For a lot of people, working at Disneyland or Walt Disney World would be a dream come true. Disney Parks are magical places for a lot of people, and so being able to work in a place that makes you so happy might be the greatest thing you can imagine. That said, it turns out Walt Disney World has some pretty strict rules for people working on attractions.
A former Disney World Cast Member, going under the name Michael, recently spoke to the Daily Mail about his experience at the most magical place on earth. He said that working at Disney World came with some strict regulations. The strictest rules came for those running attractions, due to an emphasis on both safety and guest throughput. “Michael” said:
Safety critical roles, such as [working the] attractions had some strict guidelines. Disney is overly safe and very efficient at sending the most amount of guests through a ride possible.
It’s not exactly shocking to learn that safety and getting guests on the rides are major focuses at Disney World. Guest satisfaction is a key metric for Disney parks, and guests who have to stand in long lines at Disney World are unhappy guests. Safety is important for obvious reasons, as nobody wants to see anybody seriously hurt at Disney World, but any problems with safety can cause delays with rides, leading to the aforementioned long lines.
Disney Parks have always had some strict rules, but for decades, they were mostly known for their rules around physical appearance. For a long time, men weren’t allowed to have long hair or facial hair. However, those rules have continued to be relaxed over the decades, and while Cast Members are still expected to have a neat appearance, things like piercings and tattoos that were previously forbidden are now allowed.
However, it seems that Disney World’s rules that are in place in order to achieve that level of safety and efficiency are quite strict, to the point that doing something as simple as wearing something capable of distracting you can result in getting fired. The former Cast member continued:
An example of a strict rule, was no smart watches. Any device could be a distraction from vehicle motion and could get you fired if you’re caught wearing one.
On the one hand, getting fired for wearing a smart watch seems excessive, but I suppose I can see the rationale behind it. Anything that might take an attraction attendant’s focus can potentially impact those two key areas of safety of efficiency, and they really don’t want to see that happen. Though being fired for wearing it, even if it isn’t a problem, seems maybe a bit over the line.
Disney World Cast Members have lost their jobs for a variety of reasons. One imagines that nobody is going to forget to remove their smart watch if it means keeping their job.
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