Organizational Communication

of Disney

Eric Kan

Mehreen Siddiqui

Vyvy Ta

Jenna Turner

Joannie Vuong

SPCOM 325

Timothy Paci

Friday, March 20, 2015

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Executive Summary

We are a group of students who have a keen interest in learning about how a large

and established company, the Disney Corporation in particular, manages their front line

employees and create unique experiences for their customers. Through the use of the

Critical Approach and identity regulation in organizational communication, we hope to

learn how Disney exerts their power over their employees and how they get them to

perform at such high levels of customer service.

In this report, we learn about the origins of the Disney Handbook, look at how

Disney regulates their Cast Members’ identities, define what Disney style service and

expectations are, learn how role restriction affects Cast Members, and lastly we were able

conduct interviews with Disney Cast Members. We discover that the Handbook is a big

facilitator of power and outlines the strict regulations and rules that Disney Cast

Members must adhere to. Furthermore, we discuss how vocabulary of motive affects the

identity of Cast Members and the quality of service that they provide.

From our research and analysis, we learn that it takes a firm hand and a lot of

power in order to create the experiences that Disney offers to their guests in their parks.

As Cast Members are always exposed to cameras from the guests and potentially secret

police that Disney employs to watch them, they are the living embodiment of Foucault’s

Panopticon.

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Contents

1.0 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................... 3

2.0 The Handbook .................................................................................................................................................... 3

3.0 Identity Regulation in Disney Parks .......................................................................................................... 4

4.0 Customer Service Standards ......................................................................................................................... 8

5.0 Role Restrictions ............................................................................................................................................. 11

6.0 Cast Member Experiences .......................................................................................................................... 13

7.0 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 17

Appendix A ............................................................................................................................................................... 18

Appendix B ............................................................................................................................................................... 23

Appendix C................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Works Cited .............................................................................................................................................................. 28

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1.0 Introduction Wishes. Dreams. Magic. These are words that Disney works hard to associate

with their culture, brand, and image. Through the power of “Disney Magic” they can

make your wildest dreams and deepest wishes come true. Of course, Disney’s magic

comes with a price. It is not easy to manufacture magic on a daily basis and let alone

make each magical encounter unique, but somehow Disney always delivers. Just who are

these people who make the magic happen? These special individuals are called

“imagineers.” These are Disney’s dream team of engineers with astounding imaginations

who design their parks, rides, and experiences for all to enjoy. But they are only the

brains behind the Disney magic. The true heroes who implement the imagineers’

inventions are Disney’s frontline employees known as Cast Members. Cast Members

work directly with Disney’s customers to provide them the magical experience that they

are looking for and these workers are not your regular theme park workers. They adhere

to a strict handbook and Disney has almost complete control over their actions and

appearances. In this report, we will look at how Disney has power and control over their

Cast Members through the use of their handbook and identity regulation. Furthermore,

we will explore and analyze how they create and maintain their universally recognized

culture and expectation of service through the use of Cast Members.

2.0 The Handbook A big question that may be asked by many people is “what is the Disney’s

Employee Handbook?” A lot of hype has been put around this seemingly secretive

document, but simply put, it is a reference for employees that sets out guidelines on how

to conduct oneself in the workplace. In 1943 the Disney Handbook was created and was

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named The Ropes at Disney. It laid out important information that employees would need

to know such as vacation pay, sick leave, and “forbidden fruit” – also known as what not

to do. It was a way to give a “painless nudge in the right direction” if employees slipped

off track (Popova). The Handbook was laid out in a way where it looked friendly and

open between employee and employer, using witty pictures and warm words such as

“families” to accomplish this (See Appendix A). The newest employee guide from 2004,

now named the Employee Policy Manual, has lost its wit and charm that it once had. Not

only is the newest guide four times longer than it once was, but it also uses very stern

language throughout the guide, stating after many of the policies, “violation of this policy

may result in disciplinary action, not excluding termination” (“Employee Policy Manual”

9). It has no longer become a painless nudge to get back on track, but rather a painful side

check. The new title of the Handbook using the words ‘policy manual’ shows just how

different the Handbook has become. The word ‘policy’ means a course of action and the

word ‘manual’ means a book of instructions. In short, Disney has made a book of

instructions that employees need to follow and if they do not, there will be action taken

against them. There are no more charming pictures to laugh at or words that make Disney

feel like family; the new Manual is more than a regular document full of words, it now

clearly shows the power difference between employee and employer (See Appendix A).

