Whatever these improvements are, I hope they are in addition to increasing pay rather than instead of… It stands to reason that people who are expected to provide a “world class” level of service should be paid more than those at companies that only expect “average” service.
I've been saying this for a very long time. Like, a dozen years or more. This was clearly coming, it was just a matter of when. COVID helped push it over the edge, just like it did so many other things.
Even from the logistical standpoint - it is such a PITA to work for Disney - from just getting to work, parking, taking shuttles, dealing with uniforms/costumes, etc. etc. - that I don't blame folks at all who can work pretty much anywhere else, for the same or better hourly wage, and just park outside of where they work five minutes before their shift starts and walk in.
Disney relied way too heavily for a very long time on people who were willing to put up with it all to be "part of the magic" - and of course, much of that was padded out by CPers who were happy to be janitors or sling fries for a few bucks an hour by the time housing, etc. was taken out (if you count food, many barely broke even).
People are finally getting what they wished for. You would see threads like this over the years and everyone is all "If you don't like it, get a better job!" and, well - that's exactly what has happened. It's happening everywhere, in fact, and Disney has exhausted any "magical" immunity it used to have to the labor market to insulate itself from it.
The labor force is just fed up, everywhere - and no longer willing to put up with anything just for that paycheck. When they
are willing to meet the demands, they want to be decently compensated for it. No company right now, not even Disney, can rely on people being forced to take whatever they can get. People are learning how to get better jobs, or how to live on less, and the endless pool of worker bees just isn't as endless as corporate capitalism thought it was.
Disney used to be able to rely on churn - as many people who they burnt out used to be replaced by just as many more eager "I want to go live at Disney!" folks who were willing to come down and do it. A large portion of their FOTL employees were semi-transient, "move to Orlando for 3 or 4 years and do the roommate thing" types. They just aren't choosing to come to Florida like they used to.
All that said, aside from pay (which I am actually heartened to see so many folks mention is the real overall issue) - one of the things about working for Disney used to be those benefits they gave. And I'm not talking about free french fries. The gate passes and major discounts alone were enough for some folks to work at least part time there. Even if they reverted to great benefits, though, the tide has shifted too much to make any real dent at this point.
