Those Darn Cast Members
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:21 pm
From MiceAge
The Haves and the Have-Nots
TDA seems to be sucked into marketing surveys lately however, but not with their customers. Rather, Matt Ouimet is investing in some pretty expensive surveys and information gathering for the worsening problem of Cast Member morale and turnover. The turnover and retention rates are really the most worrisome, as the turnover for hourly CM's has continued to edge north of 70% this summer. The problem is multi-faceted, and we've previously discussed the grimy backstage conditions and infamous logistical hassles the front line CM's have to put up with, while the TDA cubicle drones sit in their stylish Frank Gehry office building and ponder signing up for another chair massage or strolling downstairs to the espresso stand in the lobby for an iced latte'.
It would seem like a no-brainer that front line CM's held to high standards of customer service and professionalism might enjoy a break room that had working air conditioning and furniture that didn't have mice living in it. TDA even still fails to realize that the grungy and overcrowded Disneyland employee cafeteria that makes the greasy-spoon Denny's across Harbor Blvd. look like the first class dining room on the Queen Mary is not convincing anyone to stick around. But those glaring problems in the hourly CM environment don't seem to register yet with the TDA executives; when it comes to front line Cast Members and their working environment the TDA suits just don't seem to get it. But at least they are trying to understand, as TDA is now offering a hundred dollars to CM's who recently quit to come to two hour feedback sessions where the Human Resources department will try to gather information on the reasons people left Disneyland after just a few months on the job.
But what seems to be one of the core issues of the high turnover rate, and one that TDA's Human Resources team so far has yet to address, is the entire way the Casting process is set up. There is currently a complete disconnect between the Casting Center folks who hire the new CM's, and the managers out in the Parks and at the Hotels who end up working with them and ultimately saying goodbye to them shortly thereafter. For the last six months Casting has held a seemingly endless stream of job fairs and recruitment drives, and for their part they've been able to fill most of the thousands of job openings Disneyland has this year. But once those newly minted CM's are issued their name badges and sent out to their assignment, they quickly fall to the wayside and are either fired or quit within the first 90 days.
The problem stems from the fact that the senior managers responsible for the Casting Center's recruitment numbers are in no way held accountable for how many of their hires actually stay on the job longer than 60 or 90 days. The only statistic the Casting Center cares about is the number of "offers" it makes to applicants each week. The percentage of those people receiving an offer who then quit or are terminated a month or two down the road means nothing to the Casting departments managers, and the management out in the Resort is left to struggle with that problem. As long as there is a steady stream of applicants coming through the door at Casting, and as long as most of them don't have tattoos on their forehead, can speak a bit of English, and don't currently have arrest warrants, a job offer of some sort will be extended to them and the Casting Center's hallowed statistic of offers made for the week will be met.
Once they meet their weekly quota of offers by Thursday or Friday of each week, and the spreadsheet numbers look good for the Human Resources Vice President, then the Casting Center feels they've done their job. Many folks in Anaheim can see the problem with this scenario, but so far Human Resources has stuck their head in the sand, and they are happy to spend way too much money for market research on solutions that should be obvious for anyone who has spent a week or two working for Disneyland on the front lines. It will be interesting to see what kind of information that market research gets TDA's Human Resources department, and the smart money is on Pay/Compensation, Work Environment, Benefits, and Scheduling Flexibility, likely in that order. But then any good HR department knows you need to spend at least a $100,000 for an outside contractor to come up with that same information for you, while your retention rates sink even lower.
And now you know more behind the reason why unseasoned CM's with the "Class of 2006" on their name badges seem to be running the Parks this summer.
The Haves and the Have-Nots
TDA seems to be sucked into marketing surveys lately however, but not with their customers. Rather, Matt Ouimet is investing in some pretty expensive surveys and information gathering for the worsening problem of Cast Member morale and turnover. The turnover and retention rates are really the most worrisome, as the turnover for hourly CM's has continued to edge north of 70% this summer. The problem is multi-faceted, and we've previously discussed the grimy backstage conditions and infamous logistical hassles the front line CM's have to put up with, while the TDA cubicle drones sit in their stylish Frank Gehry office building and ponder signing up for another chair massage or strolling downstairs to the espresso stand in the lobby for an iced latte'.
It would seem like a no-brainer that front line CM's held to high standards of customer service and professionalism might enjoy a break room that had working air conditioning and furniture that didn't have mice living in it. TDA even still fails to realize that the grungy and overcrowded Disneyland employee cafeteria that makes the greasy-spoon Denny's across Harbor Blvd. look like the first class dining room on the Queen Mary is not convincing anyone to stick around. But those glaring problems in the hourly CM environment don't seem to register yet with the TDA executives; when it comes to front line Cast Members and their working environment the TDA suits just don't seem to get it. But at least they are trying to understand, as TDA is now offering a hundred dollars to CM's who recently quit to come to two hour feedback sessions where the Human Resources department will try to gather information on the reasons people left Disneyland after just a few months on the job.
But what seems to be one of the core issues of the high turnover rate, and one that TDA's Human Resources team so far has yet to address, is the entire way the Casting process is set up. There is currently a complete disconnect between the Casting Center folks who hire the new CM's, and the managers out in the Parks and at the Hotels who end up working with them and ultimately saying goodbye to them shortly thereafter. For the last six months Casting has held a seemingly endless stream of job fairs and recruitment drives, and for their part they've been able to fill most of the thousands of job openings Disneyland has this year. But once those newly minted CM's are issued their name badges and sent out to their assignment, they quickly fall to the wayside and are either fired or quit within the first 90 days.
The problem stems from the fact that the senior managers responsible for the Casting Center's recruitment numbers are in no way held accountable for how many of their hires actually stay on the job longer than 60 or 90 days. The only statistic the Casting Center cares about is the number of "offers" it makes to applicants each week. The percentage of those people receiving an offer who then quit or are terminated a month or two down the road means nothing to the Casting departments managers, and the management out in the Resort is left to struggle with that problem. As long as there is a steady stream of applicants coming through the door at Casting, and as long as most of them don't have tattoos on their forehead, can speak a bit of English, and don't currently have arrest warrants, a job offer of some sort will be extended to them and the Casting Center's hallowed statistic of offers made for the week will be met.
Once they meet their weekly quota of offers by Thursday or Friday of each week, and the spreadsheet numbers look good for the Human Resources Vice President, then the Casting Center feels they've done their job. Many folks in Anaheim can see the problem with this scenario, but so far Human Resources has stuck their head in the sand, and they are happy to spend way too much money for market research on solutions that should be obvious for anyone who has spent a week or two working for Disneyland on the front lines. It will be interesting to see what kind of information that market research gets TDA's Human Resources department, and the smart money is on Pay/Compensation, Work Environment, Benefits, and Scheduling Flexibility, likely in that order. But then any good HR department knows you need to spend at least a $100,000 for an outside contractor to come up with that same information for you, while your retention rates sink even lower.
And now you know more behind the reason why unseasoned CM's with the "Class of 2006" on their name badges seem to be running the Parks this summer.
Some how it's better to give the higher-ups more $$$ ,then to pay us 'lowlifes' a decent wage. 
Hell look at Congress,each year they get their $3.000 raise,but they can't raise min. wage above $5.75/hr. We get this B.S. about sending jobs 'overseas' to keep costs down. I have yet to see "PRICES" go down!! (steps off soap box and gets another beer).