Disney Look

So, our company was built on Heritage, Tradition and Values. It's that simple. There are certain things that we believe and that we follow because - well, we're Disney. That should be enough, right?

We believe these things so strongly that our first day of work is not call "Orientation"... nope... it's called "Traditions" and one of the greatest honors is being a Traditions Assistant... something I am comtemplating but that is another story.

Disney has a cute little red book called "The Disney Look Book" and it houses our dress code. This little beauty is printed and handed to each new Cast Member on their Traditions day. It states what "good show" and "bad show" look like and everything in between.

One single pair of earrings, matching set, in a traditional and subtle style, no larger than a quarter. Those are guidelines for women's jewelry regarding earrings. If you have double piercings or more then you may only wear the one pair located on the bottom of your ear lobe. Sounds simple, right?

I had a cast member today who I noticed did not have her bottom pair in but did have two other pairs in. I was talking to her and said "you forgot your bottom earrings" to which she replied "No, I had to take them out because they were too big and outrageous". This is a sign that she knew what the Disney Look was regarding earrings. I went on to state that she was not in Disney Look because she forgot to take out her other two pairs. I smiled and was very pleasant and conversational in the delivery. No problem, right?

She went off on me!! She said that it was completely unreasonable and she was not going to take them out and if I had to fire over it then so be it. Then my cast member stormed off in a huff. Normally, I would have let it go with a verbal warning and called it done but since she acted like a horses rear I went there. I got a copy of The Book, cleared another Leader's calendar so he could sit in, verified protocol with my leader AND with a member of HR - then I called her into a small counceling room located at the end of the hall.

You would think that the person would have had time (30 minutes actually) to realize that they were being a bit over the top and comply - it's a pair of earrings for the love of Pete. Nope, she went off again and threw in a "I'm completely disappointed in you for bringing this up" to boot. Oh yeah. I kid you not! So I maintained my composure and after it was all said and done I asked if this meant that she was going blatantly disregard policy and is refusing to remove her earrings. She said yes and I responded with that was fine and I was going to have to now bubble it up to HR and will advise her of the next actions that will be taken.

My ultimate question is this - why do people have to find a fight in everything? There are rules and guidelines in place for a reason. We don't create them for fun because we are bored. We create them because they are needed. We don't enforce them because we are wanting to pick on people or be tyrants. Without rules and guidelines things would be out of control.

So please do me one favor, the next time someone states a policy or procedure simply follow it. You'll be much better for it - everyone will.