3.0 Identity Regulation in Disney Parks Front line employees at the Disney Parks and the Disney stores are known as

‘Cast Members’. Walt Disney himself created the term because he wanted to use

theatrical terms for park operations. Cast Members have various jobs such as tending to

the rides and attractions or playing Disney characters (“Cast Member”). Each Cast

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Member must adhere to strict rules in their Handbook, which enforces a regulation of

identity upon the Cast Members. This articulates how and in what ways differences

among members, or their individual identities, will be valued. Firstly, Disney defines an

employee by defining employees of other organizations through the Handbook. Unlike

most organizations, Disney holds each employee to a specific standard that is aligned

with their ultimate goal of providing the best possible experience for each guest. This is

not the case with most organizations where the employees who have more strategic work,

such as managers or CEOs, are considered more valuable than those with lesser positions,

such as custodians or receptionists. Cast Members are expected to distinguish themselves

against other organizations and perform at a level that is considered exceptional by

Disney and all guests (Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey 196).

Disney manages the identities of their employees by providing a specific

vocabulary of motive, which explicitly describes the motivations that drives their ideal

employees. There are several qualities outlined in the Handbook that Cast Members must

exhibit to show their dedication and commitment to achieving the organizations goal

(Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey 196). Each employee being referred to as Cast

Members and each park visitor being referred to as a guest is an example of the

vocabulary of motives that Disney provides its employees. According to the careers page

on the Disney website and in the Handbook, employees are expected to consistently

demonstrate professionalism and good judgment at all times related to their appearance.

This is known as adhering to the Appearance Standards or the ‘Disney Look’ (“The

Disney Look”), which is considered to be a critical part of enhancing the Disney

experience. Cast Members are always perceived to be ‘on stage’ when they are in a

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public area; their attitudes and performance are direct reflections on the quality of the

Disney show and all employees must exhibit the most important aspect of their role in the

Disney show, which is good stage presence, and Disney makes it clear that there is no

room for insubordination (“Disney Careers”). By performing in the way Disney dictates,

employees convey the attitude of excellence that is associated with the Disney name and

consequently achieve the organization’s goal of enhancing the guests’ Disney experience

and overall enjoyment.

Disney also reinforces hierarchical dynamics in the sense that there is a distinction

made between the superiors and the subordinates. Although the Disney Corporation is

seen as the overarching superior by enforcing strict rules upon all their employees, it is

clear that there is also a sense of hierarchy even among the Cast Members. Entertainment

Cast Members, especially face characters, who are costumed cast members who have

their faces exposed, are the faces of Disney and perceived to be better by guests and

management, which is why it is difficult to consider oneself to be on the same level as the

regular Cast Members (Jared). They wear costumes and interact with the guests, thus

demonstrating acting expertise, social skills, theatrical expertise and extemporaneous

qualities simultaneously. There is a more rigorous hiring system as outlined by the

Disney career page, where applicants must not only look like the original character, but

also must sound and behave exactly as they would (“Disney Career”). Regular Cast

Members are required to demonstrate proper etiquette, including picking up trash

elegantly, however, it is evident that face characters are more meticulously scrutinized by

Disney’s management to ensure that they are behaving with good conduct (“Face

Characters”).

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Disney employees represent the stencil and soldier images of identity. They are

shaped or ‘drawn’ by their powerful and dominant Disney employer while embracing the

attractive social categories for organizational identification, and this is achieved through

the use of the Handbook and surveillance on the job (Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey

198). Although there is no legitimate evidence to support the theory of Undercover

Disney Police, the very rumour itself serves as a panopticon, which will be touched upon

later in the report in more depth. If entertainment Cast Members are under the impression

that they are being watched by undercover police to ensure that they remain in character,

they are more likely to be more conscious of themselves and refrain from accidently

breaking out of character or not adhering to the Handbook. The stencil focuses on the

power of organizational communication to generate a template or standard of identity

position. The Handbook is directly linked to creating a stencil image of identity for

Disney Cast Members; this level of regulation creates a ‘stencil’ of specific guidelines

that each employee must follow, hence erasing their individuality. The employees are

perceived as copies of Disney’s preferred discourse; this is achieved through the

Handbook where each employee’s identity is ‘fixed’ and held in place by the dominant

discourse that sets an ideal sold for them to replicate, mainly as an effect of the powerful

forces operating on them articulated by the Handbook (Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey

204).

