DLR attendance policy

[shambolicdefending]

Disney was already inflexible. Becoming more inflexible because of their own distrust and disfunction seems more like.

Social Darwinism and Pullman paternalism still have a strong influence on labor relations. The unstated view is that managers are the social, intellectual and moral betters of those they oversee. It’s a class system where those in hourly and low skill positions need the firm and guiding hand of their betters lest they wallow in their slovenly desires.

Yeah, I guess this could be seen as another battle in the epic philosophical war of economics and social class.

On the other hand, it could just be an employer fed up with people not coming to work when they agreed to.

Pretty sure my money's on the latter.

 

[Parteecia]

Let's go back to the '70s. When I was kitchen lead it was pretty flexible. We had sign up sheets for busy seasons to pick shifts (I did a good job of letting certain people know they probably shouldn't choose mine). There was a fair amount of shift trading. Leads and supervisors didn't care as long as we had enough. Anyone unreliable or too unavailable was weeded out fairly quickly. They ceased to get called or scheduled.

@Californian Elitist, was the problem that they were afraid that you missed your lunch? I know that with the unions, bosses were paranoid about missing breaks (even though on the 4th on the line they forgot about me for 12 hours). But your Lead should have defended you. Rule #1!

I told my people that as long as their jobs got done and they didn't get me in trouble they could what they wanted. But heaven help them otherwise. My shifts filled up first so I guess that worked.

I met a girl once who said she was offered to be friends with Snow White but turned it down because it required weekends. I laughed at her.

 

[Californian Elitist]

@Californian Elitist, was the problem that they were afraid that you missed your lunch? I know that with the unions, bosses were paranoid about missing breaks (even though on the 4th on the line they forgot about me for 12 hours). But your Lead should have defended you. Rule #1!

My fifth hour had passed while I was in the nurse’s office. In California, you can’t work over five hours without having had a lunch break. When I went to the nurse, it was close to my lunch. My lead said it was fine, so I went. When I got back, he was nowhere to be found. He definitely left me hanging lol.

I despised my management team. I loved getting the guest control shifts because I didn’t have to deal with my management and could work stress free. Plus, 2-hour lunches and 3+ hour breaks! Couldn’t beat that. And all I had to do was walk around the hub and talk to guests until the parade or fireworks started, which I loved doing. Those were the best shifts, and I got to talk to other attractions CMs from different rides.

 

[Parteecia]

My fifth hour had passed while I was in the nurse’s office. In California, you can’t work over five hours without having had a lunch break. When I went to the nurse, it was close to my lunch. My lead said it was fine, so I went. When I got back, he was nowhere to be found. He definitely left me hanging lol.

I despised my management team. I loved getting the guest control shifts because I didn’t have to deal with my management and could work stress free. Plus, 2-hour lunches and 3+ hour breaks! Couldn’t beat that. And all I had to do was walk around the hub and talk to guests until the parade or fireworks started, which I loved doing. Those were the best shifts, and I got to talk to other attractions CMs from different rides.

My Space Mountain friend managed to get on parade guest control most of the summer. She had it made.

 

[Californian Elitist]

My Space Mountain friend managed to get on parade guest control most of the summer. She had it made.

I’m sure she did. Made in the shade, absolutely lol. I’ve always said I would never work for Disney again, but I would consider returning for a guest control only position, after retirement only. And even then, I would likely not return, but I would at least consider it. Too bad that position is not an official position.

 

[Professortango1]

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!

As a former Bank Employee, I'm wondering where these M-F 8-5 banks are? I worked a small community bank thank stayed open until 7 Friday nights. Most larger banks, like the 2 that bought my bank, are open Saturdays and into the early evenings weekdays. And no banks close for Thanksgiving weekend. A bank closed on Thursday must re-open Friday or Saturday as a bank cannot be closed more than 3 days in a row due to Federal Regulations.

Plus, I lament anyone who works at a bank these days. They are not easy jobs to get without prior banking experience, and most modern banks have sales quotas. So instead of just focusing on customer service, cash handling, banking reports, and other normal duties, now you have to sell 100 new Credit Cards a month. Despite the fact you're seeing the same exact customers in the building each month. I'm very relieved I left that industry.

As for Disney, if they hire someone with limited availability, they should honor that. Disney made the choice to hire them. Frontline employees are also going to get sick more often due to interaction with the public on a massive scale, so it is a bad look on Disney to want ill employees to still come to work and interact with guests, spreading disease and looking like patient 0.

Reminds me of when I worked a certain popular Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre. I came down with a nasty cold that had me dripping and coughing. I had even lost my voice. Yet they still wanted me to go in and do the show. A show where I interact with people eating $60 dinners and I serve them. They kept offering ways to make it work, pressuring me to go and perform while being both a health hazard to guests and a detriment to the quality of experience they were offering.

