FYI: More Cuts Coming

[sachilles]

Ah. We'll then with 18 years directly related experience, you would have enough knowledge to realize that successful businesses are in the habit of making routine efficiency evaluations and typically make small adjustments here and there as needed. However, when rather drastic cuts start happening in several areas, it's typically in response to a financial need. But sure hey, that's just an educated guess looking at the variables and probabilities. Your scenario is possible too, just not probable.

In what world is laying off 100 seasonal painters, ??number of greeters and reducing the hours of certain staff drastic cuts? Let's say it affects 1000 staff. There is reportedly at least 60,000 employees. That's under 2 percent. Fantasmic was reduced, but star wars fireworks added. Meet and greets deleted, but other new ones in the wings. Keep in mind many of the reduced staff were ramped up during the implementation of my magic +

This is a routine efficiency evaluation, and it is a small adjustment.

 

[momof2n2]

In what world is laying off 100 seasonal painters, ??number of greeters and reducing the hours of certain staff drastic cuts? Let's say it affects 1000 staff. There is reportedly at least 60,000 employees. That's under 2 percent. Fantasmic was reduced, but star wars fireworks added. Meet and greets deleted, but other new ones in the wings. Keep in mind many of the reduced staff were ramped up during the implementation of my magic +

This is a routine efficiency evaluation, and it is a small adjustment.

Maybe. But I'd be burnt if I showed up to my DVC unit and it looked like it hadn't been painted in a while.

 

[ArwenMarie]

In what world is laying off 100 seasonal painters, ??number of greeters and reducing the hours of certain staff drastic cuts? Let's say it affects 1000 staff. There is reportedly at least 60,000 employees. That's under 2 percent. Fantasmic was reduced, but star wars fireworks added. Meet and greets deleted, but other new ones in the wings. Keep in mind many of the reduced staff were ramped up during the implementation of my magic +

This is a routine efficiency evaluation, and it is a small adjustment.

Where are you getting these numbers that it's an insignificant number of labor costs being reduced? In the link in the first post, the rumor is it's as high as 20%. If that's true, that's drastic IMO.

 

[sachilles]

Where are you getting these numbers that it's an insignificant number of labor costs being reduced? In the link in the first post, the rumor is it's as high as 20%. If that's true, that's drastic IMO.

Disneyland Resort saw a 20% cut in labor costs from non-profit locations starting at the beginning of the month, this includes positions such as attractions, guest relations, custodial, entertainment, and more.
20% from the Non-profit locations. Not 20% from everywhere.

Lets say you have employees accustomed to 10 hours of overtime routinely. Cutting that OT would net you that 20% pretty easily. IF you made $12.5 and hour, and typically had 10 hours of OT, that would be a 27% reduction. Fulltime 40 hour a week jobs cut to 32 hours is that 20%.

Reports have indicated that overtime IS being cut.

Wage budget hit a wall, and cuts were needed. Stinks, but if they don't keep to budget, cuts have to happen.

 

[JohnDaleswife]

So what happens, does the work get cut, or do less people have to do more work? Both are unappealing from a value standpoint and a human standpoint.




This. At my place of employment, a GE factory they are all about cutting jobs, jobs, jobs. But the work is not cut, just placed on others. Coupled with a much lower wage for new hires, the end result is a turnover rate of very close to 25% for the past 3-4 years. Where as in the past 35 years at the factory it was so extremely hard to just get hired on there. Its unbelievable now.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm sort of confused on how they plan to cut staff AND overtime simultaneously. It seems to me that cutting staff generally increases the demand placed on the staff that's left.

 

[larryz]

Or...Disney has just decided that it doesn't need everything to be as perfect as it used to be.

Looks like they picked the wrong week to start laying off painters...

 

[JimmyV]

This is a routine efficiency evaluation, and it is a small adjustment.

According to inside sources, the Disneyland Resort saw a 20% cut in labor costs from non-profit locations starting at the beginning of the month, this includes positions such as attractions, guest relations, custodial, entertainment, and more. Walt Disney World will see similar cuts starting this week, such as the cut of front desk curbside greeters at all resorts.