The soldier image of identity displays one who embraces the organization’s

preferred identity without being coerced. In this sense they are manufacturing consent,

stated in the Organizational Communication textbook as “willingly adopting and

enforcing the legitimate power of the organization,” by identifying with Disney as a

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social unit and strive to contribute to the renowned Disney experience (Eisenberg,

Goodall, & Trethewey 167). Soldiers do not regard personal uniqueness as particularly

important; they are very group oriented and want to be perceived as belonging

wholeheartedly to their respective organization (Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey 205).

Disney Cast Members feel loyalty to their organization despite the uneven distribution of

power and manipulation of their identity; they identify with Disney and downplay their

individuality to align with the Disney image (Eisenberg, Goodall, & Trethewey 206).

In terms of the ethics of identity creation and reinforcement, the Handbook is a

tool used by Disney to ensure that all Cast Members display the Disney image through

their appearance and behaviour. Upon hiring, employees consent to this influence of

power, which means that it is not unethical to enforce these rules, despite the level of

strictness Disney imposes. As with all jobs, there are rules put in place by management

that must be followed. Disney Cast Members are actors and must behave accordingly.

They must portray the Disney image admirably and if they do not agree with the actions

of Disney, they are not restricted from quitting their jobs. Thus, it is not necessarily

unethical for Disney to expect their employees to adhere to the Handbook.

4.0 Customer Service Standards The Disney franchise is extremely strict with their rules regarding their employees

to ensure that it stays the “happiest place on earth”. In order for the members to be

valued, they follow certain guidelines that define how they should act, which affects the

reputation of their customer service at large. As mentioned earlier, each employee

member is called a “Cast Member” to follow the consistency of the Disney movie

making, and each Cast Member’s identity affects how they service customers. There are

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specific rules that each Cast Member follows to “preserve the magic” and to maintain the

service strategy that is set out by Disney. Cast Members that take on the role of different

characters must follow certain rules to maintain a positive image. “Behind the costumes,

the fantasy and the magic, Disney World is a business like any other” (“The Wonderful

World of Customer Service at Disney”). For example, employees at Disney World are

not allowed to point using just one finger. This is because pointing with one finger can be

considered rude in some cultures; furthermore, two fingers make it easier for children to

see.

The Cast Members are also not allowed to break character and these members

define themselves by the character they play. “Each character has his or her own

personality, voice, likes, interests and background story – and each actor must never

deviate from the part they are playing” (“Dailymail”). In Beauty and the Beast, Gaston

plays the handsome, cocky, and rude hunter who sees woman in a very sexist light, and

proposes marriage to Belle because he cannot be with anyone less perfect or beautiful

than himself. At the Disney Parks, Cast Members are able to portray him the same way

through identity work. They maintain his character image by challenging visitors to push

up contests and making snarky comments towards women. Another example of this is

seen a video of a little girl receiving sexist comments. He says to her, “two things?

You’re a girl, you should never have more than one thing on your mind (Kays).” This

portrayal of Gaston at Disney World went viral because he did not hold back his remarks

and thus demonstrates that the cast members stick to their character, regardless of the

visitors they encounter. Of course, in the end their purpose is to entertain and keep

visitors happy. The cast member that plays Gaston can only be sexist and demeaning up

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to a certain point that allows the person he interacts with to thwart his character’s flaws.

The Cast Member that plays a villain must always set themselves up to lose against the

guests or any Cast Member who has a role more righteous than theirs.

Since each Cast Member is able to story tell when portraying their characters, it

helps maintain the “magic of Disney” for the visitors. Through identity regulation, Cast

Members are given specific vocabulary of motive that their character adheres to in order

to drive them to perform their best. Forbes makes a great statement that each Cast

Member is trained to be “Assertively Friendly”. This means that they should try reach out

to guests instead of waiting for the guests to come to them. For example, a guest was with

his wife and kids and was trying to figure out how to take a family photo. An employee

noticed this and told them that they would be glad to take the picture for them. Another

case of how “Assertively Friendly” behaviour is displayed is during birthday celebrations

of the guests. Disney gives out badges to the guests, which lets everyone know that it is

their birthday. The badges contain the guest’s first name and the Cast Members are

trained to address them by their name (Forbes). For example, a woman with a birthday

badge ordered a hamburger and as she was reaching the ordering window a friendly

employee said, “Happy Birthday Diana! What would you like?” (Forbes). Disney Cast

Members are trained to provide each guest with the best Disney customer service

experience. Through identity regulation, Disney is able to have control and regulate their

employee’s identities to ensure they are valuable and beneficial within the customer

service facet of the franchise.

