Family of Ernst and Young employee break silence after tragic death

The brother of the Ernst & Young employee who died in a suspected suicide at the firm’s Sydney office has penned a heartbreaking tribute.

The brother of an Ernst & Young employee who died in a suspected suicide at the firm’s Sydney office has penned a moving poem for his sister, revealing his family are “shocked beyond words”.

The heartbroken man described how “life turned upside down” the moment his family were informed of the 27-year-old corporate high-flyer’s death last Friday.

7NEWS obtained the poem, titled “Gone Too Soon”, on Friday.

“Shocked beyond words, not an age to go, life was ahead of you,” he wrote.

The man said those closest to her are “controlling our tears, as you will be missed for years”.

“Flashback from your birth running in our minds, aim to relive the bond of love (and) respect every year,” the poem continues.

“Left an irreplaceable void in our lives.

“Will remember & cherish the wonderful memories.

“May your soul rest in peace.”

Initial reports suggested the woman attended an EY social function at The Ivy bar and nightclub from 5.30pm on Friday, before returning to the offices at 7.30pm.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the body of the 27-year-old woman was found at the financial service firm’s Sydney CBD offices. Police are not investigating her death as suspicious and believe self-harm was involved.

Initial reports suggested the woman attended an EY social function at The Ivy bar and nightclub from 5.30pm on Friday, before returning to the offices at 7.30pm.

It’s understood security guards raised the alarm just after midnight, with police called to the office about 12.20am following a concern for welfare report.

The new timeline has raised questions about what happened in the mystery four hours after she was reportedly escorted out of The Ivy for being intoxicated.

The woman’s identity and position have not been revealed.

Her husband was on a flight from Singapore to Sydneywhen she died, and only found out about her death after touching down in Australia.

In a statement shared with news.com.au, the CEO of EY and the Regional Managing Partner David Larocca said the firm is “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic events of the weekend”.

The brother of the Ernst & Young employee who died in a suspected suicide at the firm’s Sydney office has penned a heartbreaking poem for his sister.

“We are assisting the police with their ongoing investigation, which has confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances,” said Mr Larocca.

“Our hearts go out the family and we have been in contact to offer our support and condolences.”

A “comprehensive and wide-ranging internal ­review encompassing health and safety, security, social events” has also been initiated, and counselling has been offered to all staff and team members.

In the aftermath of the death, posts on online forums have highlighted the “high pressure and workaholic culture” at Big 4 financial services firms. In addition to EY, they include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and KPMG.

“Had a lot of late nights and weekends so can definitely see what she may be experiencing. Took six months leave to mentally reset myself. Ultimately quit after that,” wrote one Reddit user, who claimed to be a former employee at a Big 4 firm.

“Working for B4 (Big 4) can often feel like working in a sweat shop. They don’t care about your wellbeing. They just care about output, output, output,” another comment read.

News.com.au is not suggesting the work culture at EY contributed to the employee’s death.