Sunday, April 1, 2001
by Kevin Yee
As you may
have read in David Koenig's
recent article, Cast Members at Disneyland attractions are using a new
style of break rotation called "Cast (employee) Deployment." In
a nutshell, a computerized system will be replacing the old system of simply
rotating between positions, where generous breaks were thrown into the mix.
The new system gains "efficiency" by doing away with these extra
breaks. Here is a snippet of David's article to sum up the new system:
It is currently used at Disney's four theme parks in Florida and,
by the time it was running full speed, had reduced labor costs at the
Magic Kingdom by 4%. Executives expect a comparable reduction at Disneyland — although there may be a steep price to pay.
At Disney World, cast members go to their attraction and scan their
ID through a computer. The computer screen responds with a message like,
"Welcome to Space Mountain, please go to Rear Unload." Cast
members go to their computer-assigned position and stay there until
they are bumped by another cast member. Next, instead of bumping the
next cast member in the old rotation, just-bumped cast members walk
back to the computer and scan their ID again. The computer assigns them
a new position, saying something like, "Please go to Front Load"
or, at specific intervals, "Please go take a 15-minute break."
Cast members continue the process throughout their assigned shift.
With rotations, Disneyland cast members now average about three
breaks and a lunch per eight-hour shift. In rare instances, a few attractions
provide up to four breaks and a lunch during an eight-and-a-half hour
shift. With Cast Deployment, ride operators now will receive two breaks
and one lunch for an eight-and-a-half hour shift.
One other thing the computerized system does is schedule in "tasks"
that fill up otherwise unproductive slots, where no one needs a break.
David brings up some great points
in his article — such as the need for attractions CMs to stay alert for
safety's sake (and what better way to stay alert
than to constantly rotate positions and to take roughly a break per hour?)
Cast Deployment is designed to wring out the excess breaks that evolved
under the rotational system. Does it work? Here is an email I received
from a WDW Cast Member:
I read with trepidation and amusement about deployment
coming to Disneyland. WDW has it, it stinks. It gets rid of the old
rotation system. [In the old system] you did not spend l5 minutes in
one place, you were there 30 minutes. And in deployment, you do not
know when you will be released from a position. I have been two hours
and more in one location.
You also do not know when you will be free. At least
on rotation it was easy to find out what was happening. Not now.
And the "tasks" are made-up jobs. I go
on a break when I get them.
I had a break at 11 AM last week, but on the computer
the time listed for my break was 10 AM. I complained that I did not
get it then, and the supervisor said that was just for the computer,
they "kept a log". Watch out.
I don't know about all you readers, but this email frightens me as much
as David's initial article.
I am not all that concerned about the extra workload for Leads, who
must now manually schedule breaks while the computers are being installed.
This doesn't concern me because restaurant and merchandise leads have
dealt with grid-like break sheets for years. It's quite easy to devise
a break schedule for 30 workers.
A simplified break sheet
And it's not a bad idea, frankly. Under a system with no close supervision,
break times can and do get wildly out of control. CMs will take 30 minute
breaks, double the allotted time. I've seen it happen. Frequently, even.
At Cafe Orleans, we had to revert to scheduled breaks, not unlike the
proposed system, so that everyone actually got their breaks! It makes
for fairness for everyone.
But I do have reservations about this
new system. The biggest and most dangerous element to it, in
my opinion, is the lack of human oversight. It just feels Orwellian to
me. If the leads monitor it closely then I suppose that element is minimized,
but I can see human nature butting in and leads doing other things instead.
At least with hand-written grids and schedules, someone is paying attention
to the result. A technophobic reaction? Perhaps... but I'm not normally
a technophobe.
The other half of my problem is a bit more complicated. Cast Members
in attractions have typically enjoyed extra breaks. As David pointed out,
it is done to keep the CMs fresh and alert. This is better for reasons
of safety but also because attractions CMs are the ones most in contact
with Guests, thus they need to be the ones putting on Disney's best face.