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5.0 Role Restrictions Since Disney Cast Members are considered to be all Disney employees ranging

from janitors, face characters, costume characters, ride operators, to even security, there

are many different rules and guidelines that they must follow in order to provide guests

with the best experience possible. First and foremost, all cast members must oblige by

‘The Disney Look’, which is “a classic look that is clean, natural, polished, and

professional, and avoids “cutting edge” trends or “extreme styles” (“The Disney Look”).

All Cast Members must follow these guidelines because according to Disney, costume

cast members enhance the experience of Disney shows and non-costume cast members

are always representing the Disney brand. Disney even says, “regardless of the position

you hold with us, when you take pride in your appearance, you become a role model for

those around you, and convey the attitude of excellence that has been synonymous with

the Disney name” (“The Disney Look”). Hence, the reason Disney employees are called

Cast Members instead is because every single moment, they are part of one big “Disney

Production”; they all play a part in order to bring to life what Disney Parks have to offer.

The guidelines that all Cast Members must follow include, “good judgement and

stage presence, nametags, pins, buttons, company identification cards, eyewear,

hairstyling, body modification, undergarments, personal hygiene, fingernails, headwear,

and jewellery” (Weiss). It is interesting to note that one of the top priorities that Disney

has as an obligation for their employees is their use of nametags. “We are a first-name

organization. All cast members have been issued a nametag, which should be worn with

pride” (Weiss).

In Michael Foucault’s Panopticon, he explains a concept named “disciplined

bodies”, which are “bodies that may be subjected, used, transformed, and improved”

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(Foucault 136). By constantly wearing a nametag while being on the job, Cast Members

are always subjected to being used by the “Disney brand”, which is the friendly, classic

appearance. It is not a coincidence that the nametag is such a priority for Disney, since

the nametag acts as Foucault mentions, “to induce a state of consciousness and permanent

visibility that assures automatic functioning of power. Surveillance is permanent”

(Foucault 3). While the Cast Members have on the nametag, they are always subjected to

a state of consciousness and permanent visibility by other cast members and guests at the

Disney Resort.

The guidelines for good judgement and stage presence are also very specific and

can certainly be linked to the Panopticon. The guidelines propose, “no matter where you

work or what your role is, anytime you are in a public area, you are ‘on stage’. Your

attitude and performance are direct reflections on the quality of our Disney shows. It’s

those things that you don’t always think of that detracts from our guests’ enjoyment—

chewing gum, having poor posture, using a cellphone, or frowning. All of this adds up to

one of the most important aspects of your role in our show: good stage presence”

(Weiss). There is no question that this guideline has a direct relationship with concertive

control. Cast Members “become the principle of their own subjection,” and police

themselves into always following the guidelines in order to provide the guests with the

best Disney show that they can experience (Foucault 4). Since the guests and other cast

members are always watching, it is true that “the gaze is alert everywhere” (Foucault 1).

Another YouTube video shows a guest interviewing Disney Princesses such as

Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle. In this video, the guest asked many questions such as

“Have you ever read Harry Potter before?”, and the Disney Princesses had to answer the

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questions as if they were really in their original animated world (Mochimo). This video is

an excellent depiction and demonstrates how all Cast Members are always in character.

However, connecting this concept to the Panopticon, this Cast Member can be seen under

surveillance of unverifiable power, which is that “[the Cast Member] must never know

whether he is being looked at in any given moment; but he must be sure that he may

always be so” (Foucault 4). Any guest recording a video is an example of this

unverifiable power, as the Cast Member may not know that this person is recording but

knows that they must always stay in character. The Cast Member is put into a fixed

location where their slightest movements are supervised; all events are recorded, and is

constantly located and examined. Foucault’s explains this phenomenon as the

“normalizing gaze”, which effectively and efficiently police the Cast Members to behave

accordingly.

