My Midsummer Madness Rant

[Figments Friend]

Wow....this is surprising, as I've always had excellent experiences with Disneyland CMs.
Are you sure you weren't at Walt Disney World...?

No, really...
The scenerios you described instantly reminded me of some Orlando CMs I've come across in my past travels.

Seriously though, I'm sorry you had a lousy experience.
Have you forwarded your concerns to anyone at Disney?
If you saw onstage cell phone use and CMs behaving questionably towards Guests it should be brought to someone's attention.

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[EricsBiscuit]

I saw a Dapper Dan at MK with an Apple Watch and after the performance I said, "wow that was a really great performance; but, I didn't know they had Apple Watches in turn of the century America!" The look on his face was priceless

 

[Disney Irish]

So now that the new contract is approved and CMs will be making $15/hr starting in January, that means CMs will now magically all get motivated to provide a better experience, right? That means no more of the issues that @TP2000 outlined in this thread, right?

 

[Californian Elitist]

So now that the new contract is approved and CMs will be making $15/hr starting in January, that means CMs will now magically all get motivated to provide a better experience, right? That means no more of the issues that @TP2000 outlined in this thread, right?

You missed the point. It’s not just low wages. Some CMs are just flat out miserable, either because that’s just the way they are, or from burnout. And again, Disney doesn’t treat their employees all too well.

 

[John park hopper]

Simply paying higher wages does not correlate to happier employees. I would be curious to know what the interview process (is there a personality profile Disney is looking for) and training program for CM who have to deal with the public every day. A public who can be rude, irrational, me first attitude, etc etc. Along with working in the Florida heat. It takes a special person to interact with the public and not loose it: I could never do it- last about 10 minutes

 

[Phroobar]

At this point I think Disney is looking for a heart beat and no criminal record.

 

[Disney Irish]

You missed the point. It’s not just low wages. Some CMs are just flat out miserable, either because that’s just the way they are, or from burnout. And again, Disney doesn’t treat their employees all too well.

Oh I know what the point was. It was a tongue-in-cheek response to all those that said that if only Disney paid more that CMs would be motivated to work harder and provide better guest satisfaction.

I'm not saying Disney shouldn't pay more, always said they should. However money is not a motivating factor in these cases. A lot of the issues TP referenced here is generational. So more money isn't going to automatically just change that.

 

[dweezil78]

Oh I know what the point was. It was a tongue-in-cheek response to all those that said that if only Disney paid more that CMs would be motivated to work harder and provide better guest satisfaction.

I'm not saying Disney shouldn't pay more, always said they should. However money is not a motivating factor in these cases. A lot of the issues TP referenced here is generational. So more money isn't going to automatically just change that.

I'd say it's seasonal too. Standing outside in this heat we're currently experiencing is not something I can imagine doing for a full shift. That's got to be grueling. Yeah, I know they signed up for it...but still, hard to keep a happy face even when I'm outside in it for less than 15 minutes!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Especially in the ridiculous outfits Disney makes them wear.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Oh I know what the point was. It was a tongue-in-cheek response to all those that said that if only Disney paid more that CMs would be motivated to work harder and provide better guest satisfaction.

I'm not saying Disney shouldn't pay more, always said they should. However money is not a motivating factor in these cases. A lot of the issues TP referenced here is generational. So more money isn't going to automatically just change that.

Money was simply one of the issues that was mentioned. I don’t believe anyone here belives money is the sole reason as to why some CMs are rude.

 

[Disney Irish]

Money was simply one of the issues that was mentioned. I don’t believe anyone here belives money is the sole reason as to why some CMs are rude.

What I’m saying is it will have no impact on changing those CMs. The CMs that are rude will be rude no matter how much you paid them.

 

[Travel Junkie]

It's not that money will make CM's work harder or be less rude all of a sudden, it's that if they pay more they can attract better candidates and weed out those who are substandard. They charge a premium price for their product and should offer a premium service experience. If you are having to settle for what you can get with minimum wage workers, you will get saddled with plenty of CM's that don't belong at Disney. That doesn't diminish what the many CM's that are great at their job now. It simply means they have the ability to be more discerning in who they hire and who they keep.

As pointed out In-N-Out pays their employees well and demands a lot out of them. They are able to attract hard workers and keep poor employees away by paying a better wage.

 

[Stevek]

You missed the point. It’s not just low wages. Some CMs are just flat out miserable, either because that’s just the way they are, or from burnout. And again, Disney doesn’t treat their employees all too well.

It'a a bit of a catch 22. I get that people need jobs but if Disney doesn't treat you well or you are burned out, you always have the option to leave. If you decide to stay, you should never have/take the option (hard as it might be) to perform poorly because you aren't happy...you still have to perform to the expectations Disney sets for your job. As others have said, some of it is likely a generational thing.

 

[Disney Irish]

It's not that money will make CM's work harder or be less rude all of a sudden, it's that if they pay more they can attract better candidates and weed out those who are substandard. They charge a premium price for their product and should offer a premium service experience. If you are having to settle for what you can get with minimum wage workers, you will get saddled with plenty of CM's that don't belong at Disney. That doesn't diminish what the many CM's that are great at their job now. It simply means they have the ability to be more discerning in who they hire and who they keep.

As pointed out In-N-Out pays their employees well and demands a lot out of them. They are able to attract hard workers and keep poor employees away by paying a better wage.

And here is where the fallacy comes in. The pool of potential employees is not going to automatically be better just because you pay more. Disney could be and I'm sure already is discerning about who they hire.

