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Silent Struggles: The Human Cost of Excessive Corporate Demands (A, B, C)
Amol S. Dhaigude, Naman Jain, and Sajit M Mathews
S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, India
Volume 18: 2025, pp. 101-112; ABSTRACT
Lily Reid was a bright and ambitious 26-year-old who joined Veriamos Technologies
(VTI) in September 2024. She stepped into a demanding role on Project Vanguard, filling in after
the sudden exit of another member, Ace Mathew. VTI, a global tech company aiming to be the
“world’s most trusted technology partner,” was already struggling with the project. Frequent
changes, tight budgets, high pressure, and people leaving the team made things extremely tough.
Lily had just finished her MBA and was eager to prove herself, but soon found herself working 18
to 20 hours a day. The pressure was intense, and she was clearly exhausted physically and mentally
yet organizational demands continued unabated. Just three months later, Lily died suddenly from a
heart attack while working late into the night. Her death left many questions. What went wrong?
How can a company allow this to happen? And now, how should VTI respond? This tragic incident
raises questions about workplace culture, employee well-being, crisis communication, and real
corporate responsibility?
Keywords: workplace culture, employee well-being, crisis communication, corporate
responsibility, reputational risk.
