In many professions, knowing how to communicate in more than one language is very important. In the area of technology, this isn't different. Knowledge of English is often necessary for the profession, as the vast majority of documentation, tutorials and systems used in programming are either written only in English, or have a higher quality and level of detail when written in the language.

In addition, with the expansion of technology and the remote work model, interactions between people from different countries end up taking place, either because there are work teams with people of different nationalities, or because companies have customers abroad. For this reason, many positions require candidates to be fluent in the language.

Here at 80 Lines, we have several clients abroad and we need the English language to open these horizons. However, it is not required of any employee who already enters the company speaking English. We believe this is a skill that can be easily developed and it makes no sense to cut back on hiring talent simply because they haven't had the opportunity or incentive to learn the language. When the employee joins the company, we reinforce how learning English opens up several opportunities and we help those who wish to deepen their knowledge of the language.

One of the ways we found to facilitate learning was the creation of English Time. This is a weekly meeting, during working hours, which any employee can attend if they wish. At this point, we suggest several topics for an informal conversation, not needing to be related to work. The only requirement is: the conversation must be in English.

We know that the ability to speak, especially, requires a lot of training. Many of our employees did not feel comfortable training with other people. With the creation of English Time, they began to practice. As the topics covered are of interest to the participants and the atmosphere is extremely welcoming, people tend to feel very comfortable experimenting. Over time, everyone participates actively, speaking without fear of making mistakes and asking for help, to have a fun and learning-filled conversation.

The evolution of the participants towards the language is visible, both within the moment of conversation and in meetings with clients from abroad. Several of them already communicate daily with customers abroad, without fear and effectively. In addition, with moments of interaction and help, a culture of great collaboration is created, with a fun, welcoming environment, of great friendship and respect.