Sentinel: Disney policy requiring character confidentiality comes under fire

[asianway]

Yeah, dude, that episode really p***ed me off.

He would be in your weight class as well wouldn't he?

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I completely get not being able to post online that your are such & such character. Everyone knows Disney is big on character integrity. However, I think they should be able to at least list their former roles on resumes.

 

[TubaGeek]

He would be in your weight class as well wouldn't he?

I'm guessing we would have hung out, had he existed in Florida before I left.

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

Now before we go ripping on these performers saying they should know better and should follow the rules of the company they work for... think about this.

"I" am hired to play Tinkerbell in the parks. Someone I haven't see in a long time, someone from high school is visiting the World with their family. They recognize me. They take their picture with me. Of course I stay in character the entire time. They get home and are posting their vacation pictures to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or whatever social media outlet they choose. And they tag me in their pictures. I didn't post the picture. I stayed in character. Would this be breaking Disney rules?

I think they are just trying to figure out how to make the rules more clear and less of this gray area...

 

[s8film40]

When entertainers are trained they are told that when talking with co-workers and friends they refer to themselves as playing a character by saying they are "friends" with that character. I think there is an expectation that you should be able to be proud of your job and share with those you are close to what exactly you do. Most are very professional and do this in such a way that it doesn't ever come close to ruining Disney's illusion. Social media certainly makes this whole thing very much more complicated. There's a big difference between outing yourself and the park and sharing with your friends and family on Facebook what you do for a living. Now if someone is posting something in a very public way I could see this being an issue but most are just sharing with those they are close too, really who else would care. I kind of have to side with the union on this one, this will only be used as a tool by management to punish someone they want to punish for some other reason. Unless they are developing a means to actively monitor every single employees social media continuously they will have to pick and choose what and when they want to look into to someones online activities. I think it'a a safe bet certain people will be completely overlooked and when they decide they don't like someone they'll start digging around on their Facebook page.

 

[216bruce]

I come from a union family and am usually someone who sides with the unions (which get little respect these days but exist because they are mostly necessary and because there's reasons for them) but, yeah, this time...I side with the company. Wages, conditions, benefits are one thing but social media...it shouldn't be important.

 

[ford91exploder]

When entertainers are trained they are told that when talking with co-workers and friends they refer to themselves as playing a character by saying they are "friends" with that character. I think there is an expectation that you should be able to be proud of your job and share with those you are close to what exactly you do. Most are very professional and do this in such a way that it doesn't ever come close to ruining Disney's illusion. Social media certainly makes this whole thing very much more complicated. There's a big difference between outing yourself and the park and sharing with your friends and family on Facebook what you do for a living. Now if someone is posting something in a very public way I could see this being an issue but most are just sharing with those they are close too, really who else would care. I kind of have to side with the union on this one, this will only be used as a tool by management to punish someone they want to punish for some other reason. Unless they are developing a means to actively monitor every single employees social media continuously they will have to pick and choose what and when they want to look into to someones online activities. I think it'a a safe bet certain people will be completely overlooked and when they decide they don't like someone they'll start digging around on their Facebook page.

Too late companies like Vendasta - every time an employee tweets, or makes a facebook post its logged and forwarded to the employees manager every 6 hours.

https://www.vendasta.com/reputation-management/social-monitoring.

It's for reasons like this my twitter account is only used to follow and I've disabled my Facebook account.

 

[ford91exploder]

I come from a union family and am usually someone who sides with the unions (which get little respect these days but exist because they are mostly necessary and because there's reasons for them) but, yeah, this time...I side with the company. Wages, conditions, benefits are one thing but social media...it shouldn't be important.

It is when personnel decisions are made on the basis of social media activities.

 

[asianway]

Now before we go ripping on these performers saying they should know better and should follow the rules of the company they work for... think about this.

"I" am hired to play Tinkerbell in the parks. Someone I haven't see in a long time, someone from high school is visiting the World with their family. They recognize me. They take their picture with me. Of course I stay in character the entire time. They get home and are posting their vacation pictures to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or whatever social media outlet they choose. And they tag me in their pictures. I didn't post the picture. I stayed in character. Would this be breaking Disney rules?

I think they are just trying to figure out how to make the rules more clear and less of this gray area...

Does any of this apply to character attendants? Quite a few of them are in the lifestyler brigade nowadays and the worst offenders-sharing out hub passwords, giving heads ups on rare appearances...

 

[YodaMan]

Now before we go ripping on these performers saying they should know better and should follow the rules of the company they work for... think about this.

"I" am hired to play Tinkerbell in the parks. Someone I haven't see in a long time, someone from high school is visiting the World with their family. They recognize me. They take their picture with me. Of course I stay in character the entire time. They get home and are posting their vacation pictures to Facebook/Twitter/Instagram or whatever social media outlet they choose. And they tag me in their pictures. I didn't post the picture. I stayed in character. Would this be breaking Disney rules?

I think they are just trying to figure out how to make the rules more clear and less of this gray area...

This is mostly what concerns me. By now, most performers know the rules of social media and that if they post on Instagram, they have to state that they were "hanging with my friend Tinkerbell today" or something to that effect. And it sounds like that will still be acceptable.

But like you stated, you could very well have a friend visit you when you're dressed as Tinkerbell and tag you in a photo of her (which is a big no-no). And with many of these performers becoming "Instagram famous" for what they do, you could also have a fan/stalker visit you in costume and tag you as well. And I'd be concerned that someone else's actions on social media could be what gets someone fired now.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Cant have arbitrary rules.

