WDW Laying off Cast Members

[TP2000]

I have told my managers to their faces that they were lazy and that I did more work then they did for less money.

Example #382 on how to not advance in your chosen career. :lol:

 

[Captain Chaos]

I could care less...I have told my managers to their faces that they were lazy and that I did more work then they did for less money. They deserve a little scare for their jobs every now and then just like the little guy has.

And they wonder why CM's get a bad rap. :lookaroun

Ummm, probably not a good way to establish good professional references for the future.:lookaroun

Example #382 on how to not advance in your chosen career. :lol:

Sometimes you need to stand up for yourself, but, calling your manager lazy is not the way to do it... I know my managers appreciated when I stood up for myself and not let them or anyone else walk over me...

 

[devoy1701]

Maybe this is the reason they wanted me to advance to a manager and I told them no because I didn't want to be a baby sitter.

passing up promotions no matter how small is also not a good idea when you're all the way on the bottom rung of the career ladder... :dazzle:

 

[Captain Chaos]

Maybe this is the reason they wanted me to advance to a manager and I told them no because I didn't want to be a baby sitter.

Could be... Not sure how your managers are as people.. I know in a previous job I had, my supervisors were nasty and miserable and they promoted people who were just like them...

 

[rad_rat]

I know someone who is a merchandise manager at WDW. There are two sides to this. First, if CM's never did anything they weren't supposed to, then Disney wouldn't need managers to "ride around on their Segway" looking for such behavior. Secondly, sometimes managers are very limited in the action they can take, in part because of contract work rules. For example: say a CM is on a break, leaving only one cashier available, and suddenly there's a rush of people, so now there's a big line. The manager is not allowed to open a register and checkout any of those guests -- that would be taking work away from a regular CM. The manager is also not allowed to call the CM back from their break early. So the manager can only stand by and watch while the guest experience goes down the tubes.

There is a real difference, at WDW, between the front line managers and the middle-to-upper management. While I agree that there perhaps does need to be some reduction in some areas of management, I disagree that we should paint all WDW managers with such a broad brush. Neither should CMs be all characterized as shirkers either. That there are some who shouldn't be working for Disney, I have no doubt. And raising the level of pay might help to raise the quality of the CM as well. But copping an attitude toward all because of some is not good either way.

 

[raven]

Posting on public Forum complaining about your manager(s), is one way to find yourself looking for work. :lookaroun

first step of Frontline CM layoffs...should it get to that point...CMs who complain about superiors on public forums? hm....

Ok, I was just making a statement about how little some managers do and how they nit-pick about little things. I wasn't complaining. But I've seen first hand how cruel they can be for no reason.

One of my co-workers fell down a flight of steps at The Electric Umbrella a week ago. The carpet had been cleaned upstairs but there were no signs posted that it was still wet, nor were their fans on the carpet. So when she walked down the steps she slipped and fell about 8 steps down onto the landing and twisted her ankle. She ended up going to the hospital that night. When she returned the next day, the manager gave her a point on her record because they said she was not being safe. :veryconfu Nothing was said to the carpet cleaning company that left the carpet wet in the first place.

 

[MousDad]

When she returned the next day, the manager gave her a point on her record because they said she was not being safe. :veryconfu Nothing was said to the carpet cleaning company that left the carpet wet in the first place.

The only managers (in any field) that are truly successful, are the ones that treat their inferiors with more respect than they do themselves. (I'm not saying that those are the managers that get promoted, I'm saying they're the successful ones.)

This little story tells me all I need to know about how the parks are run. You can't care about the product when all you care about is your own stinking backside.

Is this kind of master/slave attitude prevalent, raven, or do you feel this is somewhat isolated?

 

[raven]

The only managers (in any field) that are truly successful, are the ones that treat their inferiors with more respect than they do themselves. (I'm not saying that those are the managers that get promoted, I'm saying they're the successful ones.)

This little story tells me all I need to know about how the parks are run. You can't care about the product when all you care about is your own stinking backside.

Is this kind of master/slave attitude prevalent, raven, or do you feel this is somewhat isolated?

I've only had this one position so I really can't tell you.

Our 3rd shift has the worst safety record in all of WDW (partially because of the number of people their are and the nature of the work being done). But when going through safety proceedures in our meetings and having the same manager tell us to "suck it up" rather than report some injuries isn't helping the cause either. It just proves that they want their record to drop and, by the story I posted, they are punishing the victim for speaking up about it. I just wonder how many other of the 62,000 people employed by the company don't report their injuries either. I'm not bitter about it, just shocked by the attitude so managers take toward it.

 

[Dayma]

Raven, if management is saying "suck it up" and someone does get hurt, that's one heck of a lawsuit.

