Originally Posted By monorailblue Sorry, also, for so many missing and mis-typed words. I'm battling a household of kids as I try to to my message-boarding.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "I enjoy keeping up on Disneyland news, issues and controversies and post what I feel about what I read and hear." Have you ever worked for Disney in any capacity? If so, where and doing what?
Originally Posted By VanFrance2009 “I'm about to hit my 15th anniversary of my first day of Disneyland work.” Congrats on that milestone. “I can say with absolute certainty that the work environment, perks, etc. are worse than they used to be in many ways.” I think the caveat for this is that this is true for you. You are taking a personal (micro) view of the current Cast Member experience in comparison to how it was for you earlier in your time with TWDC. I am taking the macro view of the Cast as a whole. I’ll respond to each one of your examples of what is a worse experience today for Cast Members. “I hired in at the resort three times (and left each time with a positive re-hire, free of excessive call-ins, appearance issues, etc.). The first time, the process took four months--to get a seasonal job washing dishes and bussing tables. They were exceptionally choosy, because turnover was very low and job satisfaction was exceptionally high. By my third application, the entire process, from applying to actually being offered a position, took less than one working day.” I think (I don’t completely know) that you are making the assumption that the difference between your first application experience and your last application experience is due to the fact that in 1993, it took you four months to be hired and in (well...you didn’t say when you hired in the last time...can we assume anytime after 2000?) you were hired in 1 day. I think you are omitting too many factors that could have contributed to the different experience. Is there any way that the technology that Casting used got significantly quicker between your first and third application experience? Could the fact that Casting was even located on property for your third application experience been the reason? Could your stellar record from your previous two tours of duty with the Company enhanced your chances to get picked up sooner? Could the fact that Disneyland only had 10k Cast Members in 1993 and had nearly 20k when you returned be part of the reason for the difference? Could the time of year that you applied both times had an impact on how quickly you could come on board? My point is, your hiring process doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are other factors out there that also need to be recognized. Let’s talk about some of the “losses” that you’ve had over this 15 year window, okay? “I lost a permanent locker.” Really, this is going to be the first loss you go to. Really. Listen, I no fan of the current state of Costuming. I hate driving around Harbor and Ball and seeing Cast Members in costume at bus stops. But c’mon. I sense a level of entitlement here that just doesn’t make sense to me. Where they really that great? I can’t agree with you on this one. I can’t believe that providing a permanent locker would cause the Cast to jump for joy. “lost the ability to park on-site” You lost the ability to park on site because a second gate was built and it nearly doubled the amount of Cast Members that can now be employed by the Company. This is a win for Cast Members in my macro view. “got a substantially worse wage (as a % of CA minimum wage)” I’m sorry. I just cannot swallow this argument. If you truly have a problem with your wages, you have one and only one direction to look towards - the Master Services Council. If you feel like Cast Members should be getting paid for what they do, you need to be ready to demand it during contract negotiations. Aren’t they coming up soon? My other problem when I see this argument that TWDC doesn’t pay well is that nobody put a gun to your head and told you to take the job in the first place. It’s like it comes as a surprise to people that they start now around $9 and move up through the union wage scale. Since the strike in 1984, the Cast Members have caved in time after time and approved the contract that you are currently working under. How can this be the fault of the Company? And btw, what rate would you be at if you had never left the Company during your 15 years? Most likely, a pretty decent one. “fewer cast activities” Did I miss something? Are the Canoe Races gone? No. How about the Family Holiday Party? No..actually, it’s been expanded. Softball, Basketball, and Vollyball leagues? Check, check, and check. Minnie’s Moonlit Madness and Little Monsters? Still alive and kicking. So I’m confused. What’s missing? I would love to work for a company that had a department that just focused on arranging fun things for me and my family to do. “very strict rules on cast items (remember when we used to be able to make sanctioned t-shirts, anyone?)” Gee, I can’t even imagine why TWDC wouldn’t want a Jungle Cruise Cast Member to make a t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on it giving the bird to Saddam and saying “Welcome to Iraqi-Land” (A very real