David says the average is three breaks and one lunch for an eight hour
shift. In my experience, most attractions CMs get a break per hour. That
means up to seven breaks and one lunch in an eight hour shift. You can
see why management considered this an "inefficiency" in this
system! I'm sure some of that has been squeezed out of the operations
in the past few years, as managers look to tighten belts across the board,
but you have to admit seven breaks was quite a few.
Is it right for attractions CMs to
have so many breaks? All others at the Park are held to state
and federal law, meaning just two breaks and one lunch for a long shift.
I admit, as a CM myself, I was envious and more than a little annoyed
that attractions CMs got extra breaks. Sure, I understood the argument
about safety and Show, but that did little to make me feel better about
it.
Just as I felt it was unfair when I was a CM, I now (as an Annual Passholder)
feel safer knowing that attractions CMs get the extra breaks. They're
in a better mood and they are more likely to be wary of potentially dangerous
situations. As we've seen in Disneyland's recent history, it's the slow
and ostensibly safe rides (Columbia, Alice in Wonderland, Roger Rabbit)
which can cause damage and injury, not just the powerful coasters.
So do I ultimately think the attractions CMs deserve the extra breaks?
I guess my answer is yes, though it's a reluctant yes. "Reluctant"
because it breeds elitism and caste systems into the Disneyland Cast family,
but I do think ultimately that it's necessary.
And Cast Deployment? I don't know how to sum up my expectations, as
I'm neither completely for nor against it.
I'm very aware that Cast Deployment
will have a negative impact on morale, and the fallout from that is potentially
huge. Frankly, this new system is going to annoy a large number
of CMs, and this is exactly the wrong time for Disneyland to alienate
its Cast.
The "lead-as-management's-representative" in me sees the value
of squeezing out extra breaks. Let's be honest, four percent of extra
efficiency may not sound like much, but it's actually quite a bit, especially
as a marginal improvement.
But the "lead-as-keeper-of-Walt's-dream" in me sees big danger
here. Is it worth four percent of efficiency to make Attractions CMs less
happy, less rested, less willing to be patient with Guests?
I don't know the answer to that question...
Next up: Advanced Courses at Disney University
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Are you a CM or a former CM? I would love to hear and share your stories! E-mail me! Stories and comments you submit become property of and may be published on this site; we normally don't publish last names of current CMs, but if you wish to remain anonymous altogether or do not want me to share your stories, please let me know when you e-mail me. — Shoshana NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in reader-contributed stories do not reflect those of Cast Place or MousePlanet. CM – Cast member; company lingo for “employee.” Empowerment Evolution – The 1995 attempt by newer park management to introduce modern accountability and market forces into the stodgy Disneyland methodology and power hierarchies. The name was meant to “empower” rank and file employees by removing layers of their management, though now there are more managers than ever. TPO – Theme Park Operations; the division of the Disneyland hierarchy that actually works in the theme park itself. TDA – Team Disney Anaheim; the name of the on-site administration building. Area manager – used to be responsible for an entire land, with all business divisions in the area reporting to him. Area supervisor – the immediate boss for location supervisors who divide up a department of intelligently grouped locations. The area supervisors in turn reported to the area manager. Nowadays all supervisors and area supervisors have been replaced by managers and assistant managers — the same idea, but smaller “business units" than a department; usually just one location in fact. RFT – “A” status; a full-time hourly employee. RPT – “B” status; an hourly employee five days a week but just not quite 40 hours usually. CR – “C” status; an hourly employee who works weekends year-round and five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). CT – a part-time hourly employee who works five days a week during all school holiday periods (including summer and Christmas break). No seniority, so shifts worked are usually quite short. Locate the employment center to fill out an application, and they will call you for an interview (dress nicely, just shy of an actual suit). Once there, follow these rules, in this order of importance: 1. Smile and be very friendly. They want outgoing people.
2. Do not let the group interview throw you off balance. They want outgoing people who can “perform” a little bit.
3. Do not worry about job (in)experience. They don't care. They want friendly people, not experienced and/or hardened people.
4. Do your best to convince them you already have a Disney attitude: you want to work with people, you're a team player, and you would consider this a dream job (however, don't overdo it on the crazy-Disney-fan side either). Strike a nice balance.
5. Did I mention the importance of a smile? 
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