Layoffs underway at Walt Disney World

djkidkaz

djkidkaz

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
I've heard from a number of people over the last week that the expected layoffs at Walt Disney World are indeed underway.

Sadly some of those have been 25+ year leaders in operations.
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You have a ton of attractions coming up in the near future and even more that is unannounced. It would seem to reason that you are going to need operations leaders to run them, no?
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
djkidkaz said:
You have a ton of attractions coming up in the near future and even more that is unannounced. It would seem to reason that you are going to need operations leaders to run them, no?
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MK alone operates with over 500 leaders when counting attraction, merch, f&b, entertainment and transportation.

From a leadership perspective WDW has long been bloated. With many providing no guest benefits but simply adding levels of bureaucracy. It's sad to see anyone lose their jobs especially at this time of the year but reorigination and consolidation of mid and upper level management is an absolute must at WDW. The number of "leaders" who do nothing but hold things up and find ways to maximize their bonuses is staggering.
 
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peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
Horizons83 said:
It's the good-ole get rid of the higher salary people and give the younger people a "title" but pay them less then the people who are actually qualified to do the job.
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Many of those higher salary long time leaders are not qualified to do the job. Just look at WDW operations over the past two decades and compare it to any other Disney property around the world.
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
Horizons83 said:
Very true, and something I often speak of...but unfortunately compared to who is going to replace them they are probably "over qualified".
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Possibly but that remains to be seen.

There are a lot of younger lower level CM's and leaders who honestly have far more experience actually in the operation. And they've seen the errors and missteps made by those above them and want to push for change.
 
L

larandtra

Well-Known Member
This is being driven by some new voices and a couple of older ones who it appears exec level management is finally listening to and giving them leeway to reorganize and make changes as necessary. If the main driving voice behind this gets their way, this is only the tip of the iceberg. From mid level management, to creative development, etc. There have been too many voices in the room for too long and if things continue on this path, there will be one main voice and vision for all parks in WDW. And its one that I have full confidence will do what is necessary to guide the ship in the right direction after years of rudderless leadership. I know many will see this as a bad thing and a black eye, but, short term hits on public perception are worth the long term gains. This is a much needed step in the right direction. Finally.
 
larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
peter11435 said:
MK alone operates with over 500 leaders when counting attraction, merch, f&b, entertainment and transportation.

From a leadership perspective WDW has long been bloated. With many providing no guest benefits but simply adding levels of bureaucracy. It's sad to see anyone lose their jobs especially at this time of the year but reorigination and consolidation of mid and upper level management is an absolute must at WDW. The number of "leaders" who do nothing but hold things up and find ways to maximize their bonuses is staggering.
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Thanks for that frank assessment.
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
peter11435 said:
The bloating is everywhere. Parks, resorts and beyond. You don't see it at the other parks because they're even more unnecessary there and don't even bother leaving their offices.
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The bloat is definitely there, but on the other hand I've also heard from some mid-management friends/acquaintances that they are often tasked to do the impossible with minimal staff support. In those cases though, more staff might help with the particular tasks at hand, but higher level leaders with more workable, realistic expectations would be even better.

Either way, it all stems back to a pretty toxic working culture that hopefully is being improved in a meaningful way.
 

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