"Labor costs from non-profit locations" means things like eliminating Epcot performers (Hello, Off-Kilter). It means eliminating people who greet you when you arrive at the resort. It means eliminating CMs who help people find the end of the line so that they aren't feeling lost. None of these people make a dime for Disney or add to the bottom line. But nor are they eliminations that could be considered "routine efficiency evaluations." Those happen all the time where a company concludes that 2 people can carry the load currently being borne by 3, and they are intended to be invisible. In other words, if 2 people can sub out for 3 people, then the public should never notice the disappearance of the third person. But that is not what is happening here. No one decided that the elimination of Epcot entertainers would be seamless and invisible because other entertainment would fill the void. No one is filling the void of greeters at resorts. They are just gone. This does not fit my definition of efficiency adjustment. Will these changes impact the overall enjoyment of the visit? Since the day it opened, people have trumpeted the "little things" that set WDW apart. And it is exactly these little things that are being cut without replacement.

 

[sachilles]

Let me ask another way. It's 20% from non profit locations. What percent is it of the total domestic parks labor?

 

[Robo]

Oh, for the love of all that's holy...

 

[larryz]

Oh, for the love of all that's holy...

That's just down the road...
http://www.holylandexperience.com/

 

[Robo]

That's just down the road...
http://www.holylandexperience.com/

And, there'e the skywriter.

Hey, maybe the skywriter will cut his smoke budget by 20% to be in sync with Disney.

 

[mshanson3121]

Let me ask another way. It's 20% from non profit locations. What percent is it of the total domestic parks labor?

It doesn't really matter, because this isn't what you want to think it is. Pretty well everyone else seems to get that. Anyone with business experience or sense, should easily be able to see that. There are cuts being made in many different aspects, from the parks to the hotels/resorts. From painting to entertainers. Park hours being reduced (or not expanded like normal), entertainment hours being cut, attraction hours being cut, entertainment being cut and NOT replaced - all at a time when demand is increasing, not reducing. Too many areas at once, too many people at once. So no, this isn't about "efficiency". Disney is a very analyzed and followed business, so when even the financial gurus are talking about these cuts as being out of the norm (which if they were just a "routine efficiency clean up", people wouldn't be raising eyebrows, since, obviously they happen all the time), something is going on.

 

[hopeful4fl]

There is a difference in cutting staff to maintain a budget, as opposed to cutting staff due to budget overruns in other "ventures" which is what a lot of the referenced articles suggest. People getting laid off are paying for the mistakes of bean counters who make millions. You want to balance the budget? HOLD PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE.

 

[soniam]

I'm sort of confused on how they plan to cut staff AND overtime simultaneously. It seems to me that cutting staff generally increases the demand placed on the staff that's left.

The work just doesn't get done. In my industry, since most people are not hourly, they just make us work more. It's harder for hourly employees. You can "encourage" them to "work smarter/not harder" and "be more efficient" and to take less breaks, but in the end, the work just doesn't get done, ie cleaning, maintenance, customer service.

 

[mom2rtk]

There's also a big difference between making cuts because business is down and making cuts to pay for budget problems in another country. If you cut because business is down, then theoretically there is LESS work to DO. With attendance up, they are clearly planning to do MORE with LESS. That's the big problem with all of this.

And honestly, the fact that they are willing to roll this out heading into spring break crowds is quite alarming.

 

[mom2rtk]

The work just doesn't get done. In my industry, since most people are not hourly, they just make us work more. It's harder for hourly employees. You can "encourage" them to "work smarter/not harder" and "be more efficient" and to take less breaks, but in the end, the work just doesn't get done, ie cleaning, maintenance, customer service.

Just another reason they should have laid off some suits instead. More bang for the buck, plus they could have made the remaining salaried suits to carry more of the load.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

That's just down the road...
http://www.holylandexperience.com/

I've heard Easter is really a killer time to go.

 

[PCFriar80]

And, there'e the skywriter.

Hey, maybe the skywriter will cut his smoke budget by 20% to be in sync with Disney.

He'll just use a smaller font and layoff on the bold and special characters.

 

[soniam]

There's also a big difference between making cuts because business is down and making cuts to pay for budget problems in another country. If you cut because business is down, then theoretically there is LESS work to DO. With attendance up, they are clearly planning to do MORE with LESS. That's the big problem with all of this.

And honestly, the fact that they are willing to roll this out heading into spring break crowds is quite alarming.

Tell me about it. I am heading out there 3/14-20 At least it's not the week of Good Friday. Oh well. Dole Whip can fix anything, right