Famous dairy brand Amul, renowned for its satirical cartoons, on Tuesday waded into the fiery debate over the proposed 90-hour workweek with a cheeky doodle that left netizens chuckling.
The controversy stemmed from a video of SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), where he suggested employees consider working 90 hours a week, even forgoing Sundays. Subrahmanyan stated, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I could, I would. I work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”
His comment, “How long can you stare at your wife?” was perceived by many as insensitive and out of touch with contemporary work-life balance challenges.
Amul seized the moment to deliver a razor-sharp response. Their doodle, captioned “controversy about the 90-hour work week!” featured the pun “Labour and Toil?” with a bold emphasis on “L” and “T,” clearly referencing the company. Not stopping there, the text “Amul stares at bread daily” took a witty jab at Subrahmanyan’s remarks.
Subrahmanyan’s statements have been met with widespread backlash on social media. Critics have likened his comments to those of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, who recently advocated for a 70-hour workweek. Many users questioned why highly paid CEOs expect the same tireless dedication from employees earning significantly less.
Meanwhile, business tycoon Anand Mahindra steered the conversation toward a more constructive perspective. He emphasized the importance of quality over quantity in work, urging companies to prioritize productivity and efficiency rather than marathon work schedules.