shirt in 1991). “a hugely expanded management structure (including supervisors who often weren't signed off to work the jobs they supervised)” You’re right. It was better when the Attractions Managers were also in charge of the Stores in their lands. “reduced benefits” Once again, this should be addressed during contract negotiations. “reduced discounts on many items (including admission media)” Nobody took away your 35% discount. “loosened (sic) grooming standards,” How does this make the Cast experience worse? “diminished/weakened Show standards (TL 98 Costumes, elimination of boots at Big Thunder, etc.)” Again, how does this make the Cast experience worse? And puh-leeze do not use the elimination of boots at Big Thunder argument. I had a friend that worked there in the early 90’s and he told me tonight that they used to have to bring in second pair of shoes when they walked the track because there was no traction in those boots and they would have gone flying off the mountain without changing. Frankly, they were a huge safety hazard. “Where once depended on a system of individual initiative and responsibility, they resort shifted dramatically into strict computer and surveillance of each moment of the day.” Okay...I’m not making a joke here. This entire paragraph comes off as paranoid. “An example of this is TGS.” I love that you are bringing up Total Guest Satisfaction! “15 years ago” More like 13 years but okay. “any Cast member, of any location or status, had the ability to provide a number of items to Guests as service recovery, without ANY supervisory approval. (This included up to $25 or $30 in merchandise, if I remember correctly.)” And without a really tremendous way to track all of those items being given away. “This system functioned for many years because the Cast were spectacular. When the work and benefits soured, the Cast followed. Over time, the Cast could not be left with this power, so supervisory approval for many types of Guest recovery was required.” If I was the leader, I’d want to know when there was an issue that required service recovery in my area so I could ensure that the guests are taken care of and then go address the issue. “Rotations were replaced with CDS--the Cast couldn't be trusted to work as they should, so a computer had to mandate every move.” Do you really believe that CDS was implemented because the leaders couldn’t trust the cast? I feel bad for you if you do. Clearly, it was implemented because a technology became available that allowed leaders to more effectively manage the labor hours at their locations. If I had lost the extra breaks that rotations gave me, I’d be mad too. But the macro view tells us that by developing a system that allows Attractions Cast Members to get the same amount of breaks as the rest of the Cast Members, the Company had righted a wrong that had been in place since the Park opened. Let me be clear here, nobody deserves more breaks than anyone else. Nobody. All of the Cast works hard and all deserve to have a break every two hours. No more, no less. “Scheduling had to be replaced with GEMS--managers and schedulers couldn't be trusted to make the "best" schedules, to the computer does it.” This is the second time that you have attacked a technology that has improved efficiencies for the operation of the Resort. I would bet that your schedulers do a little more than you think with your schedule that just hit a start button and then post what pops out. Perhaps it’s time to get an overview from your scheduler to understand better what they do? “And on and on.” I think more than anything, you may have run out of things to bring up. “The reasons behind each of these things are myriad--not just the economy and not just corporate mandates and not just increased competition in the workplace and not just DCA and not just Paul Pressler and so forth.” A point that I can agree with you on. As I said earlier, nothing exists in vacuum. But you did leave out a key player here as well. The Cast Member owns part of this. You can not just sit back and say “Make my place the perfect work environment.” MonorailBlue, clearly we are not going to agree here. More than anything, I wonder if, as Cast Members work for more and more years, the inevitable loss of pixie dust when one first hires in colors both the opinions of the present and the past. In closing, I'd just like to say that a BEEEP would be an indication as a correct answer and a BUZZZZZ would be a much better indication of an incorrect answer. VF
Originally Posted By monorailblue <<I think the caveat for this is that this is true for you. You are taking a personal (micro) view of the current Cast Member experience in comparison to how it was for you earlier in your time with TWDC.>> I don't have the energy to read through this lengthy "exposé" of my errors. Nothing I wrote suggested I was attempting to make a comprehensive explanation. But I *must* point out that my entire premise was to support the statement that the workplace is not what it once was. Therefore, by demonstrating how it once was and how it changed, I have taken the only possible view. You can't say it is no different, then totally ignore how it was. Really, the last, best argument I have is: duh.
