I’ve often said that what makes Disney parks special is their Cast Members. Apparently new Walt Disney World President Josh D’Amaro agrees.
According to an interview in the Orlando Business Journal, D’Amaro is making it a point to care for the Cast Members And he has proven in the past, with his time at Disneyland, that he is more than willing to go listen and talk to Cast Members.
He even went back to visit recently.
He knows what it’s like to be on the “front lines” and the leadership who cared about him is what inspires him to do the same for the over 75,000 employees he oversees now.
Since taking over as president in November, he has set out to upgrade Cast Member break rooms and dining areas. Disney is now investing millions of dollars in projects to give Cast Members expanded break rooms, better technology and more all in an effort to boost Cast Member morale. They certainly deserve it!
D’Amaro had this to say about it:
“We could spend billions of dollars on a new land or attraction, but you need to be putting that money back into the [common areas] or the break rooms to make sure they are equipped so you feel good. To me, it’s a sign of respect to make people feel good about their surroundings.”
He’s trying to initiate better meal programs to provide Cast Members healthier options and at lower prices for them!
“Not only do you have to be in the right state of mind to do the job our cast members do, but you also have to feel good physically, too. It’s too easy to buy fries and a cheeseburger, and while that’s OK to do once in a while, we wanted to offer something healthy and [provide lower costs] as incentives to get something healthier. So in the end, it’s tied to feeling better so you can do better on stage and better out in the community and bring that home to your family. So this whole system of the cast experience is important.”
I can be critical of Disney and I completely believe that the Cast Members make the park. It’s so refreshing to see a president try so hard to make changes that benefit the people that make the park go!
Lately we’ve seen D’Amaro interacting with Cast Members and everyone seems genuinely excited to see him.
He’s been posting a lot of this over on his Instagram page. That’s how we got the sneak peek at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway before the Disney Parks Blog posted the video yesterday.
I really appreciate his effort to improve conditions for the Cast Members. Sadly, this is the exception more than the norm for most companies anymore. A lot of Cast Member are there because they genuinely love Disney and want to be a part of it. Anything that can reward their hard work and loyalty, I can get behind!
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: The Orlando Business Journal and hat tip to BlogMickey
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