Trending blog post: "What it's really like working at Walt Disney World"

[seahawk7]

Was this written by a middle schooler? Obviously he had a bad experience, but he sounds like he's also part of the entitlement problem. SOme of it is pretty eye opening though, but he also seems like one who has an axe to grind so I'm curious how much was embellished here.

If he doesn't like the pay at Disney, work somewhere else. Or make lifestyle choices that fit the income. I'm sure the pay wasn't kept a secret from him. He knew how much he'd make. The kid with the paper due? Don't wait until the last minute to turn things in. And really? Whining about not getting a christmas bonus? Get over it.

I sympathize with the employees when guests are rude, but that is typical of any retail/hospitality job, and the rest is pretty typical stuff you'll encounter at any job. It is still a job. You won't always get along with the people you work with. People will stab you in the back. You won't always get your way. And sometimes you'll feel unappreciated. Customers will not always be nice. Get over it. Do your job. If you don't like it you are free to choose to work elsewhere.

Seems this guy went in with unreasonable expectations from the start and blames Disney for all the problems he encountered. I don't mean this to defend Disney or some of its business practices, and we all know maintenance of rides is lacking. But for the most part I think this kid has a "welcome to the real world" experience.

And spare me the "underpaid" argument. If you're underpaid either go work somewhere else with higher pay, or develop skills that will get you higher pay. If you're willing to work for a certain rate of pay then you can't say you're underpaid. It's your choice to sell your labor to Disney for $9/hr. No one held a gun to your head and said you had to take this job.

If working conditions are subpar than they should be addressed even if Disney is the employer.

 

[seahawk7]

Hey you live and you learn.

That's what life's about.

A job is a job! It could get repetitious, people can be cruel, and management can't be a b****.

When you apply to be a CM, you need to have appropriate expectations, and accept the fact that you're working as an employee not a guest. And when the job's harsh, there's no need to whine and moan. Either you quit or you deal with it!

Employees should never be allowed to be abused period.

 

[seahawk7]

I fully agree with management being more proactive in boosting employee morale. The morale of the front line employees does directly affect the company's bottom line because without positive experiences with front line employees the guests don't come back. That said, front line employees that there are going to be difficult guests and they need to be prepared and trained on how to handle that, and not take it personally.

I'm not on this guy's side, but I'm not on Disney's side either. Both need some adjustments in different areas. I just don't agree with this guy's approach or his insinuation that every negative event was disney's fault. I think his true frustration really comes down to Disney as job is not as magical as Disney as a guest. And he also is upset at his pay rate and not being able to live his chosen lifestyle at that pay. That's his fault.

There is plenty of blame for negative experiences to go around on both sides here.

I really didn't think he was that negative. He simply stated the conditions of the rides and the abuse he and fellow CMs had to endure in the form of excessively long hours, inadequate pay, and lack of support from managers. He expressed his coping methods and said he became a stronger person from the experience. I really felt for the guy and his coworkers. I have worked in some form of customer service all my working life and never have I been spit on or physically assaulted. So, for what he experienced, I say he was quite positive in the end.

 

[unkadug]

Hey...if the forum is gonna give me all these whiz bang formatting choices...I'm gonna get my money's worth. (But I replied without even touching the toolbar...just for you unkadug. lol)

Thanks...most of the time that is all that is necessary.

 

[BrerJon]

How much of an increase would you propose?

Disney already has increased hourly wages at WDW to $10 by 2016. Is that good or do you think it should be more? That will affect around 70,000 workers.

I think it's good that they've had a boost, but that still doesn't take wages close to what they were, adjusted for inflation, in the 70s and 80s, so CM wages have gone down and down over time.

I support a living wage, that's all. Enough for people to pay for transport, food, and a roof over their heads. Then they can do their job to the best of the ability, and give their all to the company without other worries distracting them, and thus making a far more valuable contribution to the bottom line in the long term.

 

[dadddio]

Seriously. I see a lot of people attacking the guy's spelling and grammar but nothing that can refute a lot of what he's posted. If duzn't tayk a geenyus to cee that a lot uv what he'z sayeeng is true.

