Disney Employees Must Return to Office Four Days a Week, Bob Iger Says

[lazyboy97o]

So once again, my question is: If these jobs were originally fully in-person, and these employees knew that these jobs would be returning to that expectation soon, what exactly is the problem with Iger saying, "Time to come back now"?

Do you think it would be reasonable to expect people to go back to using Windows 7 even if that’s what they started with and used for years? Most people don’t actually like wasting their time and if they and their team have found a way to be more productive being told to be less productive is going to be annoying and not desirable.

 

[Lilofan]

If you work somewhere where the boss thinks it's a one way street.. you should probably leave.

A good boss knows the whole point of hiring the smart people is so they can help you make the best decisions.

Yea the "smart " people pre covid were working in the office. CEO telling them by March, 4x days in office. Comply, resign or be fired are the options for these smart cast .

 

[Piebald]

I worked remote since covid and precovid the company was hybrid so the transition was kind of seamless. I got laid off and in my job search not once did I look at jobs based in FL or Orlando because the wages here are absolute garbage. I was fortunate to get a fully remote job for an excellent company. I interviewed with Disney but their plan for remote work or hybrid was totally ambiguous so I didn't even bother.

I don't think this is as big as deal as others are making out but I may be wrong. Anyone remote at Disney doesn't care because this doesn't affect them. And anyone hybrid was probably going in, what, 2 or 3x a week? So now it's 4...sucks...but they were already going in. Now if there are people who were completely remote and NOW being forced to come in? Yeah they'll lose a lot of talent.

 

[Piebald]

Wasn’t there a story years ago that before the IT cast members at WDW were laid off they were required to train their third party replacements prior to their last day of employment ?

I had to do this recently and it was a disaster. The people we were training were dumber than rocks and completely inexperienced. In fact, I suspect many were working multiple jobs and falsifying their skills. In one instance I was training a guy who insisted he couldn't share his screen (which sounded like BS) and when I escalated it suddenly he could, however, the voice/accent was distinctly different. Im pretty sure his friend was pretending to be him but I didn't care at that point because I was on my way out.

A friend of mine just started working at Disney IT and they're blown away by him. He told me they're stuck in the 80s and a lot of dummies working so maybe they laid off all the great talent and are now paying for it (which is usually the case and will almost certainly be the case with my former employer)

 

[mkt]

I worked remote since covid and precovid the company was hybrid so the transition was kind of seamless. I got laid off and in my job search not once did I look at jobs based in FL or Orlando because the wages here are absolute garbage. I was fortunate to get a fully remote job for an excellent company.

Are we the same person?

High five friend in an identical situation!

 

[mkt]

A friend of mine just started working at Disney IT and they're blown away by him. He told me they're stuck in the 80s and a lot of dummies working so maybe they laid off all the great talent and are now paying for it (which is usually the case and will almost certainly be the case with my former employer)

Can confirm based off of the stories from the ex-WDI CMs we hired to work CX.

 

[Piebald]

Are we the same person?

High five friend in an identical situation!

Haha yes it worked out perfectly for me, but still a tough situation for many. I got laid off, trained the clowns taking my job and in the process got a new job so I was able to collect all my severance and bonuses on my way out and start the new job in the new year.

 

[mkt]

Haha yes it worked out perfectly for me, but still a tough situation for many. I got laid off, trained the clowns taking my job and in the process got a new job so I was able to collect all my severance and bonuses on my way out and start the new job in the new year.

I got laid off, but had to train one of my replacements (who was a recent grad) over the course of six months before knowing I was being laid off, and then they hired 3 recent grads to replace the 14 of us they laid off... who were all trained by the person I trained.

Apparently the company went to hell, and many former coworkers of mine have asked me for referrals with my current employer.

Anyway, between unemployment and severance I made it about 5 months before having to tap my savings. It took me about 9 months to land my current job, but I am very VERY happy. 100% raise on base salary, a clearly spelled out bonus structure, 10 more vacation days, dirt cheap medical/denta/vision, and a company car. No complaints.

 

[Sir_Cliff]

I can say with honesty I know how difficult it must be for a professor to feel connected when talking to a camera... but I also can say that when I sat in those 400 person lecture halls at 8am .. I probably read the newspaper more than I ever interacted with the professor or my classmates

Yes, I agree; It depends on a whole range of variables what kind of work environment works best for different people and jobs. Having taught online and in class, I saw plusses and minuses to both approaches and, in some ways, felt I was more able to shape the content with online teaching and especially pre-recorded clips than with standing up and talking for two hours in front of PowerPoint slides. Then again, students rarely asked questions and participated for the larger online courses and it was hard to tell if people paid more or less attention to the content than if they were physically in a lecture hall. Again, probably depends on the individual student and lecturer. Personally, I was, again, kind of agnostic as a lecturer what worked better for me.

