Cast Member Standards

[Andrew25]

As they continue to drop employee benefits, employees will look for other companies with better benefits. In the past Disney didn't pay the best, but they certainly had great benefits to offset. Now that Disney removed the Aspire program (and other programs(, you could see future candidates drop Disney from their preferred employers' list.

They are still a remarkable corporation to work for, but what's made them stand out is shrinking year over year.

There's also lots of competition for employees in Orlando (especially next year as Universal hires for Epic and 3 new resorts), so in order to properly staff their parks they need to reduce their hiring restrictions.

 

[marni1971]

I wonder if it has to do with the rapid hiring they had to do once the parks opened after COVID? Maybe they had to hire and train as fast as they could so that meant skipping parts of the training that included how to behave in the view of the guests and the history of the parks. Didn't they used to have an entire class on what it meant to be a CM at one time?

Yes. Not to disrespect anyone (and we all know I know a lot of people) but internal acceptance standards have been reduced over the last few years.

 

[Eric Graham]

I wonder if it has to do with the rapid hiring they had to do once the parks opened after COVID? Maybe they had to hire and train as fast as they could so that meant skipping parts of the training that included how to behave in the view of the guests and the history of the parks. Didn't they used to have an entire class on what it meant to be a CM at one time?

honestly, when i was at the parks during covid. i was just wondering why the employees weren't receiving some kind of bonuses in addition to their salaries for working during that time...it was quite a stressful time...maybe they were and i was unaware of it...

 

[DisneyFanatic12]

I wonder if it has to do with the rapid hiring they had to do once the parks opened after COVID? Maybe they had to hire and train as fast as they could so that meant skipping parts of the training that included how to behave in the view of the guests and the history of the parks. Didn't they used to have an entire class on what it meant to be a CM at one time?

Yes, and the class has gone back to the way it was before Covid. However, if you were hired during Covid, there’s an extremely high chance that you had Traditions at ESPN in a class of hundreds.

Nowadays though, it’s back to the smaller class size and short trip to MK.

 

[Lilofan]

On both coasts, it’s embarrassing and sad.

Throw in the carny-level grooming standards and one of the key differentiating elements of the Disney theme park experience is quickly being erased.

And to specifically answer your question “What happened?” - they stopped caring.

(Oh, and they mock you for noticing or caring.)

To attract applicants that would not apply the grooming rules became more lax - cast can openly show their tattoos , males can have long hair down to their shoulders if they want, cast can wear multiple jewelry on arms and necks, etc.

 

[Eric Graham]

To attract applicants that would not apply the grooming rules became more lax - cast can openly show their tattoos , males can have long hair down to their shoulders if they want, cast can wear multiple jewelry on arms and necks, etc.

it's very difficult in this job market to hire and retain quality employees...

 

[Eric Graham]

look at how many people have left the labor market

 

[Lilofan]

it's very difficult in this job market to hire and retain quality employees...

If there was a choice between a 911 operator , TSA employee , a phelebotomist at the hospital all starting at $18 per hour in the area where my relatives are at and an entry level CM in the parks earning $20 plus per hour seems like Disney is paying more with a tad less responsibility.

 

[Eric Graham]

If there was a choice between a 911 operator , TSA employee , a phelebotomist at the hospital all starting at $18 per hour in the area where my relatives are at and an entry level CM in the parks earning $20 plus per hour seems like Disney is paying more with a tad less responsibility.

you can't just walk into a hospital or medical field without any prior medical experience...my wife is in that field and has been there for sometime...ive tried to steal away workers from other fields who seem awesome to help out her job bc she is always short staffed and are extremely capable of working in health care..trust me...im sure also working with the public like Disney can often be trying for anyone at times...after reading some of the awful stories on social media i really feel for these people, and it seems to be getting worse and worse...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

“Cast member standards” kinda went out the window awhile ago…

We’re lucky we have what we have…to be honest

 

[Lilofan]

you can't just walk into a hospital or medical field without any prior medical experience...my wife is in that field and has been there for sometime...ive tried to steal away workers from other fields who seem awesome to help out her job bc she is always short staffed and are extremely capable of working in health care..trust me...im sure also working with the public like Disney can often be trying for anyone at times...after reading some of the awful stories on social media i really feel for these people, and it seems to be getting worse and worse...