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 But nothing is as it was monorailblue. Disneyland is now a business, nothing more. It is not the "family" or "Walt" run theme park of years ago. Wall Street now calls the shots basically. It's all about $'s. All any company owes you these days is a paycheck for an "honest" days work. Extra benefits such as parties or give-aways are a thing of the past. You need to be grateful for the things Disney still does for it's Cast Members and thank them in my opinion. Which is a lot more than most companies do for their employees these days. I have to agree with one of VanFrance2009 observations. No one is holding a gun to any Cast Member's head to stay at the Resort and work for what they consider a low wage (I'm sorry but scanning an item in a store or with today's computer technology taking over most of the attractions operations most jobs within the Parks are not "rocket science") or what they think are not enough benefits in their opinion. If you have a problem with wages and cutbacks then as pointed out it needs to be addressed at contract time. Go ahead STRIKE and see where that will get you these days...less than what you went out for. The membership for the union YOU had to join voted to accept the current conditions. If it is not something you agree with fight for your rights or simply start looking for another job. So many employees today (including some Cast Member's) think they are "entitled" to things from any employeer. Again, they owe you a paycheck and perhaps some benefits if that is part of the agreement you fall under. You knew what you were getting into when you hired in. I remember being told very specifically when I hired in..."We work while others play." Hard at times yes, but it is what I agreed to when I was at Disneyland and I made sure to project the Disney image with every guest I came in contact with. I was there to create magic for the guests...so many Cast Members today simply don't understand what Walt's dream was all about. Again as I mentioned earlier Wall Street is calling the shots, but the attitude you choose to bring with you each day can be an attitude of understanding of what the company expects of you that day, and you can also choose to carry on Walt's dream the way he intended. My feeling has always been in any job I have had. Once it isn't fun anymore it's time to move onto something else. You owe it to the company you are working for, but most of all you owe it to yourself. Hang in there....you can still make it a magical place if you just have the right attitude. You can't do it for everyone who comes into the parks, but you can do it for everyone you come in contact with, guests and Cast Members alike. And when someone is grumpy who knows some of that Disney Magic you have might just rub off on others. Hard yes, but not impossible. OK, I'll step down off my soap box now.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <But nothing is as it was monorailblue. Disneyland is now a business, nothing more. It is not the "family" or "Walt" run theme park of years ago. Wall Street now calls the shots basically. It's all about $'s. All any company owes you these days is a paycheck for an "honest" days work. Extra benefits such as parties or give-aways are a thing of the past. You need to be grateful for the things Disney still does for it's Cast Members and thank them in my opinion. Which is a lot more than most companies do for their employees these days.> No offense to your well written paragraph here, Mickeyfan1 -- but it's a crock. monorailblue has only worked for Disneyland for 15 years -- his time with the company began in 1994 -- almost 40 years after Walt Disney died. So to try and suggest that monorailblue is yearning for when 'Uncle Walt' walked through the park and greeted people by name, and it was like a family -- well, I just don't think that's the case. I will agree that the farther away we get from Walt Disney, and the people who worked with him, the harder it will be to maintain some of that 'family' feeling that seemed to exist in the early days of Disneyland. That said -- to write that companies are only in it for money, and they don't care about their employees, and they only 'owe' them an honest wage, and employees shouldn't think they're 'entitled' to anything beyond that -- blah, blah, blah. What a cynical, cynical view of the world in which we live. And frankly, it's not true. Every year, Fortune magazine publishes '100 Best Companies to Work For in America' -- and provides information about why these companies are what they are. <a href="http://www.greatplacetowork.com/best/list-bestusa.htm" target="_blank">http://www.greatplacetowork.co...tusa.htm</a> I see Starbucks on the list quite a few times over the past 10 years. And Stew Leonard's (I remember them from the 'In Search of Excellence' movie). 3M shows up quite a bit. Even Wal-Mart. Men's Wearhouse. Nordstrom. All considered excellent companies to work for. I can't remember the last time any division of The Walt Disney Company made this list. Why is that I wonder?
Originally Posted By alexbook >>Disneyland is now a business, nothing more.<< >>Hang in there....you can still make it a magical place if you just have the right attitude.<< Seems to me these are contradictory sentiments. Aren't they?