 

[Enigma]

Raven, if management is saying "suck it up" and someone does get hurt, that's one heck of a lawsuit.

It worked for Disneyland. Oh wait..........

 

[peter11435]

Secondly, sometimes managers are very limited in the action they can take, in part because of contract work rules. For example: say a CM is on a break, leaving only one cashier available, and suddenly there's a rush of people, so now there's a big line. The manager is not allowed to open a register and checkout any of those guests -- that would be taking work away from a regular CM. The manager is also not allowed to call the CM back from their break early. So the manager can only stand by and watch while the guest experience goes down the tubes.

Thats not exactly true. A manager can't open a register themselves instead of paying a regular CM to do it. However if there are no regular CM's available he or she can and should open the register. In other words if a manager knows he will need an extra person for a certain time, they can't simply plan to cover the staffing shortage by personally running the register. They must first try to find a cm willing to extend their shift to cover this period. If there is no one willing then it is perfectly acceptable for the manager to open the register. If the manager chooses to simply stand by and watch while the guest experience goes down the tube; well then he or she is not a very good manager.

 

[epcotWSC]

I know someone who is a merchandise manager at WDW. There are two sides to this. First, if CM's never did anything they weren't supposed to, then Disney wouldn't need managers to "ride around on their Segway" looking for such behavior. Secondly, sometimes managers are very limited in the action they can take, in part because of contract work rules. For example: say a CM is on a break, leaving only one cashier available, and suddenly there's a rush of people, so now there's a big line. The manager is not allowed to open a register and checkout any of those guests -- that would be taking work away from a regular CM. The manager is also not allowed to call the CM back from their break early. So the manager can only stand by and watch while the guest experience goes down the tubes.

This makes no sense. Why wouldn't a manager not be allowed to help ring up sales? The CM who is ringing stuff up or the one who's on break are not working on commission. So there should be no difference if they are taking work away from the regular CM. If they need to fill in because there isn't enough coverage, logic would say that if customer satisfaction is important to you (which it is very important to Disney), then the manager would help without asking. It's not like they are cutting hours by doing this. It's more of an emergency type of situation. I'm sure every manager also has register training as well.

 

[BuzzComplexCM]

Going to attempt to clear this up. Like myself, my father is a CM here in WDW. He works merchandise and I asked him about this scenario with managers using the registers.

A manager CAN get on the register to help. However, they tend not to. Why? Who knows. It could be many factors, however, the important factor to take from this to settle this discussion is that there is nothing in the rule books saying that a manager cannot help with registers. If asked by the area manager, then that manager should follow the instructions of his/her superior and help out.

Hope this helps!

 

[BuzzComplexCM]

As Far as I know they are not laying off any regular Cast Members, exceping Seasonal ones. Not all seasonal ones but I know they were trying to trim the fat with people who haven't been working as much as they should. As they should.

That's true, I am seasonal and so far my job is just fine. It's just a shame I lost all my seniority when I went seasonal.

I used bold on your last part there because I don't know what to make of it and how you said it. The reason why people go Seasonal is because they want to work at Disney, but have other jobs. My fiancee and I are both school teachers and we work at Disney during vacations, summers, and when we feel like picking up a shift.

 

[kstella]

My parents are part time seasonal and have had a very hard time getting hours this winter. I don't know what is meant "as they should". They only work when they're needed.

 

[shopsuzy-q]

hello

very informative blog, however..... We are coming in two days and are thrilled beyond words. You ALL must have forgotten the magic you can bring.... (are suppose to bring)? You all took some of mine. I am a little disappointed.

Do you know what it takes, and means to families to finally take that TRIP! Any idea!?

Such a shame.

 

[GothMickey]

Why do I have the sudden urge to become a CM, bust my back side, move up in the ranks, and become a manager that can actually make a difference?

 

[jhastings74]

Neither should CMs be all characterized as shirkers either. That there are some who shouldn't be working for Disney, I have no doubt. And raising the level of pay might help to raise the quality of the CM as well. But copping an attitude toward all because of some is not good either way.

I know that some CMs (myself included) work at the parks as a 2nd job and are there for everything except the pay, and those are the ones that I find have the best attitude. It is the full-time front-line CMs that become frustrated because of the pay (or lack of) and the ones that don't handle it well give us ALL a bad rep.

 

[shopsuzy-q]

guess I can hope we run into those type of cast members!!!!

 

[mkt]

A manager CAN get on the register to help. However, they tend not to. Why?

Because they'd be taking work away form a union member :brick: :hurl:

IIRC, they would have to verify that there are no union members available that can do the work before they can do it. If they don't do this, they risk being grieved.