40 hours just to learn the Disney Way.
I was a low-level Cast Member. Perhaps the lowest of the low. At the time they called us “CTs” or “Casual Temporaries”. We were the Cast Members who only worked summers and holidays. If you were fortunate and you lived in the area, you might become a “CR” or “Casual Regular,” but at times it seemed nearly impossible to become a Lead or an “A” in a location. Those were the people who were full time Cast Members with benefits, vacation, and the whole kit and kaboodle. From my lowly (but treasured) status as a CT, that reality seemed very far away.
Yet after being hired by the Company, my first day on the job wasn’t spent training in my new location. It wasn’t learning the policies and procedures of Custodial Bussing (the first department I worked at Disneyland). But instead I spent it in the classroom of Disney University. It was the name of the Cast Member training program at the time back in the 80’s when I first joined. The entire day was spent inside a classroom with my fellow new hires learning about the history and tradition of the company.
In fact my whole first week was just getting to know what it meant to work for Disney. It was one of the most intense trainings I’ve ever, and I’ve had my fair share of different jobs since then. I worked at UCLA in the student store, at a credit union as a teller, and at a bank as a Marketing Data Analyst and none of those jobs had a week-long training program just to help me acclimate to my new position. Even as a pastor, I was thrown in the deep end of the pool with no formal training whatsoever. It was all learn as you go.
But that’s part of why Disney is so successful. They put the extra time and effort up front to make sure the guest experience is everything it is supposed to be. When I attended a Disney Institute class on Employee Engagement they shared a story about Walt and one of his executives. The executive was telling Walt it was a waste of time and money to spend so much on training new Cast Members. He said to Walt, “What if we spend all this time training them and they leave?” To which Walt simply replied, “What if don’t and they stay?”
He said to Walt, “What if we spend all this time training them and they leave?” To which Walt simply replied, “What if don’t and they stay?”
Part of Walt’s genius was in preparation. He felt the same way about other aspects of the company and even told his team that in the long run it costs far more to get someone back than to invest up front and do it right the first time. Whether they are paid staff or not, whether they are with you for a season or for the rest of their lives, it is worth it to invest in your people. It shows you care about the guests who come through your doors AND about the people you are entrusting to care for them!
Mouse Church 