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 Not a contradiction at all alexbook. It's all in what you make of the situation you are in. I still keep in touch with many of the people I worked with at Disneyland. Many are still there. Granted they are not "excited" if you will over the changes that they have seen over the years, but none the less they are not going to let that get them down. They are committed to makeing each day an exciting (or magical if you will) experience for guests and cast members they interact with depending on their role either being on-stage or back-stage. My thoughts are to one day return to Disneyland when I retire. (When they start hiring again). I have had so many people tell me I wouldn't want to go back to the department I worked in for over 10 years. It's not like it was when you were here they tell me. Yes, I agree andI can see that when I go into the Park. However I loved the department I worked in (Merchandise on Main Street), and again it's all what you make of it. Disneyland IS a business and they are great at what they do. As a Cast Member you make the decision to either accept company policy and follow it or not. If you don't like it find something else. Nothing in the changes that have take place over the years has encouraged Cast Members to treat guests any differently than what Walt originally had in mind. Disneyland and every Cast Member there is in the business of creating Magic. It's all in the attitude you choose to have when you are at work. Creating T-Shirts, poor discounts on admission tickets, the reason these were stopped is because of the abuse of prior Cast Members. Degrading or insulting t-shirts with slogans and Disney Characters is unacceptable to management...as it should be. As for ticket media, I remember very clearly what happened there. We use to get great discounts on admission tickets when I worked there (1974-76, 1985-1995 as a second job). It was clearly stated and we understood that these tickets were to be used by our family and friends and never resold. Well some people just couldn't play by the rules and started selling their deeply discounted tickets to tour groups and individuals and making money on the deal. So the company decided to simply up the price to just a few dollars below the regular price and that put a stop to the "greed" if you will by some Cast members. The actions of a few is usually the case of ruining something for the majority. I love the current company I work for, however over the 30 plus years I have been here I have seen many changes, most of which were to reduce cost and in some instances would have an impact on our service. Do I like the changes, no! However is does not stop me from making sure I do everything I can for the other employees I train or the "customers" I help every single day. Is my company just a business, yes, but we still deliver a product, and a very good one I feel, however we have those people in management who will do everything they can to focus on numbers and income and the customer be damned! I'll follow the policy, however I won't let it effect the service I provide to our customer base. Perhaps I was a little cynical as Jim pointed out and now that I re-read what I wrote I can agree. I did not mean that all companies are this way. There are a few, but I do agree that most companies do care about the people who work for them. However the days of give aways and the "free lunch" as some of them call it are over for many companies. Disney still goes out of its way to show Cast Members that they care about them. Yes, the break rooms may need attention and the food could be better, but Cast Activities is still very active and there for the Cast Member. I stand corrected on that point, thanks Jim for knocking me off the soap box a little. There is a story I tell in one of my classes about someone who heard Wayne Dryer speak one day. From his book "You'll See It When You Believe It." He says, "Don't be a duck, be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain, eagles soar above the crowd" So you see even though things seem to be headed in the wrong direction company wise, it doesn't mean, in my opinion, you can't make a difference and still share some of that old Disney "magic" with everyone. And that goes for those of us who don't even work there! Do I sound like I am wearing rose colored glasses. Really I'm not. I simply have made the decision I will do the best I can for the company I work for and remain positive and to be there for my co-workers and customers. (I do have bad days also, but I simply catch myself and work it out). If the day every comes where I can't stand to come into work, then that is the day I will either retire or go and find someting else to do. It's a simple choice really. Thanks, and now I'll step down again from the ole soap box.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Thanks for taking the time to clarify your post Mickeyfan1 -- makes sense.
