Disneyland night-shift crew sees bright side of nighttime
Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Some call themselves vampires. They say good morning at midnight. They arrive at Disneyland as the last guests leave and stay until the magic begins again the next day.
Among the 1,200 nocturnal engineers, bakers, plumbers, hotel crews and other workers is a woman security guard who works nights because the sun aggravates her skin cancer. There is a janitor who likes the cool air at night, and a tree trimmer who wants to spend time with his children during the day.
They are among the 4.8 million night-shift workers in the country, according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The monthly household survey of employment patterns taken in May 2001 shows that 14.5 million, or 14.5 percent, of full-time workers in the United States work other shifts than the typical daytime hours. About 4.8 percent work evenings, while 3.3 percent work nights.
Cinderella work?
Shift work is most common in protective services jobs. About half of police officers, firefighters and guards said they work alternative shifts. Many of the Disneyland night workers fall in the operators and laborers category. About 25 percent of the workers in this category work alternative shifts nationwide.
Unlike Cinderella, who never got any appreciation for her work from her evil stepmother, the night crew at Disneyland got their appreciation recently when about 75 executives served them breakfast at 3 a.m.
"It's a basic human need to feel appreciated," said Matt Ouimet, president of Disneyland Resorts, as he waited to speak to the workers. "It's easier with the day shift, but the night shift can be out of sight, out of mind if you're not careful."
Night-shift workers are prone to create their own workplace culture, said David Mitchell, director of research publications at Circadian Technologies, a shift-work research company in Lexington, Mass. The hours usually shut them out from the usual corporate events, which can foster a feeling of alienation from the day shift workers.
The night-shift workers tend to be younger, and since managers typically don't work at night, the employees go about their work more independently.
"It fosters a lower-stress and less-hectic work environment," he said.
Variety of jobs
Philip Ruiz, 38, arborist at the Disneyland Resort, spends his nights climbing trees and trimming branches.
He's part of a 10-man team that takes care of the 17,000 trees in and around the resort. He's worked nights at a book warehouse before but started at the Disneyland Resort in November.
"I love Disneyland," Ruiz said. "We get to make the park look beautiful for all the guests. There is a lot of pride in that."
Although the park resembles New York streets during rush-hour by day, it gets a small-town feel at night.
Cars and golf carts drive leisurely around the Main Street traffic circle. Occasionally, workers stroll down the sidewalks, gazing in the windows. The park is mainly quiet, except for some recorded tunes that sound oddly out of place, like someone forgot to turn off the radio before locking up.
The sounds of waterfalls that are drowned out by the noise of thousands during the day add ambience at night.
Better arrangements for family and children was the third most popular reason (12 percent) given by participants in the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey for choosing to work night shifts. About 40 percent said it was the nature of the job to work nights, while 17 percent said the night shift was a personal preference.
The crew camaraderie is why Adrian Hernandez, 34, keeps coming back to his nighttime janitor job after five years. He and the other 12 janitors on his shift don knee-high rain boots, flashlights and orange vests as they hose down the park with fire hoses.
In addition to washing away dirt, Hernandez has used the water pressure to push back wayward crawdads that escaped from the pond in the Small World Mall. Lately, the most out-of-the-ordinary event during his shift was when Hernandez had to alert security to take care of wayward grad-night high school students hiding in the park after closing. Other than that, his job stays pretty routine.
Orange County Register
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Some call themselves vampires. They say good morning at midnight. They arrive at Disneyland as the last guests leave and stay until the magic begins again the next day.
Among the 1,200 nocturnal engineers, bakers, plumbers, hotel crews and other workers is a woman security guard who works nights because the sun aggravates her skin cancer. There is a janitor who likes the cool air at night, and a tree trimmer who wants to spend time with his children during the day.
They are among the 4.8 million night-shift workers in the country, according to a study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The monthly household survey of employment patterns taken in May 2001 shows that 14.5 million, or 14.5 percent, of full-time workers in the United States work other shifts than the typical daytime hours. About 4.8 percent work evenings, while 3.3 percent work nights.
Cinderella work?
Shift work is most common in protective services jobs. About half of police officers, firefighters and guards said they work alternative shifts. Many of the Disneyland night workers fall in the operators and laborers category. About 25 percent of the workers in this category work alternative shifts nationwide.
Unlike Cinderella, who never got any appreciation for her work from her evil stepmother, the night crew at Disneyland got their appreciation recently when about 75 executives served them breakfast at 3 a.m.
"It's a basic human need to feel appreciated," said Matt Ouimet, president of Disneyland Resorts, as he waited to speak to the workers. "It's easier with the day shift, but the night shift can be out of sight, out of mind if you're not careful."
Night-shift workers are prone to create their own workplace culture, said David Mitchell, director of research publications at Circadian Technologies, a shift-work research company in Lexington, Mass. The hours usually shut them out from the usual corporate events, which can foster a feeling of alienation from the day shift workers.
The night-shift workers tend to be younger, and since managers typically don't work at night, the employees go about their work more independently.
"It fosters a lower-stress and less-hectic work environment," he said.
Variety of jobs
Philip Ruiz, 38, arborist at the Disneyland Resort, spends his nights climbing trees and trimming branches.
He's part of a 10-man team that takes care of the 17,000 trees in and around the resort. He's worked nights at a book warehouse before but started at the Disneyland Resort in November.
"I love Disneyland," Ruiz said. "We get to make the park look beautiful for all the guests. There is a lot of pride in that."
Although the park resembles New York streets during rush-hour by day, it gets a small-town feel at night.
Cars and golf carts drive leisurely around the Main Street traffic circle. Occasionally, workers stroll down the sidewalks, gazing in the windows. The park is mainly quiet, except for some recorded tunes that sound oddly out of place, like someone forgot to turn off the radio before locking up.
The sounds of waterfalls that are drowned out by the noise of thousands during the day add ambience at night.
Better arrangements for family and children was the third most popular reason (12 percent) given by participants in the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey for choosing to work night shifts. About 40 percent said it was the nature of the job to work nights, while 17 percent said the night shift was a personal preference.
The crew camaraderie is why Adrian Hernandez, 34, keeps coming back to his nighttime janitor job after five years. He and the other 12 janitors on his shift don knee-high rain boots, flashlights and orange vests as they hose down the park with fire hoses.
In addition to washing away dirt, Hernandez has used the water pressure to push back wayward crawdads that escaped from the pond in the Small World Mall. Lately, the most out-of-the-ordinary event during his shift was when Hernandez had to alert security to take care of wayward grad-night high school students hiding in the park after closing. Other than that, his job stays pretty routine.
. So, was someone walking around the park with a missing leg? That person can actually say, "this trip really cost me an arm and a leg ." Okay, I know bad joke :lol: :lol: