DLR attendance policy

[SuddenStorm]

Hourly CM's were fired after one, single absence for being sick? Surely that wasn't the case with the previous attendance policy.

That was definitely not the case- at least it wasn't three years ago. The point system was super generous, calling out was only like 5 or 10? points if I remember correct. with something like 60 needed to be fired. Not to mention they had sick pay and stuff.

There's definitely more going on there.

 

[TP2000]

I do agree, Disney is notorious for scheduling when CM's have notified them of when they cannot work.

Agreed. But I would caution us on applying that as a blanket statement.

If Ky'le From Tustin says he can't work his part-time CM job on weekends, why is he there? I would think a newly hired CM at Disneyland would be told right up front "You must be available on weekends, on holidays, and at least two weekdays during the week" or something like that.

For the first few years of a CM's entry-level career, they work all the weekends and Christmas vacations and closing shifts. As they work their way up the tenure chain over the years, they start getting weekday morning shifts, etc.

Disneyland makes much of how many CM's have worked there for decades. Certainly those highly tenured CM's are the ones who get weekends off and the week off for Christmas. Ky'le From Tustin is there on weekends and nights and holidays.

This is, after all, the Hospitality Industry. It's not a bank or a corporate law office.

If they can get their scheduling in line, I don't see an issue with the new system. But if they cannot schedule properly, this is gonna be a mess.

Agreed. They've got to have a reliable scheduling system. But a 19 year old kid applying to work part-time at Disneyland shouldn't be expecting weekends off.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Yes, “threatened with a write-up.” A write-up is a type of disciplinary action. It’s a warning, essentially. My lead was there when I cut my hand. He told me to see the nurse, which I did. When I returned, management called me in.

Now that's just horrible communication between your lead and salaried management. I woulda been livid if I had to deal with that.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Agreed. But I would caution us on applying that as a blanket statement.

If Ky'le From Tustin says he can't work his part-time CM job on weekends, why is he there? I would think a newly hired CM at Disneyland would be told right up front "You must be available on weekends, on holidays, and at least two weekdays during the week" or something like that.

For the first few years of a CM's entry-level career, they work all the weekends and Christmas vacations and closing shifts. As they work their way up the tenure chain over the years, they start getting weekday morning shifts, etc.

Disneyland makes much of how many CM's have worked there for decades. Certainly those highly tenured CM's are the ones who get weekends off and the week off for Christmas. Ky'le From Tustin is there on weekends and nights and holidays.

This is, after all, the Hospitality Industry. It's not a bank or a corporate law office.



Agreed. They've got to have a reliable scheduling system. But a 19 year old kid applying to work part-time at Disneyland shouldn't be expecting weekends off.

The only thing I disagree with is the assumption Part Time workers have to be available for weekends.

What if I have a job already, but want part time work for specific days that don't collide?


Part-time just means a certain number of hours a week. If Disney is in need of reliable CM's who want to work there, they need to be flexible. Part-time shouldn't mean you get no choice, you are lesser, and you must work what we say. If I give my schedule in advance, and they hire me, they should honour what I can work.

I managed at a restaurant in a previous life (I am out of the industry now), we honoured our employees availability as best we could, and if we couldn't, we tried to find resolutions.

 

[TP2000]

Now that's just horrible communication between your lead and salaried management. I woulda been livid if I had to deal with that.

No kidding. If the hourly supervisor saw you cut your hand and sends you to the nurse (and few employers actually have trained nurses on duty to care for injured employees, so that's a huge bonus!), and then the manager is mad because you went to see the nurse with your supervisor's permission instead of going on your lunch break?

That seems... odd.

 

[SuddenStorm]

This is, after all, the Hospitality Industry. It's not a bank or a corporate law office.

One of my front desk associates works M-Fri, 7am to 3pm. Rarely comes in on the weekends and never works evenings.

She's also going to school for event planning and hospitality management. Two areas that require weekends and evenings.

The disconnect there is quite fun to observe.

 

[TP2000]

The only thing I disagree with is the assumption Part Time workers have to be available for weekends.

What if I have a job already, but want part time work for specific days that don't collide?

I would think that if someone doesn't want to work on weekends, seeking out a job in the Hospitality Industry that is at its most busiest on weekends isn't the right move.

That's when a part-time worker looks for work at a bank, or a law office, or any sort of white-collar industry that works 8to5 on weekdays only. And closed for Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas week, and July 4th! Wheeeee!

Part-time just means a certain number of hours a week. If Disney is in need of reliable CM's who want to work there, they need to be flexible. Part-time shouldn't mean you get no choice, you are lesser, and you must work what we say. If I give my schedule in advance, and they hire me, they should honour what I can work.

I just went to look at Disneyland jobs. There's a bunch of them open, and I looked at a part-time Parking CM gig. Disneyland is very clear that a new part-time CM will be working weekends, holidays and nights. I don't know how much more clear they could be, or why someone looking for a job at Disneyland would be surprised to learn they are open on weekends.

From Disneyland's hiring website, these bullets are found on every hourly CM job opening they have...

• Must be flexible and able to work a variety of shifts, including days, nights, weekends, holidays and special events
• This role is Part Time and requires full availability for any shift, a MINIMUM of three (3) days per week, including nights and holidays.

Resort Transportation and Parking - Part Time at Disney Parks and Resorts

Learn more about applying for Resort Transportation and Parking - Part Time at Disney Parks and Resorts

parksjobs.disneycareers.com

Then there's also this blurb at the bottom of every job role they've got posted, just to remind folks they are applying at Disneyland and not the Teacher's Credit Union branch in an Irvine office park...

Additional Information:​

SCHEDULE AVAILABILTY
Our Theme Parks and Resort Hotels operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and some shifts may start as early as 5:00am while some may end as late as 3:00am, 4:00am or 5:00am. Please note that the principles of seniority are used to schedule all roles.

 

[TP2000]

One of my front desk associates works M-Fri, 7am to 3pm. Rarely comes in on the weekends and never works evenings.

She's also going to school for event planning and hospitality management. Two areas that require weekends and evenings.

The disconnect there is quite fun to observe.

I'd love to be there when she tells her first Bride-To-Be... "I'm sorry, a Saturday evening wedding doesn't work for our planning team. Can you make it Tuesday at 10:00am instead?"

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The only thing I disagree with is the assumption Part Time workers have to be available for weekends.

What if I have a job already, but want part time work for specific days that don't collide?


Part-time just means a certain number of hours a week. If Disney is in need of reliable CM's who want to work there, they need to be flexible. Part-time shouldn't mean you get no choice, you are lesser, and you must work what we say. If I give my schedule in advance, and they hire me, they should honour what I can work.

I managed at a restaurant in a previous life (I am out of the industry now), we honoured our employees availability as best we could, and if we couldn't, we tried to find resolutions.

Many part time employees also work more than one job, flexibility is needed on both sides.

I’ve worked in hospitality in Las Vegas for 20+ years, as a scheduled employee and a manager doing schedules, and flexibility is required by everyone. We ask employees their preferred shifts but don’t guarantee anything, we require 4 days open availability of our extra board (p/t).

Having said that we do our best to schedule people when we know they can work to minimize call outs and minimize being short staffed, if we are short specific shifts we’ll hire people that are available to cover those shifts, it’s just easier in the long run rather than constantly firing people for attendance issues. Occasionally everyone gets scheduled on their preferred days or hours off but we do our best to limit it.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Many part time employees also work more than one job, flexibility is needed on both sides.

I’ve worked in hospitality in Las Vegas for 20+ years, as a scheduled employee and a manager doing schedules, and flexibility is required by everyone. We ask employees their preferred shifts but don’t guarantee anything, we require 4 days open availability of our extra board (p/t).

Having said that we do our best to schedule people when we know they can work to minimize call outs and minimize being short staffed, if we are short specific shifts we’ll hire people that are available to cover those shifts, it’s just easier in the long run rather than constantly firing people for attendance issues. Occasionally everyone gets scheduled on their preferred days or hours off but we do our best to limit it.

That’s what I am talking about! Communication and flexibility is so important, without it… you are just going to lose out on keeping good employees.

Retention is better then constantly hiring and training.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Now that's just horrible communication between your lead and salaried management. I woulda been livid if I had to deal with that.

I was very hurt, honestly. I even unwrapped the bandage and showed them the gash in my hand. I think that worked, since they let me go without getting in trouble. They told me me next time to “tell the nurse that you need to take a lunch.”

I understand that there are strict labor laws, but sheesh.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

That’s what I am talking about! Communication and flexibility is so important, without it… you are just going to lose out on keeping good employees.

Retention is better then constantly hiring and training.

If someone says they can’t work weekends at all they aren’t getting hired to begin with, needing a single day off like Friday for a second job or Sun for family reasons is pretty easy to work around though.

I think it would be hard to do if you only have a dozen employees but when you have hundreds of employees like a casino or Disney it should be pretty easy to find enough people to always have adequate coverage.

It also takes a lot of the nightmare out of scheduling when 90% of the shifts are consistant week to week and you just have to fill in the blanks.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I didn’t know one could go to school for event planning. There’s school for just about everything now.

 

[Disney Analyst]

If someone says they can’t work weekends at all they aren’t getting hired to begin with, needing a single day off like Friday for a second job or Sun for family reasons is pretty easy to work around though.

I think it would be hard to do if you only have a dozen employees but when you have hundreds of employees like a casino or Disney it should be pretty easy to find enough people to always have adequate coverage.

It also takes a lot of the nightmare out of scheduling when 90% of the shifts are consistant week to week and you just have to fill in the blanks.

And I should add, I realize there are also lazy / bad employees, who don’t know how to communicate properly or plan accordingly, and think everything is owed to them.

I would not call them a majority by any means, and it’s not usually hard to figure out who they are.

I’ve been working since I was 14, I’ve seen all the types. I am someone who has rarely missed a shift or been late since I started working, and I am now 31. But I also rarely encountered issues with scheduling that I couldn’t resolve with management or fellow coworkers.

 

[Californian Elitist]

If someone says they can’t work weekends at all they aren’t getting hired to begin with, needing a single day off like Friday for a second job or Sun for family reasons is pretty easy to work around though.

I think it would be hard to do if you only have a dozen employees but when you have hundreds of employees like a casino or Disney it should be pretty easy to find enough people to always have adequate coverage.

It also takes a lot of the nightmare out of scheduling when 90% of the shifts are consistant week to week and you just have to fill in the blanks.

And this is reasonable. I was 19 when I started working at Disneyland. Prior to that job, I worked at a hospital M-F. I didn’t even know that one could request specific days of the week off because for years, I had worked a position that was was unavailable on the weekends, so the two days I had off were naturally scheduled in. When I applied for the Disney College Program, the application didn’t ask for availability; I got asked which days I wanted off days into training for the job. They told me I could request Sundays off, so I did, not thinking I wouldn’t actually get the day off. The person who took down my availability should have been honest with me and told me that weekends weren’t good days to choose. I would have completely understood and would have happily picked two weekdays instead.

Communication is everything.

 

[MarvelCharacterNerd]

Scheduling is a horror story at the parks from everything I've heard - people are constantly scheduled when they've said they were unavailable and forced to find other people to cover their assigned shifts or be penalized. Many are assigned daily OT and can't get any approved days off. And they've already been having a problem since they reopened with new people quitting or calling out last minute faster than they can hire and train them.

CM's I know are furious about this new system that was just announced. Many are discussing looking for other jobs. And many are expecting a lot of locations to close for the holidays once this is implemented due to short-staffing

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

After reading the policy again it sounds like they may be closing a loophole, it reads like it was previously possible to take a partial day of sick time and be excused for your whole shift, so if you had 40 hours of sick time and only took an hour of excused sick time each time you missed your shift you could theoretically have 40 excused days, now that it’s hourly those 40 hours of sick time only excuse 40 hours.

Can any CMs verify if that was the old policy?