6.0 Cast Member Experiences In order to learn more about the “Disney Experience” as a Cast Member and the

process of becoming a Disney Parks employee, we were able to find two people who

were willing to be interviewed by us. The first person that we interviewed was Arielle

Warner (Appendix B), who has just been hired to work at Walt Disney World Florida as

a cashier/merchandiser for this coming summer. She has yet to sign any official contracts

that will prevent her from talking about her hiring process and any other expectations

Disney has of her. Our second interviewee is a former Disney Cruise Line employee

named Prince Saquian (Appendix C). Although he does have some non-disclosure

agreements that he cannot break, he is willing to answer our questions to the best of his

ability. From both of these people, we do expect mainly positive views and experiences.

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In order to find some negative experience to show that Disney is not always so magical,

we will be relying on online blogs and journals where those who have negative opinions

on Disney are able to remain anonymous.

Arielle is currently a University of Waterloo student and is finishing up her fourth

year as an Arts undergraduate. Since she is not a co-op student, she has the summer off

and decided to apply to work at Disney through their cultural exchange program.

Influenced by Disney throughout her childhood and then developing a great appreciation

for Disney’s work as an adult, Arielle felt the great urge to participate in their company

should the opportunity arise. Although Arielle has worked under a strict image policy at

McDonald’s, she admits that the policies that Disney enforces can be quite “over the top”

and that she had to make personal sacrifices in order to adhere to the “Disney Look”.

Although Arielle is working at Disney as a cultural exchange worker, she does realize

that she does not bring anything culturally to Disney. Just being Canadian is enough for

Disney to prove that they hire authentic cultural workers. In fact, we wonder if Arielle

were not a Caucasian female and were a Metis or represented a Canadian minority

instead, would she have been an acceptable prospect to be a Cast Member? When it

comes down to the job, Arielle is there to be a Canadian citizen working in Disney, not a

Canadian who is there to share their culture and experiences. Disney does get thousands

of Canadian visitors every year, and that nametag that says “Arielle, Toronto, Ontario”

gives them a little piece of home away from home.

Prince worked for Disney for 2 years on the Disney Cruise Line as an

entertainment cast member. His job was to work with cruise guests and develop activities

for them to participate in on their time at sea. Although Prince did not work at the Disney

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Parks, as a Disney employee who works with customers, he was not exempt from the

rigid image requirements that Disney required from him. Having several tattoos on his

body, Prince had to adhere to the “Disney Look” even when he was not on duty as being

on a cruise ship meant that the guests would always see and have access to him. He

seemed annoyed to have to uphold the “Disney Look” at all times, especially the length

of his hair. When I asked him if he had a non-disclosure agreement, he said that he did

and that he was looking to potentially work at Disney again and did not want to risk

breaking it. Furthermore, the non-disclosure agreement is for character integrity. Not

Prince’s personal character, but the character that he played as a Disney Cast Member. So

although he could not tell us behind the scenes secrets on how to create Disney Magic, he

was able to tell us a bit about what he disliked regarding management. He admitted that

the system in general was very top-down with very little input from Cast Members.

Management did whatever they liked or was necessary in order to create a “magical”

experience for their audience. Furthermore, instead of addressing management as

management, he and his other co-workers would say that they work for “The Mouse”.

When any orders or messages came down to cast members, they would refer to it as “The

Mouse” calling the shots and making changes. Indeed, just like in 1984, “The Mouse” is

always watching, just like Big Brother. Following that observation, there were many “we

love Big Brother” jokes to be had and Prince stated that it was impossible for Cast

Members not to love “The Mouse” as he is the hero and leader of Disney. There was also

a large discrepancy in hierarchy between the different levels of employees and

management. Being at the lowest level, Prince was not allowed to eat in areas where

guests would be and had to maintain his quarters with his roommate. Those that were in

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management positions were able to dine freely with guests and had frequent room

cleanings. Lastly, what disappoints Prince the most about working for Disney is the lack

of growth. He wanted to be able to take the Disney skills he learned at sea and apply to

work at the parks. Unfortunately, there is no program or initiative for workers to try and

transfer their skills into other areas of Disney employment.

