Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:10 am Post subject: WDW Layoffs Estimated to be 800!
Sources: Disney To Eliminate 800 Jobs
Company Employs 62,000 In Central Florida
POSTED: Friday, March 27, 2009
UPDATED: 7:09 am EDT March 27, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Nearly 800 jobs are being eliminated at Walt Disney World, sources told Local 6 News.
The layoffs have been ongoing for weeks, and more workers were laid off on Thursday, Local 6 News reported. The cuts have mostly targeted salaried workers.
More layoffs are expected, although Disney would not say how many total jobs were being dissolved.
Disney announced last month that it would begin laying off workers as it began combining some its Florida backstage operations with California. The company first offered voluntary buyouts to more than 600 park executives, but only 50 employees accepeted the offers.
Disney employs about 62,000 cast members in Central Florida.
From what everyone has been saying it is still being limited to mid & upper level management. Most of the way upper management positions are being combined with their DLR counterpart, so one person is doing the same thing for both parks.
I was reading on another site that CM managers (ones see out and about in the parks) are being told to be prepared to work 6 days a week (if not more). No frontline CMs are included in the layoffs and Disney said that the layoffs will not effect quests. Howevery many CMs have said that if the keep laying off their managers ir will effect how they function which can/will effect guests...
I think some of these are probably because of the economy, but in my opinion think alot of these cut backs may be some what of a necessity. When I did some contract work a few years ago, I saw ALOT of middle management. There was a lot of middle management because there was little to no movement into upper management. Everyone wanted to move up the chain, but the upper parts of the chain wasn't moving. It was a joke that the only way to move up was for someone to pass away. Now, I don't know if this observation was accurate or not or wether this is still an issue. But in my opinion the probably needed to "trim the hedges" anyways... JMHO.... _________________ Up or Down North, South, East, or West An Adventurer's Life is Best!
Joined: Nov 09, 2005 Posts: 10426 Location: Swansea Mass.
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 3:49 am Post subject:
There is no such thing as laying off that many people and it not effecting the
service to the guests!
I work in the hotel industry and we have been doing the trimming of middle and
upper Managers as well as regular associates. for years.
Mostly not replacing when someone left.
We are not to the point where everyone has the be there on time with no issues
to make ends meet.
Over time Disney might make it work with less and I'm sure there are a few
jobs that were dead weight but if you cut that many poeple things are going to
slip through the cracks and the guests are always the ones to feel it.
People think Disney and there are very high exspectations and if you do away with
800 people there is little chance that they will still be able to live up to those
exspectations.
You disappoint your guest and lots of them won't come back.
We see it all the time here at my work with guest comment card on how they
were disappointed with the service not being up to our standards.
I understand that cut are needed in the tough economic times but you still
need to make sure you can service the guest with the same high standards
they have come to exspect.
Now even more so because in tough time the people who do travel and come to
place will be looking for even more value for their dollar.
I think the part about Disney being upper management heavy is true. They employ a LOT of upper management. Part of this is the old management principle of promoting some one to the level of their incompetence. (At which point you can't demote them with out admitting you made a mistake and can not promote them as they can not handle it or the org tree is full) Manyl companies use times like this to pare down some of this bloat/deadwood. They did it the the early 90's, again in early 00's.
I don't see how you lay off 800 people and NOT impact the guests. The impact will be felt, it will be interesting to see in what areas.
This concept of having some one that is managing a DL resort function starting doing both is a bit questionable. Managing 2 hotels is a lot different than managing a dozen. And those with huge capacities. They might be setting the remaining folks up to fail. I think you would have more luck going the other way... From a dozen to picking up a few more. And how much oversight can you give something on the other side of the country?
From all I hear there is no OT at all for the hourly staff, which many of them count on to make ends meet. I am sure this is not the last we will be hearing on this topic.
Joined: May 27, 2007 Posts: 300 Location: Connecticut, USA
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:04 pm Post subject:
From reading some of Jim Hill, it sounds like the changes are not so much in the hotel management from one to many hotels, but more of the support of the facilities stuff. Example, The individual managers will still purchase bathroom tissue (Grand Floridian by the way has a MUCH better quality of tissue than the parks do) but all these purchases will be made to one facility who will then buy in bulk for everyone on both coasts. The managers will order the soap they need, but one office will place the order and determine the brand of soap for all Moderate rate hotels in the US instead of one office in California and another in Florida.
Anyone reading DISNEYWAR knows that Disney is not just top heavy with middle management but appear to be overflowing with them.
I am sure it is going to be painful and some resort guests will be affected, but I think it will be less than most of us think. With 62,000 people, 800 is still good sized but a reasonable number to trim as dead weight IF they know what they are trimming.
Joined: May 27, 2007 Posts: 300 Location: Connecticut, USA
Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 5:18 pm Post subject:
Hotel Rates go Up, Restaurant prices go up, Tickets go up, That stupid Balloon thingee goes up and now layoff rates go up...Only thing going down is moral and service.
I feel bad to the ones who are left. They get to work harder for the same low rate. Where Dreams come True must refer to the dreams of the beancounters.
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