Human Resource Management At Walt Disney World Resort Tourism Essay

Walt Disney World’s Workforce: Building a Dream Through People Management

There’s probably no place on earth as magical as the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Known as the "Most Magical Place on Earth," it has become a global icon of entertainment and family fun. The theme park continues to thrill, delight, and exceed its guests’ expectations nearly 40 years after its opening. The secret to Disney’s success is its well-trained, enthusiastic, and motivated workforce. It’s a secret that the founder, Walt Disney himself, realized years ago.

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“You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality,” he said. This philosophy has been the cornerstone of Disney’s operational strategy, ensuring that every employee contributes to the magical experience.

A Brief History

The Walt Disney World Resort is the world’s largest and most visited recreational resort, covering 30,080 acres near Orlando, Florida, USA. It is a sprawling destination that attracts millions of visitors annually. The resort was founded with the opening of the Magic Kingdom theme park in 1971. It consists of four theme parks, two water parks, 23 resort hotels, lodges and time-share properties, a sports facilities complex, and other recreational venues and entertainment. Epcot park was added in 1982, Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 1989, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 1998.

This world-famous resort was inspired by the dreams of Walt Disney and his creation of Disneyland in California. The resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States, employing 42,000 people, with over 3,000 different job classifications. More than 1,000 people work in the security department alone.

The success of Disney World can be attributed to its ability to adapt and innovate, ensuring it remains a top destination for families worldwide. According to a study by Bryman (2004), Disney’s ability to create immersive experiences is a key factor in its enduring popularity.

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Hiring

Disney is renowned for being a fun and friendly place to work. Its ability to offer attractive incentives makes it a desirable workplace, and it is constantly evaluating the market to ensure its wages remain competitive. All Disney employees participate in training programs that update them on the latest service techniques, product knowledge, and technology used in their parks. Disney recruits both internally and externally, advertising vacancies on their website, via the press, job fairs, employment exchanges, and colleges. There is a large quantity of college students working at Disney. Employment representatives also travel to Puerto Rico to recruit for positions such as housekeeping, custodial, and food and beverage.

Its four major employment strategies are:

1. Hire the right people
2. Develop people to deliver service quality
3. Provide needed support systems
4. Retain the best people

Once potential employees have been identified, interviews follow. The skills and abilities that managers generally look for include:

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• Excellent communication skills
• Good team player
• Self-motivated
• Analytical ability
• Problem solver
• Leadership potential
• Strong computer skills
• Project management skills
• Relationships-builder
• Able to manage expectations
• Personal and professional style
• Strong business judgment
• Ability to facilitate and multitask
• A guest service orientation

Disney theme parks promise to provide superior service to create an “imaginary world where visitors can escape the themes of the ‘real’ world.” To achieve this, the company has to employ people with the proper skills and personalities, who are also motivated, with a clear knowledge of the company’s marketing objectives and strategies. Staff must be polite, well-dressed, energetic, enthusiastic, and people-loving, always serving guests wholeheartedly. All staff are provided with extensive knowledge of the park facilities, rides, and sites.

HRM Practices

Disney believes in investing in its staff and provides various training programs and learning opportunities for employees to work their way into higher positions. The company promotes from within 70% of the time. Almost everyone, including managers, starts out in an entry-level hourly job (Disney almost completely promotes from within). There is a program to help hourly workers who want to become part of management, and another that lets them transfer to technical unions like plumbers and electricians as apprentices. That program involves four years of training leading to a very well-paid job.

Disney also gives educational reimbursement for those continuing their education while working for Disney full-time. Supervisors try to create a family-like atmosphere at Disney by offering flexible schedules and on-site daycare programs for working parents. The company also hosts numerous special events for its employees that are held in the park after hours.

Present-day human resources practices at Disney are considered “extraordinary,” with all staff being trained in excellent customer satisfaction policies. However, HR practices were very poor in the early years of Disney. The Walt Disney Company originated in 1923 when Walt and Roy Disney started their first animated recording studio. Early animation production was highly labor-intensive. Rigid division of tasks was further delineated on gender lines. By 1941, the Walt Disney Company employed 1,100 people. Ellwood (1998) describes Walt Disney as “a notorious workaholic, a perfectionist who pushed his staff relentlessly.” Both “paternalistic and domineering,” he rewarded loyalty and punished dissidents. There were no women or Black people promoted to senior positions during this period. The company was the only Hollywood studio without union representation and, as such, was targeted by the American Federation of Labour. Eventually, animators took industrial action over conditions and lack of recognition in 1941.

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By the end of the 1990s, the Walt Disney Company had developed into a $23 billion media conglomerate.

Cast Members

Employees at Disney are called ‘cast members.’ Quality cast members are a direct result of quality hiring practices. Bonuses are paid to workers who refer new hires. Disney believes it’s important to have people who have actually worked in different parts of the company to do the hiring. So, these cast members working in the casting office come from all different parts of the Disney organization and work on 12-month assignments.

While prospective cast members wait for their initial interviews, they watch a short video that describes the interview process and outlines what the company expects of them if they’re successful. Once hired, all new cast members go through the same 1.5-day training program called Traditions. It’s here they learn the basics of being good cast members, from Disney history to direction on how to meet and exceed guest expectations. Cast members learn they must adhere to the company’s strict 13-page manual of dress codes, known as the “Disney Look.” The “Disney Look” is a rigid code of cast member appearance that imposes a well-scrubbed, all-American look. It details the size of earrings allowed, the size of fingernails, and the no-tolerance rule regarding facial hair and dyed hair for both females and males. Disney’s grooming standards make sense when you consider employees to be part of a cast of characters, so there is no room for non-conformity.

Every employee is instructed in the “Seven Guidelines to Guest Service,” which highlights the need to smile and be cheerful. From the very start, staff are encouraged to implement a “have a nice day!” mentality and to smile the “Disney smile” all day.

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Additional Suggested References:

1. Bryman, A. (2004). The Disneyization of Society. Sage Publications.
2. Van Maanen, J. (1991). The Smile Factory: Work at Disneyland.
3. Wasko, J. (2001). Understanding Disney: The Manufacture of Fantasy. Polity Press.