America needs to catch up with the rest of the world in regards to how to handle sick employees. And Disney themselves needs to fix their managerial system to not burn through CM's.

 

[Professortango1]

I wonder if they still have the 9 hour policy, where they schedule you to come in exactly nine hours after ending your previous shift. Those times aren’t fun at all.

My friend who worked there until recently had this issue. Working until midnight and then back at 9 AM. You're just asking for CM's to fail at that point. No good comes from asking an employee to perform on 3-4 hours of sleep. That's when cash handling mistakes happen, people are late, guest interaction suffers, merch is dropped or damaged, and employees get sick and spread to other employees.

 

[Californian Elitist]

My friend who worked there until recently had this issue. Working until midnight and then back at 9 AM. You're just asking for CM's to fail at that point. No good comes from asking an employee to perform on 3-4 hours of sleep. That's when cash handling mistakes happen, people are late, guest interaction suffers, merch is dropped or damaged, and employees get sick and spread to other employees.

100%. It’s actually wild. I remember being told that such a shift may occur, but I never took it seriously because it sounded too strange and I honestly thought they were joking. Then it happened to me. I think I got off at like 12:45 am and had to sign back in at 9:45 am the same day. To say I was exhausted is an understatement. I was not a happy camper. That sort of thing isn’t healthy. Then again, I’m not shocked that they can legally do that.

Another reason why I would never work for the company again, especially at Disneyland.

 

[TP2000]

As a former Bank Employee, I'm wondering where these M-F 8-5 banks are? I worked a small community bank thank stayed open until 7 Friday nights...

It's an old saying, "working Banker's hours".

I'm fully aware that many banks now have a Saturday operation, at least at some branches. I find it convenient myself, even with the invention of the automated cash machine.

But to apply for a part-time job at Disneyland and then be upset they'd ask you to work weekends seems to be ill-informed of the applicants.

 

[TP2000]

Lenient and flexible policies are great and easier for everybody - if they're not taken advantage of.

My guess is the combination of staffing shortages and the behavior of some bad apples probably ruined it for everybody.

Thank you, as I think that's exactly what has happened here.

Especially when you read the "new" attendance policy for CM's and it seems so normal and reasonable. It makes you wonder... "What kind of wildly abused system does it replace?"

 

[Professortango1]

It's an old saying, "working Banker's hours".

I'm fully aware that many banks now have a Saturday operation, at least at some branches. I find it convenient myself, even with the invention of the automated cash machine.

But to apply for a part-time job at Disneyland and then be stunned that they'd ask you to work weekends seems to be ill-informed of the applicants.

I can understand the surprise if you told them in your interview that you weren't available weekends and they still hired you.

Applicant: Hi, I'd like the job.
Disney: Great. What's your availability?
Applicant: I'm good any day but Sundays as I have a commitment on that day.
Disney: Not a problem. You're hired!
Applicant: Why am I working Sunday? I'm unavailable Sundays.
Disney: If you call out, that's on you.

Do we see the problem?

Disney is hoping that the person will just shut up and comply. Instead, they call out or have bad attitude and eventually, they quit or are fired. Meaning Disney has to pay to onboard someone else. Stockholders should be concerned with how much money Disney wastes with high turnover at their parks.

 

[DrAlice]

There seems to be an assumption in this discussion that vast amounts of part-time employees are being irresponsible and "working the system". We don't have any evidence of that. Maybe that's true, but maybe it's not. I'm sure there are a few, but when organizations make their policies punitive because of a few people, that isn't good for anybody.

I'll say it again: It doesn't matter how "reasonable" the policy looks on paper. If Disney is already having morale issues, this is only going to make that problem worse.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Thank you, as I think that's exactly what has happened here.

Especially when you read the "new" attendance policy for CM's and it seems so normal and reasonable. It makes you wonder... "What kind of wildly abused system does it replace?"

That penalizing illness is considered “normal” is the problem.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I can understand the surprise if you told them in your interview that you weren't available weekends and they still hired you.

Applicant: Hi, I'd like the job.
Disney: Great. What's your availability?
Applicant: I'm good any day but Sundays as I have a commitment on that day.
Disney: Not a problem. You're hired!
Applicant: Why am I working Sunday? I'm unavailable Sundays.
Disney: If you call out, that's on you.

Do we see the problem?

Disney is hoping that the person will just shut up and comply. Instead, they call out or have bad attitude and eventually, they quit or are fired. Meaning Disney has to pay to onboard someone else. Stockholders should be concerned with how much money Disney wastes with high turnover at their parks.

Literally what happened to me!

Feel free to request any two days of the week off, including weekends!

Sweet! I’d like to request Sundays off for religious reasons.

Just because you requested it off, we’ll be sure to schedule you for EVERY Sunday, except one heehee.

 

[TP2000]

That penalizing illness is considered “normal” is the problem.

I just read through the entire policy as it's listed on another site.

