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The structure of the Walt Disney Company is in the midst of a shakeup under Bob Iger’s return as CEO, and with the changes will, unfortunately, come thousands of employee layoffs.
Boomerang CEO Bob Iger returned to the top executive position in the company in November 2022 following the ousting of Bob Chapek. While Iger’s return includes the stipulation under a two-year contract, he has already reiterated several times that his top priorities during the term will be finding a suitable successor and restructuring the company’s organization to be better prepared for a successful future.
Credit: Fox Business
RELATED:Â Bob Iger Contacts Disney Cast Members About ‘Difficult’ Layoffs
Following notice of approximately 7,000 upcoming layoffs ahead of the Q1 earnings call that took place on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, Bob Iger reached out to Cast Members regarding the situation ahead while Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Josh D’Amaro followed up with specific information on how the layoffs would impact the theme park segment.
Theme park journalist Scott Gustin shared details from D’Amaro’s message to Cast, which noted that while there will be workforce reductions in every area of the Walt Disney Company, hourly frontline positions at the theme parks are not expected to be affected:
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
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Gustin went on to note that an email was sent to Disney Entertainment and ESPN as well (from Alan Bergman, Dana Walden, and James Pitaro), which stated that plans would be finalized in the weeks ahead for these segments.
During the Q1 earnings call, as Iger was discussing ways to cut back on costs, he did, at one point, note that approximately 50% of the upcoming cost-cutting measures would be related to marketing. While further details are not available at this time, it is possible that employees in certain marketing positions are, therefore at a higher risk of being let go than those working directly in the theme park industry.
Credit: Business Insider (left), Disney Tips (right)
RELATED:Â Fans Address Disney Cast Member Wage Discrepancy in Josh D’Amaro Remarks
Frontline roles at Disney Parks have been a hot topic for several years, even outside of the recent announcement of upcoming layoffs, as unions work to negotiate higher hourly pay for Cast Members at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
We will continue to monitor updates to the structure of the Walt Disney Company, and layoffs or additional changes as they relate to Disney Parks, and will be back with more information as we have it here on Disney Tips.