I am not of the opinion that it needs to be refuted. It is what it is.

Those jobs don't pay much. True, but the salary wasn't reduced after the job offer was made.

You can expect to have to work late on the days that it is least convenient to do so. Welcome to life. Just wait until you have a real job and family responsibilities. Life gets harder.

The general public can often be both stupid and incredibly rude. Nothing new there.

A front line employee is often tasked with following rules. One of a manager's many responsibilities is breaking those rules as he deems it necessary. Getting butt hurt because your manager decides to break a rule to diffuse a situation is the definition of hubris.

A number of comments in this thread have been related to managers 'yelling' at a CM for upholding a rule. Having not been there, it's impossible to know what actually went down, but as a manager, a husband, and a father, I've come to learn a few things. First, people define 'yelling' in some pretty strange ways. I've seen people state that they were yelled at when the other person was merely stating someonthing that the first person didn't want to hear without making any change in volume and tone. Second, sometimes people need to be corrected not for upholding a rule, but for how they upheld the rule or how they acted after that point when the manager was trying to unravel the situation.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I am not of the opinion that it needs to be refuted. It is what it is.

Those jobs don't pay much. True, but the salary wasn't reduced after the job offer was made.

You can expect to have to work late on the days that it is least convenient to do so. Welcome to life. Just wait until you have a real job and family responsibilities. Life gets harder.

The general public can often be both stupid and incredibly rude. Nothing new there.

A front line employee is often tasked with following rules. One of a manager's many responsibilities is breaking those rules as he deems it necessary. Getting butt hurt because your manager decides to break a rule to diffuse a situation is the definition of hubris.

A number of comments in this thread have been related to managers 'yelling' at a CM for upholding a rule. Having not been there, it's impossible to know what actually went down, but as a manager, a husband, and a father, I've come to learn a few things. First, people define 'yelling' in some pretty strange ways. I've seen people state that they were yelled at when the other person was merely stating someonthing that the first person didn't want to hear without making any change in volume and tone. Second, sometimes people need to be corrected not for upholding a rule, but for how they upheld the rule or how they acted after that point when the manager was trying to unravel the situation.

And sometimes the manager is a .

 

[dadddio]

A living wage, based upon the cost of living in the Orlando area when taking into consideration the cost of those basic needs, like housing, food and transportation. Remember, you get what you pay for....

Interestingly, that very last sentence is the best argument against raising the minimum wage.

 

[dadddio]

And sometimes the manager is a ******.

Sometimes managers are stars. Sometimes they are horrible. Sometimes someone who is a star one moment is horrible the next. Sometimes, they are both at the same time.

Sometimes, what an employee perceives as a manager being horrible is actually the manager dealing with a situation the best way that he can right then.

Welcome to life.

 

[Andrea 55]

Interestingly, that very last sentence is the best argument against raising the minimum wage.

Why would " you get what you pay for" be an argument against raising the minimum wage? I infer form that statement that quality costs more...no?

 

[englanddg]

A lot of people who are great at their jobs at their current level get promoted because they are just that, great at their current jobs, but are not ready for a supervisory position or find they don't enjoy the extra pressure and responsibility, but do their best to float along in the position because they want to keep the higher pay.

Get a few layers of this and you have a recipe for disaster.

That being said, I am highly leery of first line employees who gripe about "bad management". Until you have done a management position, it's very difficult for most (not many, most) to understand everything that is factoring into the managers behavior and decision making. And, sometimes, it's not something the manager can (or should) share with you.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Disney's unwillingness to stand up to guests is well known beyond just this one blog post. It is a pattern that is far too widespread to just be one person's poor/ignorant experience.

 

[englanddg]

Disney's unwillingness to stand up to guests is well known beyond just this one blog post. It is a pattern that is far too widespread to just be one person's poor/ignorant experience.

When I ran restaurants, we had a saying..."Kill it in the store."

It really didn't matter if the guest was wrong. If the complaint made it out of the store, and was deemed "poorly handled" (even if the guest was lying through their teeth), they'd get showered with freebies from corporate and a black mark would be on your record and your bosses (District managers) record.