Exactly, you can be hired off the street after passing background checks and work in parks and resorts with no experience.

 

[jloucks]

IMO the over all work ethic has declined. My parents taught me and my siblings no matter what the job do your best at it. I passed this on to my sons. It's not just WDW Disney just hires warm bodies to fill positions

While you are not at all wrong, the reasons for this vary. One of the more aggressive opinions is that people got tired of being taken advantage of. The whole "If you don't like it, you don't have to work here" threat will get you into a pickle if you're not competitive with employee treatment and loyalty.

And loyalty is a total dumpster fire. You cannot lay off tons of people while simultaneously giving your top brass gargantuan raises and expect to maintain loyalty.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Having to ask multiple CMs to get an answer was always the case in my experience, in the parks and over the phone.

 

[Mireille]

I don't interact directly with a lot of CMs when I'm there, but grooming standards like facial hair, tattoos, long hair on people that "shouldn't have it" are not concerns for me at all. The only experiences I remember and carry with me are positive. One in particular that stands out... I was at the MNSSHP near the end of August 2023 and I had a virtual queue called for Tron but I was by BTMRR and Boo to You was going and I couldn't find a way to actually get to Tomorrowland. One very kind CM actually walked me to the hub so I could get the rest of the way, which took 5-10 minutes of her time and took her completely away from where she was stationed. Only after she walked away did I think to submit a compliment for her and I didn't remember her name. Cut to this year, again at a MNSSHP in late August. I'm standing in line for PPF and the woman at the end of the line says "do you come here often? You look familiar and I think we've talked before." In the moment it didn't ring any bells and I found it unlikely she would recognize me because I only travel to WDW once every year or two. But as I was riding my pirate ship I thought of that interaction from the previous year so when I got off the ride I walked over to her and asked if that was her, and it was! I took a picture of her nametag and put in a compliment for her. It was so neat to be able to retroactively do what little bit I could to "reward" her for going above and beyond almost a year later. Also this year I was there over my birthday and I got a birthday button for my first day in each park and the number of "Happy Birthday"s I received was overwhelming! It was such a great experience.

For almost every one of us, we expect the employees to recognize that our visit to the parks is a special time for us. And in my experience (which I fully recognize is not yours and yours could be different), most of them do and those that don't at least don't actively make my visit worse. But to expect CMs, who have personal lives and good and bad days like we all do, to give their all to an employer who it seems trains them less than they used to and appears to value them less and less so they can reward shareholders more and more, is unfair and unrealistic. Every interaction is a two-way street and I try to keep that in my mind whenever I interact with them. It's our responsibility as much as theirs to be as gracious as we can in out interactions, and if you think about it, we are guests in their workplace so arguable owe it to them.

 

[Uncle Keebs]

Its sad but I have to agree. This is my 1st post(I read a lot in the forum thou). I've been to WDW an honest 40+ times as I'm in the area on business often and I also vacationed here often in the past. This one was the all time topper which is why I posted and hand on a bible this is 100% true. I arrived at Hollywood studios an hour before my collogues did but I had the day tickets. Not being sneaky I walked to the gates and handed their tickets over so they can come in - they were never used fresh tickets. Some pimply faced attendant chatting with 2 other attendants, comes flying over and starts screaming at me, 'You need to exit - then you MAAAAAY hand them the tickets - WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOURE DOING'. I followed instructions. I told this child her behavior is unacceptable for a cast member and unacceptable in any circumstance. I asked her name, she covered her badge - I took a photo and went to guest services. Granted this was extreme but general levels of service have greatly diminished. I can site at least 5 levels of inappropriate behavior by cast members in the past 5 years including Wilderness Lodge, Port Orleans, Narcoosee's, Animal House antics in STK at Disney Springs (I know they aren't cast members. But......

