People call Walt Disney World the happiest place on the Earth. The company is also recognized as the happiest company in the market. What makes here the happiest is not only facilities, characters, and fireworks, but also cast members. The company has around 70,000 cast members making magic for guests from all over the world every day. But it’s not hard to tell if the magic is from bottom of the heart. So it is important for the company to make cast members feel happy with their jobs.
During my internship at Disney, I have met people who have been working for the company for years. The high commitment, as most of them share, is motivated by the recognition of their contribution to the company. As mentioned in the article, praise, recognition, and other forms of reward encourage good employees to stay in their companies, and continue providing quality service.
However, I also find the correlation between realistic job description and expectation of the job. Before starting the program, I was told how lucky I am to work for Disney because everything is so magical, at least, for guests. I built up my expectation of this program at the happiest company. But the reality is the program is not just about working and going to the parks for free. Handling complaint from guests, dealing with inappropriate words from guests and cast members, and working extra hours are not written on the job description of the program. After I started the program, I found the gap between reality and my expectation was unexpected but, meanwhile, inevitable. More than 50,000 guests are on Disney property every day and around 70,000 cast members are working but not all at the same time. To provide our guests quality service and make magic for them definitely need us to make extra steps other than do what we are supposed to do. I believe such condition applies to the whole service industry. Though I am still willing to be a part of this magic, I wish I could have known what my job really is rather than figuring out at work.
I completely understand, they do have a way of blindsiding people. I was hired as a host at my location, only to get here and find out that the position didn’t even exist. in the read and react #4 employee moral; studies showed the importance of employers disclosing the full job description and expectations to potential employees. Doing so increased employee tenure and decreased employee turnover rates. People expect honesty.