Some fights are easier bought out than fought.

That being said, physical assault (spitting, hitting, shoving) and verbal assault (which is more than getting yelled at) shouldn't be tolerated under any circumstance.

However, every time I see these sorts of complaints, I hear "woe is me" for the CM. The finger is pointed at abusive Guests or bad management, and rarely do I hear that perhaps the way the CM handled it (and it could be as simple as tone and body language, not what was said, but HOW it was said, escalated the situation.

When a CM (or ex CM) can type up a two page rant about Guests and Management, yet not once indicate that they themselves realized they could have handled some of these situations better themselves, I have an issue believing the whole story outright.

There have been plenty of times where I've had to deal with a CM (we had them at my workplace too, same term) that was enforcing a rule, but due to how they handled it, brought forth the guests ire.

If you walk around with a chip on your shoulder, you are more likely to have people respond in kind.

 

[BrerJon]

A lot of people who are great at their jobs at their current level get promoted because they are just that, great at their current jobs, but are not ready for a supervisory position or find they don't enjoy the extra pressure and responsibility, but do their best to float along in the position because they want to keep the higher pay.

It's the Peter Principle, isn't it? I think pretty much all the WDW execs are stuck in the situation of having been promoted just above their ability, which explains a lot.

 

[BrerJon]

That being said, I am highly leery of first line employees who gripe about "bad management". Until you have done a management position, it's very difficult for most (not many, most) to understand everything that is factoring into the managers behavior and decision making. And, sometimes, it's not something the manager can (or should) share with you.

The reason why so many guest service managers are bad at WDW is because of the non-meritorious way they are chosen for the roles, and the training they are given, is abysmal.

I may be completely wrong, but I'm getting the impression that those supporting Disney on this thread have never been front-line Cast Members, while those supporting the blogger have, or at least have many friends who've done those jobs. That alone tells me a great deal.

 

[englanddg]

It's the Peter Principle, isn't it? I think pretty much all the WDW execs are stuck in the situation of having been promoted just above their ability, which explains a lot.

That's exactly what it is, and I suspect that is the case at Disney, just like it is the case in many organizations.

 

[englanddg]

The reason why so many guest service managers are bad at WDW is because of the non-meritorious way they are chosen for the roles, and the training they are given, is abysmal.

I may be completely wrong, but I'm getting the impression that those supporting Disney on this thread have never been front-line Cast Members, while those supporting the blogger have, or at least have many friends who've done those jobs. That alone tells me a great deal.

And, on this same thread there have been those who (while all agree about the fact abusive Guests exist, but that's also just part of being customer facing, it happens), disagreed about management.

As a result, you can't cherry pick the ones who agree without including those who do not. And, to me, they wash.

One does not need to have worked at Disney to understand the jobs they do in similar sectors, nor to understand their complaints (whether or not you grant them all merit).

Are there bad managers at Disney? I have little doubt. Does training slip through the cracks as secondary to the need to keep the operation going? I have little doubt of that as well. Disney is far from immune to what is fairly common business practice.

However, to take that a step further and imply that Disney management, as a whole, is negligent and abusive of their employees? That, I take with a grain of salt. And that is the extreme that has been put forth, quite a few times.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Bottom line, in some companies, it's not about right or wrong, it's about shutting the customer up.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The reason why so many guest service managers are bad at WDW is because of the non-meritorious way they are chosen for the roles, and the training they are given, is abysmal.

Yep, this. Taking 22 year old students on the college program into management internships, placing them in charge of major attractions when they hadn't even been working in operations, is not uncommon. And in addition, they are given too much say over the operation which often hurts the quality of the experience for guests in the long run.

 

[dadddio]

Why would " you get what you pay for" be an argument against raising the minimum wage? I infer form that statement that quality costs more...no?

Yes and no.

Quality should cost more. If Disney isn't able to attract people who will give the needed quality at the current rate, then they should pay more to attract qualified people.

Raising the minimum wage, however, doesn't get that particular job done. Increasing the pay for people who are not giving acceptable service does not make those people give acceptable service.