Originally Posted By Mickeyfan1 Jim....Stew Leonard's. Wow I had forgotten all about them. I use to have an entire workshop built around the video I have of their store, "It's Show Time". Years ago I was back in Danbury and made it a point to stop by the store. I think I spent the better part of 5 hours there. I introduced myself and told them how I use their company as an example of what can be done and got to meet quite a few family members including Stew Sr. and Jr. and was given the red carpet treatment and tour of the store. Even got to help out a little at the ice cream counter since I use to work at Carnation during my first tour at Disneyland. Also the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle is a great example of teamwork and attitude in the work place. I teach the FISH! Philisophy and a new program titled LeaderFISH! based on their company. When I visited Seattle a year ago, I stopped by to meet the folks at the Fish Market. They were great, and before I left had me behind the counter catching on of the "flying fish" that are so popular there. Life is too short to constantly complain about everything. Leave the problems to upper management. Do what you can to help. Don't sweat the small stuff either. Do everything you can to make your company the very best it can be not only in the product or service you provide, but also in the way you treat your customers. Another interesting book to read is by Fred Lee, "9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently If Disney Ran Your Hospital." I had the opportunity to hear Fred speak a few months ago. Very insightful and very inspiring. It is a shame however that in some areas Disney does not operate this way anymore. Life is to short. Enjoy it each and every day....even while working.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Not that I really have much to add to the discussion right now, but I'd just like to say that I love the FISH video! We watch it every year, and I think it just keeps getting better.
Originally Posted By monorailblue Just to jump in again--and I must apologize that I haven't read all the posts; I'm full-time-at-home-ing 3 kids under 4.5 right now--but I must clarify. I don't work at Disneyland now, and I haven't for some years. I did start 15 years ago. Every change I discussed began while I was there, and many have expanded since I left. It is, of course, true that things change. In hilariously terse recapitulation: I think it is great that they aren't hiring right now. The constant turnover was not good for business (used in its broadest sense). Hopefully, Casting will exercise increased selectivity and this will mean a happier and more effective Cast at the resort. Certainly, many of my Cast Member friends are hoping for that. And, to agree with an earlier post, when unemployment drops again, it is likely that Disney will return swiftly to high levels of turnover. I believe one big reason for this is the seasonal nature of the work--once off season hits, there are thousands of CMs clamoring for hours which are not available--so they add second jobs. Then hours come back, and many find they have to choose between jobs. Disneyland often loses that battle because of the factors I spoke of earlier, coupled with the Cast Member's knowledge that the paucity of hours will come 'round again during the next off season. Just an observation. NOTE: THIS POST WAS NOT MEANT TO CONSTITUTE ANY COMPREHENSIVE EXPLANATION OF ANYTHING OR TO PRESENT ANYTHING AS ABSOLUTE TRUTH IN ANY WAY OR TO REPRESENT THAT I KNOW EVERYTHING AND NO ONE ELSE KNOWS ANYTHING. Thanks.
Originally Posted By fkurucz ****<<>>Disneyland is now a business, nothing more.<< >>Hang in there....you can still make it a magical place if you just have the right attitude.<< Seems to me these are contradictory sentiments. Aren't they?**** Its Corporate America to a "T". There has never been so much pressure on the "little people" to do so much "heavy lifting", to perform magic, to jump higher, to take "ownership". Yet they are constantly reminded by management that they are talentless rubes, unworthy of a living wage, of a few perks. And while profits soar into the stratosphere management keeps taking things away from its employees. And its not just the "unskilled" crowd who are facing this, as vbdad will be quick to bear witness.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <Just to jump in again--and I must apologize that I haven't read all the posts; I'm full-time-at-home-ing 3 kids under 4.5 right now--but I must clarify.> well, you can't blame upper management for that monorailblue!
Originally Posted By monorailblue Well, if you consider the management structure in my house, I'm definitely not the upper tier.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Hey, MonorailBlue, if I quote your "NOTE"... must I pay you for creativity rights?
