Heineken Australia says its new campaign intends to address the growing issue of work-life imbalance. Its invention, The Closer, is a high-tech bottle opener that immediately shuts all work applications when a bottle of Heineken is opened with it.

With the average Australian now working 1.5 hours more of unpaid overtime each week, the equivalent of an extra eight 38-hour weeks of work a year*. Heineken says that it hopes the satirical symbol will help Australian workers feel empowered to say no to extra work and sign off on time so they can spend more time connecting with friends and family.

Heineken Country Manager for Australia, Willemijn Sneep. “While it’s often something we take on the chin, overwork is an Australian affliction. We want to spark a much-needed conversation about the importance of work-life boundaries and the reprioritisation of our social and leisure time, so everyone can feel empowered to log off and enjoy their personal time.”

Heineken intends for its high-tech bottle opener to be a catalyst for change in helping Australian workers on their journey to better work-life balance, especially in weeks where the public holidays have seen workers cram five days of work into four.

“We know the issue is a complicated one and of course won’t solely be solved by The Closer” says Sneep. “The Closer isn’t just about the technology, it’s a social provocation to help people see that the pressure to work all the time is evident and more needs to be done. We don’t have all the immediate answers, but we as a brand view it as our ongoing duty to get there, while helping Australians work more responsibly in the process.

“As a first step, there are already plans in place we hope to share soon, as part of our way to help Aussies apply a fresh perspective to how they can get better at closing down work on time and continue to prioritise their social & leisure time with friends and family.”

Learn more about the device and some of Heineken’s initial tips on how to #WorkResponsibly to achieve better work-life balance by visiting https://www.heineken.com/au/en/campaigns/thecloser.

A limited number of Closer bottle openers are available in Australia. Australian workers can enter for their chance to win one via Heineken Australia’s Facebook page.