought mental health and work-life balance into focus, a 25 Year-old man has allegedly died by suicide in Mumbai.
Pressure Takes A Young Life
Saurabh Kumar Laddha, a Pune-based professional worked with American consulting and professional services behemoth McKinsey and Company. Laddha was said to be under immense pressure. After interning with the company, he was hired and made a part of an assignment in Ahmedabad (Gujarat). It was after returning from a trip to the aforementioned Ahmedabad that Ladda allegedly took his own life, jumping from the ninth floor of his building. He lived along with his roommates.
Laddha, who completed his graduation in Chemical engineering from the coveted IIT Madras, went on to complete his MBA from another premier institution, IIM Calcutta.
The 25 year-old was residing in Mumbai's Wadala at the time of his unfortunate demise.
The police said that it is looking into the matter, and will be enquiring of his roommates and co-workers, including seniors who were working on the Ahmedabad project to investigate the matter.
Laddha is survived by his parents, who live in Pune, Maharashtra.
McKinsey and Company
After the incident came to light, it has been taken up by major publications, and online discussions on the issue has surged. Some individuals who have previously worked or known about the firm in question, McKinsey and Company shared their understanding of the matter.
One of them even called the work culture at the company toxic.
The company has previously been in news for myriad reasons including questionable rectitude of its practices, from profiting from US government contracts, to shielding besmirched corporations. Most recently McKinsey and company was accused working with authoritarian regimes around the globe, in an attempt alleviate their stature. McKinsey is also known for its high-handed approach, when it comes to handling dire accusations and washing its hands off from any accountability.
Toxic Work Culture
This incident comes barely a week after the morbid news of the death of a senior journalist in Mumbai came to light. The journalist, who worked with a major daily, died of cardiac arrest after being chastised by a senior colleague.
This development has lead to reinvigoration of the discourse on the issue of work pressure online, including LinkedIn, where a lot of the professional journeys today start.
These incidents time and again raise the question of whether work can just remain work and not become life in itself. It is also about addressing the issue of toxicity of workplaces, whether newsrooms or multinational consulting firms and moving beyond meagre tokensim.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help here: | Mental Health Helplines