Originally Posted By VanFrance2009 MonorailBlue - Can we take a moment to step into the wayback machine? I wrote - <<I find it hard to believe that the Cast Member experience is so much worse than it used to be. I think that may be people wishing for "the Good Old Day" without knowing what they were really about.>> Your response to this statement was: <<BEEEEEEP. Wrong answer. Try again.>> Which was then followed by a quick list (not to be considered comprehensive) of changes that supported the following statement <<I can say with absolute certainty that the work environment, perks, etc. are worse than they used to be in many ways.>> I posted my response to each one of those items...which you claim not to have read (if you did, you’d see that 1. where I agreed with you and 2. that I simply disagreed with you on other items and explained why I disagreed with you. I didn’t say that you were wrong...okay...I did say that you were wrong about the BTMRR boots...I’ll give you that...but that’s because you were. In response to my *ahem* "exposé,” you responded with. <<But I *must* point out that my entire premise was to support the statement that the workplace is not what it once was.>> And once again, I have to disagree with you. I whole heartedly agree with you that in 15 years, the Cast Member experience has changed significantly. Any casual observer would agree with that. My statement that you clearly disagreed with (remember, you buzzed me and told me to try again) was that I don’t believe the Cast Member experience is worse than it used to be. Every example that you gave was about trying to prove that the Cast Member experience IS worse that it used to be. Maybe it is just semantics but to me there is a significant difference between something the workplace being worse than it used to be and the workplace is not what it once was. I also acknowledged in my response that you and I were going to disagree on this. You also invited a response from me (remember the Buzzzz, Wrong Answer. Try again). I made no personal attack and your response back can be summed up in one word - “duh.” You can go ahead and say I’m some nut that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. But I think one also needs to take a look at the big picture to truly understand what has been the Cast Member experience. Examining the Cast Member experience from one point of view (being either a single person or a single department) does not make it true for all. VF
Originally Posted By VanFrance2009 Jim in Merced CA wrote: <<I will agree that the farther away we get from Walt Disney, and the people who worked with him, the harder it will be to maintain some of that 'family' feeling that seemed to exist in the early days of Disneyland.>> Jim - I think that is only part of it. I think that as time passes, Walt Disney simply does not have a direct connection to Generation Y and the Millennials. You and I grew up watching Walt on his Sunday night show. He was in our living rooms every week. For the Cast Members that were born beginning in 1980, how are they expected to come in the door at Casting with a connection to a man that for them has only been a statue on Main Street? I think the leadership of the Resort has done an admirable job of keeping Walt’s spirit alive by having older Cast Members pass down their experiences (either in person or on video) but there is an entire segment of our population (and it is quickly becoming the LARGEST segment of the population) that has no natural connection to the man. I also think that the family feeling that you refer to has been gone for much longer than one would suspect. I think the strike of 1984 damaged that feeling beyond repair and then the Resort expansion beginning with the purchase of the Wrather Corporation followed by the purchase of the Pan Pacific Hotel and then finally the Resort expansion of DCA, DtD, and the GCH effectively ended any sense of family - because it’s just too big to have that family feel. That family feel is created when it feels like everyone knows each other. You can probably have that with 6k Cast Members. I don’t think it can exist across the Resort with 20k Cast Members. Also, Jim in Merced CA wrote: <<That said -- to write that companies are only in it for money, and they don't care about their employees, and they only 'owe' them an honest wage, and employees shouldn't think they're 'entitled' to anything beyond that -- >> I believe the other items that companies owe their employees (beside the paycheck) is to be treated with respect and dignity. If there are Cast Members out there that feel that they are not be treated with respect, it’s time to get HR involved and have them investigate that particular leader. And finally, Jim in Merced CA wrote: <<Every year, Fortune magazine publishes '100 Best Companies to Work For in America' -- and provides information about why these companies are what they are. <a href="http://www.greatplacetowork.co...tusa.htm" target="_blank">http://www.greatplacetowork.co...tusa.htm</a> I see Starbucks on the list quite a few times over the past 10 years. And Stew Leonard's (I remember them from the 'In Search of Excellence' movie). 3M shows up quite a bit. Even Wal-Mart. Men's Wearhouse. Nordstrom. All considered excellent companies to work for. I can't remember the last time any division of The Walt Disney Company made this list. Why is that I wonder?>> Jim - do you know how Fortune determines what companies are included on this list? I could be totally wrong but I believe that companies that want to be on this list have to apply for it. If you don’t apply for it, you won’t be selected. On a related topic, just three years ago Business Week ranked TWDC as the number one company to launch a career at. I know it isn’t the Fortune top 100 to work at but that is a pretty significant achievement. VF
