Disney Reviews in Glendale, CA

Pros

This is a highly ethical company with great integrity.

Cons

There are politics which get in the way of top performance.

Advice to Senior Management

Understand more about politics in high level positions

Pros

Quality product and brand.
Wonderful teams of people who are invested in their projects.

Cons

Constant contracting of employees to questionable levels.
Starting out employees as "interns" and continuing this "internship" as legally possible.
Moving employees to "contract" for as long as legally possible and avoiding hiring on people.

Advice to Senior Management

Show a clear path of advancement and do not contract people when they should be brought on as full time employees. There should be clear direction of teams and future of the company in the field you are working in.
If Disney is really looking forward then make sure to empower more employees for these changes.

Pros

Benefits Package, VoluntEARS program, and working across many different lines of business under one company. Braghing rights working gor the world's most admired brand.

Cons

Poor communications, Knowlege sharing only happems between people whom have been there a longtime. Insecure colleagues and Director and above manage by fear. Career path is more important then the novelity that has worn off that i work for the brand.

Advice to Senior Management

More action and less talk.

Pros

The company is very well established. People are very friendly and personable. Senior management organize events and conferences at least 1-2 times a year to communicate important developments within the company and answer questions

Cons

Promotions take a long time, years sometimes. Full time opportunities are less as compared to part-time / temporary project based positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Offer transparency in terms of hiring/layoff decision. Focus on recruiting standards. needs to be more pro-active.

Pros

It is a great brand, instantly recognizable and a good reputation overall. It is enjoyable to work for a company whose products most people enjoy. In my area at least, I feel there is very good respect of work-life balance. I find the benefits good, and perks like free theme parks tickets are really nice. I have found almost everyone I have encountered across the company to be smart and reasonable. There are opportunities to get training in many subjects.

Cons

Everyone and their brother asks if you can get them free theme park tickets. There are major differences between the different segments of the company, and they often move in all different directions; communication is lacking and sometimes the left hand does not know what the right is up to. Getting things done often involve bad, nonexistent or hard-to-find processes and things take forever. Many business areas are very bad about promoting from within and providing paths for career advancement.

Advice to Senior Management

Better documentation and sharing is needed universally. Moving as much as possible to online, paperless systems would be a welcome investment and get a lot out of the dark ages. Communication from management/executives needs work. To retain talent, provide opportunities to advance.

Pros

You get good perks like free movie screenings, park tickets, etc. There's also a sense of pride working for Disney.

Cons

Low pay, very little vacation time relative to other companies, not a lot opportunity for career advancement.

Advice to Senior Management

In this economy, try to focus on increasing employee morale.

Pros

Great brand recognition. Coworkers are great....only because everyone shares the same misery. Easy place to move around....but it will be the same archaic bureaucracy depending on which group you move to

Cons

Poor leadership. Top heavy. Goals are unclear and often unrealistic. Executives have no idea what is going on at the lower level. Work long hours because leadership does not set out reasonable expectations.

Advice to Senior Management

Have better career planning and goal setting for employees so they can achieve and succeed. The company will not succeed unless their employees succeed. I notice goals are typically set once a year but are never followed up on for feedback and progress....so what's the point in setting them if no one is going to follow up and assess progress?

Pros

- casual flexible work environment.
- exposure to a variety of projects.
- great positive atmosphere.

Cons

- work/life balance is poor.
- salary lower than industry standard.

Advice to Senior Management

continue promoting a positive culture and making disney one of the best places to work.

Pros

My supervisors are the greatest, super nice and you learn so much just in the first few weeks you're at the job. In terms of finance/accounting jobs, its a much more fun environment to be in with similar pay and benefits, than say...a financial services company like the big 4.

Cons

The company doesn't give you a lot of vacation time. Maybe if they boosted the benefits package a bit, only 2 weeks off per year really is too little and borderline slave driving.

Advice to Senior Management

I wouldn't change anything about senior management, in my department they are great, super understanding when you have personal issues to deal with or are sick and need to miss work. But know how to get you to work at the same time, especially through encouragement and positive reinforcement. Disney knows how to pick them!

Pros

Disney Consumer Products provides a great opportunity for recent graduates to get their foot into industry, especially if you are in the IT or Business Administration field such as Information Systems, Marketing and Finance. These internships are designed to last for six months: January-June and July-December. Their campus recruitment staff works closely with you, if you are selected, from your very first interview to your exit interview at the end of your term. During your six months here, you will have many opportunities to learn from the best by frequent interactions with your managers as well as executives. Even as an Undergraduate Associate, you will be expected to perform like any other professional in the field, and often be involved in important decision making process. At the same time, you will be respected by all as a professional regardless of your associate status. DCP jobs are posted on their job portal at www.dcpcareers.com.

Cons

Cafeteria at DCP offered limited choices, and was relatively expensive. There are not too many places to eat around the campus. Furthermore, depending on your location, commuting to Glendale, CA, can be a hassle; however, they do encourage employees to carpool, take Metrolink, or even bike to work for monetary incentives.

Advice to Senior Management

In addition to periodic reviews, set a guideline on which the associate would be evaluated. Make an effort to involve the associate in as many managerial/executive meetings to introduce him/her to the corporate world.