 

[Lilofan]

I don't interact directly with a lot of CMs when I'm there, but grooming standards like facial hair, tattoos, long hair on people that "shouldn't have it" are not concerns for me at all. The only experiences I remember and carry with me are positive. One in particular that stands out... I was at the MNSSHP near the end of August 2023 and I had a virtual queue called for Tron but I was by BTMRR and Boo to You was going and I couldn't find a way to actually get to Tomorrowland. One very kind CM actually walked me to the hub so I could get the rest of the way, which took 5-10 minutes of her time and took her completely away from where she was stationed. Only after she walked away did I think to submit a compliment for her and I didn't remember her name. Cut to this year, again at a MNSSHP in late August. I'm standing in line for PPF and the woman at the end of the line says "do you come here often? You look familiar and I think we've talked before." In the moment it didn't ring any bells and I found it unlikely she would recognize me because I only travel to WDW once every year or two. But as I was riding my pirate ship I thought of that interaction from the previous year so when I got off the ride I walked over to her and asked if that was her, and it was! I took a picture of her nametag and put in a compliment for her. It was so neat to be able to retroactively do what little bit I could to "reward" her for going above and beyond almost a year later. Also this year I was there over my birthday and I got a birthday button for my first day in each park and the number of "Happy Birthday"s I received was overwhelming! It was such a great experience.

For almost every one of us, we expect the employees to recognize that our visit to the parks is a special time for us. And in my experience (which I fully recognize is not yours and yours could be different), most of them do and those that don't at least don't actively make my visit worse. But to expect CMs, who have personal lives and good and bad days like we all do, to give their all to an employer who it seems trains them less than they used to and appears to value them less and less so they can reward shareholders more and more, is unfair and unrealistic. Every interaction is a two-way street and I try to keep that in my mind whenever I interact with them. It's our responsibility as much as theirs to be as gracious as we can in out interactions, and if you think about it, we are guests in their workplace so arguable owe it to them.

And to think for a number of decades, male cast were not allowed to have a mustache or 5 o clock shadow.

 

[Lilofan]

While you are not at all wrong, the reasons for this vary. One of the more aggressive opinions is that people got tired of being taken advantage of. The whole "If you don't like it, you don't have to work here" threat will get you into a pickle if you're not competitive with employee treatment and loyalty.

And loyalty is a total dumpster fire. You cannot lay off tons of people while simultaneously giving your top brass gargantuan raises and expect to maintain loyalty.

View attachment 820714

The tons of layoffs you describe are not the cast who are hourly paid in operations for the most part . It is the salaried level. CEOs and senior execs compensated very well is nothing new in big companies.

 

[donaldtoo]

I was a regular CM (including 1+ year as a Lead Manager) at our local mall Disney Store, from Aug. ‘09-Oct. ‘13.
Men could have no facial hair, no long hair, etc.
No CM could have colored hair (other than what appeared natural), no visible tattoos or piercings, etc.
I got more regular haircuts than I ever had in my adult life while I was a CM there. I shaved every other day, only because I’m naturally blond, and by the time I started working there in my mid 40’s, I was 100% gray, so I had no 5 o’clock shadow, or even one the next day.
One CM that was there at one point had dark hair and a heavy beard, so he kept an electric razor in his locker backstage just in case of the shadow.
When I first started there, we had a Lead Manager that had a small tattoo on the inside of her left wrist. We had both long-sleeved and short-sleeved costume shirt choices (if you were scheduled to work shipment backstage for instance, you, generally, didn’t want to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt). Any time she wore a short-sleeved costume shirt she covered her small tattoo with one of those old-style wrist sweatbands.
Times have certainly changed, in regard to such, at TWDC.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

We went from Walt not wanting mustaches on his employees to the intentional appearance of Joe Rohde. So yes, Disney's standards overall have dropped.

 

[Chi84]

We went from Walt not wanting mustaches on his employees to the intentional appearance of Joe Rohde. So yes, Disney's standards overall have dropped.

Why are you so bothered by Joe Rhode? It’s an honest question. I’ve seen pictures and I don’t understand why there’s a problem.