New Delhi: The All India Professionals’ Congress Saturday announced the launch of a campaign to help ensure workplace wellness for professionals across the country, its chairman Praveen Chakravarty said.
The campaign — “For Anna, For All: Workplace Wellness” — was launched following a promise made by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to the parents of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old professional from Kochi, who died due to work stress.
Announcing the campaign at a press conference, Chakravarty, who is also the head of the Congress’ Data Analytics department, said the campaign will take up the cause of the working professionals in the country focusing on their work conditions, which at many places are quite stressful and toxic.
Chakravarty had met the parents of Sebastian and made Gandhi speak to them, who promised to do something in this regard. Sebastian’s parents had pleaded to make sure that such cases do not recur in future.
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X, said, “Millions of professionals across India are facing the same stress and pressure that Anna Sebastian experienced. It’s clear that we must do more to support them.”
“This initiative to create healthier working conditions for professionals is a crucial step in the right direction. I encourage everyone to get involved and help drive this movement forward. Together, we can make a meaningful difference. #ForAnnaForAll,” Gandhi said in his post.
Chakravarty said the tragic death of Anna Sebastian showed that office stress and toxic workplaces are serious issues for millions of working professionals in India.
It is important to address this issue and resolve this as a nation, he noted.
Chakravarty highlighted several instances where working professionals died or committed suicide because of the “stressful and toxic atmosphere” at their workplaces.
He disclosed that 3,000 employees of a company had written to the Professionals’ Congress about the work conditions in their organisation and several professionals have raised the issue with them.
The campaign is a multi-phase programme and is designed to focus on improving workplace wellness, he said while clarifying that it was completely apolitical.
“It is not an opposition party’s charge against the government, nor is it an issue about any particular company or about revenge,” the chairman of All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) said.
“This is an issue for us as a nation as we need to come together to resolve it constructively, collectively and cooperatively,” he said, adding that the Professionals’ Congress will work with experts to improve workplace conditions and wellness.
He said the programme encourages professionals to share their experiences of workplace stress and suggestions online at http://profcongress.in/speakup. Complete anonymity will be maintained for professionals who wish so, he said.
“We will convene an expert group to develop a comprehensive set of draft guidelines for offices across India to follow for improving workplace conditions.
“AIPC will then hold public consultations with professionals and their parents in all major cities to discuss the draft guidelines. As the final step, the Leader of the Opposition will help raise this issue in Parliament for a constructive discussion on the guidelines and urge the government to pass a law.
“We hope the tragedy of Anna Sebastian serves as a wake-up call for the nation to prioritise healthy workplaces and better working conditions for all professionals,” Chakravarty added.