A good employee is a good employee no matter how much you pay them. They are a good employee because its in the core of who they are.

But you can't tell if they are going to be a good employee or a bad employee until you hire them and they get on the job. So bad employees should already be weeded out by firing them (more on this is a second). And with a large pool of potential employees they have already were able to choose (before the new wages) from Disney should be only keeping the best.

The question comes then to why Disney isn't firing the bad employees. And my understanding is its because its in the union contract, they can't fire at will like a normal non-union employer. This is the one issue I have with union contracts, a provision that is suppose to protect good employees provides a way for bad employees to continue to be employed.

 

[Disney Irish]

It'a a bit of a catch 22. I get that people need jobs but if Disney doesn't treat you well or you are burned out, you always have the option to leave. If you decide to stay, you should never have/take the option (hard as it might be) to perform poorly because you aren't happy...you still have to perform to the expectations Disney sets for your job. As others have said, some of it is likely a generational thing.

And just like any other job, if it gets to the point where an employee is no longer happy, they should move on. Which brings up the question, why aren't they moving on. Its not like there aren't better opportunities out there. And I think it comes down to one thing, status. CMs like that they are CMs, its a lifestyle. They like bragging that they work for the House of Mouse. Being the one with the inside information. Being able to tell their non-CM friends the juicy secrets. Being able to tell those when I was a CM stories.

Basically being a CM is another level of the Disney fandom. One that is very hard to walk away from, no matter how unhappy you are.

 

[Travel Junkie]

And here is where the fallacy comes in. The pool of potential employees is not going to automatically be better just because you pay more. Disney could be and I'm sure already is discerning about who they hire.

Are you saying higher paying jobs don't attract a higher caliber of worker? We can debate back and forth whether this pay increase is enough of a difference (I think it is) but absolutely higher paying jobs will bring in other potential candidates that otherwise would not apply. The key is whether they will maintain a gap between themselves and other like positions in the area.

I believe with unemployment at very low levels, Disneyland is hiring just about anyone who meets their minimum qualifications for entry level positions. Drive around the DLR area and you will see lots of now hiring signs at places where you would expect the pay level to be at or barely above minimum wage. It's a buyers market so to speak right now. An extra $2 an hour may be the difference between a candidate choosing Disneyland over Target for instance.

 

[Disney Irish]

Are you saying higher paying jobs don't attract a higher caliber of worker? We can debate back and forth whether this pay increase is enough of a difference (I think it is) but absolutely higher paying jobs will bring in other potential candidates that otherwise would not apply. The key is whether they will maintain a gap between themselves and other like positions in the area.

I believe with unemployment at very low levels, Disneyland is hiring just about anyone who meets their minimum qualifications for entry level positions. Drive around the DLR area and you will see lots of now hiring signs at places where you would expect the pay level to be at or barely above minimum wage. It's a buyers market so to speak right now. An extra $2 an hour may be the difference between a candidate choosing Disneyland over Target for instance.

I get where you are coming from, but I think you're grossly overestimating the caliber of worker in the 18-22 yr old work force today. Too many feel self entitled and not have to work for the things they get.

These are not high skilled jobs where higher pay brings in a better caliber of worker. You aren't going to get a huge influx of new high caliber applicants that wouldn't normally apply for Disneyland just because of the higher pay. Sure you may get a small bump but overall its going to be the same caliber of applicants that previously applied. Its still going to be the same 18-22 yr old with little to no skills. And why, because these are fairly low skilled jobs. Typically their first job and/or the job they work during college.

Ask any CM why they applied to DLR, pay is likely never going to be in the top 25 reasons why they applied. And that is because CMs applied at DLR for one very important reason, to work for Disney.

The larger question we should be asking, which I've tried to bring up before. Why hasn't Disney done anything about these bad CMs. Are they not aware of them being bad employees? Are guests just not speaking up and calling out a bad CM? Is the contract really limited (which I think it is) in what Disney can do?

Again I'm all for Disney paying their CMs more, I've said it many times over now. I just think we aren't going to see better guest satisfaction because of this pay increase.

 

[Travel Junkie]

I get where you are coming from, but I think you're grossly overestimating the caliber of worker in the 18-22 yr old work force today. Too many feel self entitled and not have to work for the things they get.

I have a bit more faith than you do. Every generation feels young people are worse than they were. Each generation is just different.

The larger question we should be asking, which I've tried to bring up before. Why hasn't Disney done anything about these bad CMs. Are they not aware of them being bad employees? Are guests just not speaking up and calling out a bad CM? Is the contract really limited (which I think it is) in what Disney can do?

It is a good question and probably a combination of factors. The union may certainly complicate matters, but that doesn't apply to PT employees and that is what you often encounter in the parks. You must be careful HR wise about going about letting someone go, but all it means is that managers have to do a little more work and document everything that happens. I would imagine not enough managers are putting in the effort to document poor employee behavior. A friend of mine works in HR (not Disney) and had a manager come up to her one day and said she wanted to fire someone. They went on and on about an employee had been terrible for months and if true the employee definitely deserved to be let go. My friend asked for the documentation of these behaviors and proof the employee had been counseled. There was none of that. The manager stormed off because they couldn't fire the employee. Managers need to put in the work too and document failings.

 

[Phroobar]

The only thing low level Disney managers document is lateness. Isn't there a certain system for that?

 

[TragicMike]

The Millennial workers are probably just burned out from dealing with "Can I speak to your manager" Baby Boomers all day.