It seems no part of Disney’s operations will be safe from the effects of the recently-announced employee layoffs, as Disney Parks President Josh D’Amaro says those effects will absolutely be felt in places like Disney World and Disneyland.
On Wednesday, during The Walt Disney Company’s 2023 fiscal first quarter earnings call, CEO Bob Iger shared information about the company’s massive revenue–numbers that pleasantly surprised even the most analytical Wall Street analysts. But that news was the calm before the storm, as the veteran chief at Disney continued on, announcing the organization’s restructuring plans and an impending layoff of thousands of Disney employees, both touted as a means of reducing costs at the House of Mouse.
RELATED: Bob Iger Announces Massive Cuts of More Than $5 Billion at Disney, Effective Immediately
News of company-wide layoffs is never met with a bouquet of flowers and a brushy welcome mat. After all, when it boils down to it, layoffs mean someone isn’t making enough money, and to correct that issue, someone else will soon not make enough money. It’s a difficult situation all the way around for the employer and its former employees.
But it doesn’t stop there. In addition to the consequences of an immediate loss of employment and income felt by those most intimately affected by the layoffs, there are ripple effects felt by even more people–most often, the consumers. That’s because a reduction in a company’s number of employees doesn’t translate to a reduction in its number of customers–or in Disney’s case, Guests.
On Thursday, in an email to Cast Members, Disney’s President of Parks, Experiences, and Products Josh D’Amaro admitted that the workforce reduction would significantly impact “every segment” of the company.
“In an email to cast, Josh D’Amaro said workforce reductions will impact every segment across the company, including Parks, Experiences, and Products,” tweeted NextStar Media’s Scott Gustin. However, he said the company does NOT expect it to impact hourly frontline roles in operations.”
In an email to cast, Josh D’Amaro said workforce reductions will impact every segment across the company, including Parks, Experiences, and Products. However, he said the company does NOT expect it to impact hourly frontline roles in operations. pic.twitter.com/rQYJ7ABG4l
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) February 9, 2023
The only saving grace, it seems–by D’Amaro’s own admission–is that he doesn’t see the layoffs affecting Cast Members on the frontlines in hourly roles. Hopefully that means Cast Members with whom Guests come face-to-face everyday in the parks–the real magic-makers.