Due to the complexity of Disney’s contracts on their workers and non-disclosure

agreements, it was difficult to find first-hand negative experiences about working for

Disney as a Cast Member. It looks like the only resources we could find were internet

blogs and journals where these former disgruntled Cast Members could post about their

experiences anonymously. However, we can never truly know if these sources are true or

just propaganda from Disney hating folk. These blogs are mainly written to warn

potential Cast Members about what they are going to realistically experience on the job.

Like many other entry-level jobs, being a Disney Cast Member does not pay much. It is a

minimum wage job and for international workers, although they might make a slightly

higher wage, that extra wage goes towards paying for Disney provided lodging.

Furthermore, the main critiques we found are that due to the strictness of the “Disney

Look”, it is easy to get warnings for not adhering to the rules and that terminations were

easily handed out for the smallest infractions (“Working in Disney World”). Overall,

despite these negative reviews, they do not put down or complain about management as

much as you would expect. It sends a general message that working for Disney is not

about having a magical time, but to provide a magical time for others. Meaning that those

who look to work for Disney must be realistic about the expectations they have for them.

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Giving people “magical” experiences is done through strict work and regulations, and

anything less than perfect would lead to an experience that would not be Disney.

7.0 Conclusion Wishes. Dreams. Magic. These are words that Disney works hard to associate

with their culture, brand, and image; however, throughout this report it is shown that

Disney may not be as magical as it seems. By critically analyzing the organizational

communication of Disney it is clear that they follow the Critical Approach through the

use of identity regulation and the power of the Panopticon. The Employee Handbook is

strictly used as a way to control employees to adhere to these sought after behaviours, as

well as the fear of never knowing when one is being watched is always on an employee’s

mind. Because these rules are being willingly agreed to, employees manufacture consent,

but even though employees willingly adopt the procedures and strict guidelines of

Disney, it was shown through interviews that these restrictions are seen as over the top.

Employees must dress, talk, and act, in an appropriate manner and are even confined to

where they live and can or cannot eat. These strict guidelines Disney enforces creates a

magical place to be for guests, but it seems as though the grass on the other side is not as

green. Though employees may want to hold more of the power in their own hands, the

power always has been and will continue to lie in the hands of “The Mouse.”

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Appendix A

1943 Employee Handbook

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20

2004 Employee Policy Manual

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Appendix B Arielle Warner’s Interview Transcript

What inspired you to try to work for Disney? What position(s) were you looking at?

As most children, I grew up with Disney so it has always been a part of my life.

However, it wasn’t until I was about 16 when I developed this newfound appreciation for

the films. I felt like I was better able to enjoy them as well as fully interpret their cultural,

social meanings. I discovered Disney’s year-long Cultural Representative Program when

I was 18, but could not participate because of school. After 4 years of University, and

writing 3 Disney related research papers, I basically felt like this was something I HAD

to do because I had never felt so passionate about anything in my entire life. Especially

when I found out that Disney offered an international summer program, I knew I had to

apply. I knew beforehand that the positions were your basic part-time, minimum wage,

customer service type jobs (like food service). I knew I wanted to do Merchandise

because I have so much experience in fast-food, I needed to try something new that I had

no experience in.

How did you prepare yourself? Did you do any research for the position you applied

for?

Before my interview, I read countless blogs, joined many Facebook groups, read a lot of

websites based on previous Cast Members’ experiences. I made a list of possible

questions that the interviewer might have asked me. Especially for Merchandise, since

that was my number one choice, I prepared a few situational questions concerning

Merchandise. In the interview, she did ask: What would you do if a guest’s credit card

didn’t work? I was very hung up on researching what they expected me to be like, even if

it didn’t fit within my personality (ex. what I should say, dress like, look like).

Do you think that your participation as an international worker will add to the

cultural exchange that Disney is trying to establish in their parks?

Disney is known as being this big melting pot filled with various cultures and traditions;

however I do not think my culture personally will add anything substantial to the cultural

image they are trying to portray. First reason being, Canada is very similar culturally to

the U.S. Besides having a nametag that says I’m from Canada - which could possibly be

appealing to anyone who is not American - everything in Disney World is already so

Americanized. Hello! It’s called American exceptionalism for a reason! - any other

culture they try to portray is very whitewashed/stereotypical.

Do you think that the strict policies on your image effect your unique character or

hinder aspects of yourself that make you Canadian? Do you disagree with any

particular policies?