My overall sense, though, was that the students did better being around each other than drifting off and watching things at their own pace. Even if they spend the lectures hungover and falling asleep, it's all a learning and social experience in terms of managing time, taking responsibility for how you do that, and just going through a shared experience, even if that involves complaining about how boring the lectures are! The pandemic was its own thing, but it has been a bit rocky bringing those student cohorts that had their early experiences of university online into class and getting them to show up, submit things on time, etc. I don't know if that entirely translates to the workplace, but I could see how in some contexts it might.

I wonder whether there will be more nuance to this directive than Iger's statement implies anyway. For example, will the same rules really apply to IT, Imagineering, all the different roles in the studios, Disney+, etc?

 

[mkt]

I wonder whether there will be more nuance to this directive than Iger's statement implies anyway. For example, will the same rules really apply to IT, Imagineering, all the different roles in the studios, Disney+, etc?

My employer was a bit more rigid with the original announcement, but stepped it back dramatically due to employee reaction.

We're a large corporate employer like Disney, with a similar hierarchal structure. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney steps it back due to CM reactions.

 

[Chomama]

I truly have no dog in this fight. Just sharing my husband’s experience. He runs a 300~ person company. In the first year after Covid they thought moving to a more remote model and down-sizing real estate would make sense long term. Over the last year they have been slowly pivoting away from that for several reasons. I should point out that they are aware that this may be really specific to industry and company culture. His company is having a hard time training new employees without them being in person more. They also have a great corporate culture that has kept most of their employees there for years. They miss the interaction and find it difficult to engage when remote. That said, it has been very beneficial for their employees with long commutes and/or difficult childcare or family obligations. They are trying to find a good balance but it’s not easy!

 

[Lilofan]

My employer was a bit more rigid with the original announcement, but stepped it back dramatically due to employee reaction.

We're a large corporate employer like Disney, with a similar hierarchal structure. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney steps it back due to CM reactions.

If and when some Disney cast quit instead of returning to work, good luck to them . It is a way to reduce headcount without the dreaded layoffs . Also when one quits on their own, a company doesn't need to give the person a severance package. That person did not get laid off. I don't see Iger backtracking on his directive. Forcing the cast back to the office and reasons why is just one more thing Iger may mention in the upcoming TWDC quarterly earnings call with Wall Street .

 

[flynnibus]

and a company car

but you gotta drive that?

 

[ToTBellHop]

When will they do Jazzercise?!?!

 

[flynnibus]

I wonder whether there will be more nuance to this directive than Iger's statement implies anyway. For example, will the same rules really apply to IT, Imagineering, all the different roles in the studios, Disney+, etc?

I think lost in the hype is the point he mentioned they are speaking to the people who are already working hybrid... So it's natural to expect that there will be different classifications of workers anyways.

 

[mkt]

but you gotta drive that?

Free is free.

 

[mkt]

It is a way to reduce headcount without the dreaded layoffs . Also when one quits on their own, a company doesn't need to give the person a severance package. That person did not get laid off.

This is what I literally said here as the first reply to this thread:

The reason for this is pretty simple. To naturally increase attrition professional roles and reduce benefits they have to pay out if AND when they do layoffs later this year due to the shaky economy.​

​

---

I don't see Iger backtracking on his directive. Forcing the cast back to the office and reasons why is just one more thing Iger may mention in the upcoming TWDC quarterly earnings call with Wall Street .

I don't see him backtracking either, but I see some potential for flexibility. Given that while layoffs are a real possibility in times of economic uncertainty, Disney is still majorly understaffed across the board. At the end of the day, the company still needs to function, and running a lean operation has its limits.

 

[flynnibus]

If and when some Disney cast quit instead of returning to work, good luck to them . It is a way to reduce headcount without the dreaded layoffs . Also when one quits on their own, a company doesn't need to give the person a severance package.

And someone who manages their company by betting on saving on severance vs losing the talent they don't want to lose deserves to go down with the ship. This is stupid talk. Severance is a easy one-time cost that is easy to contain. The losing the blood that actually makes your business work is not an easily contained problem.

 

[Lilofan]

And someone who manages their company by betting on saving on severance vs losing the talent they don't want to lose deserves to go down with the ship. This is stupid talk. Severance is an easy one-time cost that is easy to contain. The losing the blood that actually makes your business work is not an easily contained problem.

Losing blood because you don’t want to go back to the office as directed by the CEO? Bye Bye! Some seem to forget they worked in offices pre Covid. This is not Burger King. You can’t have it your way.

 

[mkt]

You can’t have it your way.

Yes you can.

There is no longer a glut of talent lining up to work for Disney. When they find themselves running skeleton crews due to people leaving or being let go, they'll have no choice but to backtrack.