Yes you can. I never signed a contract that says "I shall not view adult content on my work computer," but you can be darn sure I'd be fired if I ever did.

 

[asianway]

Yes you can. I never signed a contract that says "I shall not view adult content on my work computer," but you can be darn sure I'd be fired if I ever did.

Really? Then your employer is an idiot

 

[WDF]

Perhaps the problem is that some of the performers who accumulate IG followers based upon being a Disney character then start promoting products on their IG accounts. Everyone is a brand it seems. Everyone is out to get something out of "just being themselves."

 

[NowInc]

Perhaps the problem is that some of the performers who accumulate IG followers based upon being a Disney character then start promoting products on their IG accounts. Everyone is a brand it seems. Everyone is out to get something out of "just being themselves."

You mean like the ones with 50k+ followers who constantly post about their jobs there? One in particular (and I won't say who..seriously) is VERY close to getting fired due to her massive following and her recent job as a photo pass person is so well known on the social media scene that its causing issues with people treating her like a celebrity. Things like, her being unable to actually do her job that they pay her for due to people just talking to her.

Or how characters or handlers draw enough attention and love it so much to the point where they will "leak" character appearances/training to certain accounts just so they can get popular themselves? Yeah...its sick.

 

[WDF]

You mean like the ones with 50k+ followers who constantly post about their jobs there? One in particular (and I won't say who..seriously) is VERY close to getting fired due to her massive following (100k+) and her recent job as a photo pass person is so well known on the social media scene that its causing issues with people treating her like a celebrity. Things like, her being unable to actually do her job that they pay her for due to people just talking to her.

Or how characters or handlers draw enough attention and love it so much to the point where they will "leak" character appearances/training to certain accounts just so they can get popular themselves? Yeah...its sick.

Exactly this.

 

[Tigger1988]

A "character trainer" (her words) was on Jeopardy the other night. Thought she was being coy but Alex quickly outed her as a Disney employee and what characters she worked with.

Hope the money she won was worth it lol

 

[rnese]

Can't things "just be" anymore in America? Does EVERYTHING that was good have to be challenge by busy bodies anymore? Can't someone just take a job at Disney, understand that it is part of the job that you keep your character confidentiality off of social media? If I were Gaston (I've got the pecks and abs for the role...as is implied by my profile pic) I'd simply do what is expected, and do it with pride. What is going on in this country?

 

[bethymouse]

You can't even say you work for Disney? Sounds like the CIA or FBI or something! LOL.

 

[NowInc]

I'll say it again....blame the WDW of today. Where moms will flat out bribe CMs on social media to get their kid a "Random Encounter". Disney itself is part of the problem as they have put a few on a pedestal and given certain social media people special treatment, and now its so crazy out of control that there are more than a few copycats trying to be the "next big thing" on the Dis-internet. I mentioned how this was getting worse a few months ago in another thread and few believed me

*EDIT* here http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/is-entitlement-becoming-an-issue.897138/

You may not think these 2 threads are related..but I have a hunch they are

 

[brb1006]

Apparently this looks like its aimed at character integrity, busting people who post photos on facebook/instagram.


A union representing Walt Disney World performers is challenging a policy forbidding them from revealing online or in print media what characters they portray.

The company has long discouraged its entertainers from advertising which princesses or animated animals they play in the theme parks.

Teamsters representative Donna-Lynne Dalton said the company has now put in writing that employees are not to disclose online or in any kind of media — including social media, print publications or TV — what characters they play. Disney calls it "proprietary information." Over the past couple of weeks, she said, workers have had to acknowledge online that they understand the rules.

That's intrusive, said Dalton, recording secretary and business agent for the Teamsters Local 385.

"They don't work for the CIA," she said.

Dalton said the Teamsters filed a grievance with Disney's labor relations department last week. On Friday, she said, the union will file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

The issue was never negotiated as part of the workers' contract agreement last year, she said.

"Our expectation for cast members to uphold character integrity has never changed," Disney spokesman Bryan Malenius said. Disney did not have further comment.

More than 1,200 workers at Disney greet guests dressed as characters, Dalton said. They include "fur characters" such as Winnie the Pooh, in outfits that cover the performers completely, and "face characters" such as Snow White or Cinderella.

They appear in everything from meet-and-greets to parades. Disney wants to make sure nothing shatters the illusion that the characters stepped right out of the movies. There has long been an expectation that they would not allow themselves to be seen wearing only half a costume, for example, or to reveal to children at the park that they are really actors.

"From Disney's point of view, fantasy's real," said Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president of Disney World operations. "You don't want to start disappointing kids and having this out there."

Not revealing identities is "kind of one of these professional things that people do," said Cockerell, who retired in 2006. "I really don't know if it was in writing or not, or just talked about by your trainer."

Dalton said workers know they need to preserve the Disney magic. But telling them they can't post anything about their identities, she said, is a blanket ban that takes things too far.

"Clearly, it is saying they cannot do something on their off time," she said.

Dalton said workers are wondering if they could be disciplined if family members posted such information, or if a picture they shared with a friend ended up online.

She is also wondering if Disney entertainers would get in trouble if they used the information on their resumes to get other entertaining jobs, she said.

And this is why I avoid social media sites at all cost!