Maintaining an appropriate image is very important for Disney, but a lot of the rules they

enforce are rules that are enforced at my current job (McDonalds). I understand that they

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want the Cast Members to have a clean, wholesome image - especially if you’re working

with food. At my current job, I’m also not allowed to have visible tattoos, or wild

coloured hair, or facial piercings. In a customer service environment, it makes sense.

However, some of Disney’s rules are very over the top/detailed. For example, you are

only allowed to wear black/brown glasses frames with no brand logos showing. The only

thing I was mad about is when I had to re-dye my hair from ombre to one solid colour.

What are you looking forward to the most by working for Disney? Do you have any

apprehensions or worries? Are there any rumours that you have heard that dismay

you?

The cultural aspect is probably the most exciting part to me. I’m looking forward to

meeting (possibly living) with people from different countries. I want to learn their

customs, traditions, eat their food because overall, we all have one thing in common: WE

LOVE DISNEY! So I know it’s going to be good times all around. I find the environment

at Disney very exhilarating and cheerful, so I’m looking forward to being surrounded by

that all of the time. My only worry right now is that after I understand how everything

works behind the scenes, the magic will be ruined, but I have only heard positive

experiences from people who have done this program in the past. The only rumour that

I’ve heard is that they work you like a dog, very long hours, but I’m going into the

experience being prepared to work hard.

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Appendix C Prince Saquian’s Interview Transcript

What inspired you to try to work for Disney? What position(s) were you looking at?

I’ve been a lifelong fan of Disney and always had the idea that I wanted to work for the

company in some way since I was young. Being a Canadian however our choices

working as a Disney Cast Member are very limited: either working at Epcot in Orlando

as a Cultural Representative of Canada (and working a minimum-wage job at a

beverage/popcorn cart, a server, or retail associate) or working on Disney Cruise Line. I

was looking at working in youth programming and entertainment.

How did you prepare yourself? Did you do any research for the position you applied

for?

I did a lot of research online, especially for the positions and what life would be like and

was dismayed to find that there wasn’t a lot of information readily available out there.

The best sources of information were Cast Members who had written blogs and message

board posts about their experience.

Do you think that your participation as an international worker will add to the

cultural exchange that Disney is trying to establish?

Absolutely, in fact Disney makes a very big deal about the different cultures and

countries that they hire from – especially for Epcot where it makes the experience and

“story” that much more immersive. On board, it was used as a means to highlight the

diversity of the crew.

Do you think that the strict policies on your image affect your unique character or

hinder aspects of yourself that make you Canadian? Do you disagree with any

particular policies?

I wouldn’t say that Disney’s image policies regarding Cast Members hinder anyone’s

inherent Canadianness per se, however as far as uniqueness and individuality go that was

one thing that was definitely affected. Here on land we’re accustomed to seeing people

with piercings and tattoos in all sorts of jobs; at Disney they are heavily regulated, if not

disallowed entirely. I also disagreed with not being able to keep my hair at the length I

normally desire.

How is Disney able to uphold their strict appearance policies on their cast

members?

There exists a policy known as “Disney Look”, which can be found readily available

online: http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/onboarding/fl/working-here/disney-look/overview.

These don’t exist only as guidelines – any Disney Cast Member will concur that these are

requirements that are heavily enforced. In fact, there are specific people tasked with

enforcing Disney Look policies and are paid to observe Cast Members and report to their

management about any one or anything that does not comply. Breaches of Disney Look

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are subject to a system of warnings that are recorded and counted against any Cast

Member, up until termination.

Are there some cast members who are more “important” or privileged than others?

Does management treat those cast members differently?

Among Cast Members, there seems to be a marked divide between employee and

management. This varies departmentally, and apparently does exist in the Parks – but is

definitely a big part of the hierarchical system in place at Disney Cruise Line. Elevations

in position are measured in a system of Rank – where managers and supervisors are

elevated to higher Officer status (inidicated by those wearing white uniforms) and thus

receive more perks, benefits, and pay. This isn’t merely preferential treatment; this is

written into each employment contract. For example in terms of living conditions:

working at DCL meant that for lower-ranked Cast Members (i.e.: accommodations

attendants, bar/wait staff) you would be living in an 8x8 cabin with 3 other people, and

have a single toilet and shower shared between 8. They would not be able to be seen in

guest areas outside of work and were not allowed to view any shows or entertainment

venues. At my rank, I only had one roommate and bi-weekly housekeeping, alongside

limited deck privileges but was not allowed to eat anywhere on deck or restaurants in

guest areas at any time. For Officers, they not only could eat anywhere they liked, but

enjoyed solo cabins, free laundry, and their own dining hall and recreation bar)

What were you looking forward to the most by working for Disney? Do you have

any apprehensions or worries? Are there any rumours that you have heard that

dismay you?