Another common scheduling issue is one person abusing flexibility can ruin it for everyone.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It's definitely a fine line. If you make a system too flexible, people will take advantage of it. I would be interested to see what happens once this goes into place.

You need a good work environment, but generally people want to work and will be honest. Flexible policies don’t inherently breed abuse. We learned that in 2008 with swine flu when businesses and institutions relaxed sick policies to cries of impending abuse that never materialized. We’ve seen it more recently with COVID too. Giving people flexibility can build trust and reciprocity, people will pitch in because they know they’ll be supported when they need it.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

Did you guys catch this line? I'm laughing out loud here at the absurdity that an employer has to put that in writing, but here we are....

"Cast Members may not attend a Disney-sponsored event or visit a Disney Property as a Guest on a day that they are absent from a shift due to an unexcused or unacceptable absence."

What kind of idiot would call out sick from their scheduled shift and then show up at their employer's property as a customer on that same day???...

• Target Lady calls her boss to say she's sick and can't come in to work, and then a few hours later is seen by her boss casually doing a Target Run and squeezing the Charmin on aisle 12.
• Ky'le From Tustin calls his boss to say he's sick and can't come to work at his immersive snack bar, and then a few hours later is spotted by his boss riding Rise Before Dawn with his buddies.

I find it galling that an employer has to put that in writing nowadays. But it's just so ridiculous that all I can do is laugh.

Are there no workhouses?

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

No kidding. This "new" policy seems rather generous and lenient, if you ask me. I can't imagine who would have a problem with it.

Imagine a business expecting its employees to show up on time for their scheduled shifts?!? Or apply accrued sick time to pay for their unplanned absences?!?

How on earth do Gen Z CM's think it should work, I wonder?

That said, if you are a business employing a bunch of part-time college kids like Disneyland does, you better darn well have an efficient and reliable scheduling system in place. So that Ky'le From Tustin can tell his employer he can work his Star Wars Land snack bar shift and bring that land to life for immersed customers only Friday through Monday and Wednesday's after 4.

But, assuming Disneyland has a reliable and efficient scheduling system in place, Ky'le From Tustin better darn well show up for that snack bar shift. People need to be immersed in your story, Ky'le!

I would think that if someone doesn't want to work on weekends, seeking out a job in the Hospitality Industry that is at its most busiest on weekends isn't the right move.

That's when a part-time worker looks for work at a bank, or a law office, or any sort of white-collar industry that works 8to5 on weekdays only. And closed for Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas week, and July 4th! Wheeeee!


I just went to look at Disneyland jobs. There's a bunch of them open, and I looked at a part-time Parking CM gig. Disneyland is very clear that a new part-time CM will be working weekends, holidays and nights. I don't know how much more clear they could be, or why someone looking for a job at Disneyland would be surprised to learn they are open on weekends.

From Disneyland's hiring website, these bullets are found on every hourly CM job opening they have...

• Must be flexible and able to work a variety of shifts, including days, nights, weekends, holidays and special events
• This role is Part Time and requires full availability for any shift, a MINIMUM of three (3) days per week, including nights and holidays.

Resort Transportation and Parking - Part Time at Disney Parks and Resorts

Learn more about applying for Resort Transportation and Parking - Part Time at Disney Parks and Resorts

parksjobs.disneycareers.com

Then there's also this blurb at the bottom of every job role they've got posted, just to remind folks they are applying at Disneyland and not the Teacher's Credit Union branch in an Irvine office park...

Additional Information:​

SCHEDULE AVAILABILTY
Our Theme Parks and Resort Hotels operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and some shifts may start as early as 5:00am while some may end as late as 3:00am, 4:00am or 5:00am. Please note that the principles of seniority are used to schedule all roles.

Facts are often inconvenient things. FYI—the new Master Services contract has a provision wherein part-timers can select either weekend or weekday availability. Disney needs more bodies. They are seriously understaffed and this new policy will likely make it worse, not better. And will definitely make it worse before it takes effect on Oct. 2nd. Good luck visiting at the end of Sept. I question whether Disney will be able to be in full operation given the massive call outs before the current policy ends.