So long as you use your accrued sick hours to cover an unplanned absence caused by illness, there is no discipline.

And the way it's written, it's just an honor system by the CM to claim that they are absent because of their own illness or to care for a family member who is ill. No Doctor's notes or documentation is required. Just use your sick time to cover the absence, and no discipline is triggered.

The rest of the policy seems rather lenient. You can miss three full 8 hour shifts without using sick time, and/or be late to work three times before you get your first "Verbal Warning" on that fourth missed shift, and then four missed shifts later a second warning, and another four missed shifts later a third warning.

Once you miss your 13th shift in a rolling calendar year without using accrued sick time to cover those twelve previously missed shifts, then you are fired after all of those previous warnings for missed shifts.

 

[TP2000]

Literally what happened to me!

Feel free to request any two days of the week off, including weekends!

Sweet! I’d like to request Sundays off for religious reasons.

Just because you requested it off, we’ll be sure to schedule you for EVERY Sunday, except one heehee.

Did you have that "weekends off!" policy in writing from the hiring department? Or any sort of document that stated you didn't have to work weekends?

That would have come in handy when the scheduling department started scheduling you to work weekends. Especially since you were working in an hourly role represented by a Union.

Unions are very good at documenting their legally binding workplace requirements. If the hiring department was claiming something other than what the Union contract stated, that would have been a huge deal for all parties involved.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Did you have that "weekends off!" policy in writing from the hiring department? Or any sort of document that stated you didn't have to work weekends?

That would have come in handy when the scheduling department started scheduling you to work weekends. Especially since you were working in an hourly role represented by a Union.

Unions are very good at documenting their legally binding workplace requirements. If the hiring department was claiming something other than what the Union contract stated, that would have been a huge deal for all parties involved.

They never provided documents. Someone sat down with me and asked me which two days I wanted to request off. I asked if one of the days could be Sunday, since at the time, I went to church every single Sunday. They said yes, no problem. Not we ask that you keep weekends open. Not we’re very busy on the weekends, but we’ll work with you and do our best. The person said no problem, leading me to believe that I would actually have Sundays off. Again, they gave me one Sunday off.

There should have been better communication.

 

[TP2000]

There should have been better communication.

Yes, it certainly sounds like it.

Although they appear to have fixed that issue on their hiring website, since they plaster the requirement to work nights, weekends, and holidays all over the place, and even phrase it in several different ways.

And their specific College Program website now also covers that weekend availability thing too within the first few paragraphs of what College Program Participants can expect out of the experience...

"Participants could work the equivalent of a full-time schedule, so they must have full work availability, which includes working days, nights, weekends and holidays. Participants must also be flexible to work any time of day, including early morning or after midnight."

Create the Magic with the Disney College Program!

The Disney College Program is a great opportunity to start a Disney career while gaining on-the-job experience with a world renowned company. There are more than 20 Disney College Program roles offered across our theme parks, water parks, resorts and Disney Springs. No matter the role, a Disney...

sites.disney.com

 

[TP2000]

One other factor here that may be causing CM's to be angry...

For over two years now, state law required Disneyland CM's to receive up to 80 hours of paid sick time each year to use if they test positive for Covid, or to care for a family member who tests positive for Covid. That 80 hours was in addition to any sick time pay they accrued normally via normal HR policies. This applied to all CM's, whether they were union, non-union, or salaried.

The California law states that even just a "contemporaneous text or e-mail" to the employer from the employee saying they or a family member has Covid is all that is required to qualify for the Covid sick pay. So it's basically the honor system.

That California law expires at the end of September, right as this new system begins. I can't find anything online that says California will be extending this law past September, but Sacramento usually waits until the last minute to spring new labor laws on employers. Check back after Labor Day.

California’s 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Expired on December 31, 2022

www.dir.ca.gov

 

[Professortango1]

I just read through the entire policy as it's listed on another site.

So long as you use your accrued sick hours to cover an unplanned absence caused by illness, there is no discipline.

And the way it's written, it's just an honor system by the CM to claim that they are absent because of their own illness or to care for a family member who is ill. No Doctor's notes or documentation is required. Just use your sick time to cover the absence, and no discipline is triggered.

The rest of the policy seems rather lenient. You can miss three full 8 hour shifts without using sick time, and/or be late to work three times before you get your first "Verbal Warning" on that fourth missed shift, and then four missed shifts later a second warning, and another four missed shifts later a third warning.

Once you miss your 13th shift in a rolling calendar year without using accrued sick time to cover those twelve previously missed shifts, then you are fired after all of those previous warnings for missed shifts.

So you are allowed to get sick 3 days a year. Well, you or your dependents. You get 3 more unpaid sick days. After that, you're getting disciplinary action. Considering a cold or flu might knock be down for 2 days, I can get sick 2-3 times per year max. And hopefully a family member doesn't take ill and need me to stay home with them or drive them to an appointment.