I was looking forward to being part of a Company with so much history of bringing joy

to people, and with such excellent standards. The perks are phenomenal – free access to

the parks, and being able to hang out with Disney characters on a daily basis (and even

live with one!) was part of the allure. I certainly had my apprehensions, but I chalked it

all up to rumour until I had actually experienced some of the less-palatable aspects of the

company.

Can you tell us what is in your non-disclosure agreement?

Unfortunately I cannot divulge any specifics, but a large part of it involved what was

known as “Character Integrity” – a key part of being a Disney Cast Member. Failing to

uphold and protect the property of Disney and its characters, i.e., spilling secrets that the

general public shouldn’t know about, was grounds for discipline and dismissal. It’s no

secret that Disney is a litigious corporation, and that’s why there exists a dearth of candid

information out there; most Cast Members fear termination or retribution for breaching

their NDA.

Are there times when you can break character/role in order to address an

emergency?

To best understand this, one must be aware of the 4 “Keys” of working for Disney and

they are in a particular order: Safety –Courtesy- Show- Efficiency. A large part of the job

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is keeping up the show, e.g., staying in “character”, never faltering in the Disney way

and being courteous and helpful with a smile. The way the Keys work is that they exist in

that order due to priority, where the “Show” and maintaining the performance is more

important than Efficiency. In that same regard, in the event of an emergency, when

Safety is compromised one would be allowed to make concessions in courtesy and show.

For example: If there were to be a fire and Guests needed to be evacuated in an

emergency, Cast Members have the ability to be firmer and more urgent. A performer in

costume will certainly sacrifice the show and get to safety before worrying whether

they’re reacting to the fire “in character”.

Can you tell us of any negative experiences you had as a Disney Worker? Are there

any problems you see in management now that you think need to be addressed or

looked at?

As far as negative experiences go, there are plenty. For every day that is filled with

excitement and a thrill to work for the company, there are 12-hour work days spent

scrubbing down surfaces with bleach like a housekeeper. There are moments that

wouldn’t be stressful at any other job, but dire when faced with a threat to receive a

warning. There are goals that can’t seem to be reached due to a very pedantic promotion

system. Imagine agreeing to working 70 hours every single week and no day off for

months – for lesser ranked Cast Members up to 10 months at a time.

My biggest issue with the Company is the inability for workers to transfer their skills or

recognition acquired at the Cruise Line to a job on land; there simply isn’t any way to

make a shift over. This was incredibly disheartening an ultimately a big part of why I

initially chose to leave – for one entering a Company with the desire to grow, it isn’t so

magical to be told there aren’t many directions to go. With working at sea the disparity in

wages from the lower ranks (mostly hired from developing nations), and the tiers of

privilege will always be a sore point for anyone who isn’t an Officer. In terms of the

bigger picture – there simply wasn’t a way for a Cast Member to communicate their

unhappiness to anyone higher up on land who would be willing to listen. The disconnect

between shoreside operations and those on the ships is one that is repeatedly expressed by

Cast Members at all levels and is definitely at the top of the list for many.

There have been times where you and your co-workers have referred to decisions

from management as being from “The Mouse”. Have you noticed the similarities to

that and Big Brother from 1984?

Oh! Absolutely! All the time. We love “The Mouse” and we must obey him.

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Daily Mail Reporter. "10 Secret Rules of Working Is Disney's Magic Kingdom." Mail

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Employee Policy Manual. Orlando: The Walt Disney Company, Jan. 2004. PDF.

Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. 2nd Vintage Books ed.

New York: Vintage, 1977. 136. Print.

Gallo, Carmine. "Customer Service the Disney Way." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Apr.

2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

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Jared. "A Lesson In Walt Disney World From The Cast Member Side." Interview with

Jeff Heimbuch. MiceChat. 15 Aug. 2012.

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"The Disney Look." The Disney Look. Disney, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

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