Something transformative has been happening at The Walt Disney Company. Now, we’re starting to see with details and specificity, exactly what moved Disney so far into the political arena.
According to multiple documents obtained by That Park Place, the Walt Disney Company is engaging in race, sex, and gender-based pay scheme within certain divisions of the company. These initiatives, spearheaded by Rita Ferro and former Chief Diversity Officer Latondra Newton tie a portion of employee pay to their adherence to diversity, equity, and inclusion metrics.
The following article is made possible by a source whose identity we are protecting. The source has provided images we believe to be official TWDC policy, but we cannot independently verify nor corroborate this as we do not possess original, current documents.
Under the system described, employees are required to submit documentation to present at regular performance reviews to prove employee commitment to the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Walt Disney Company. At these reviews, managers judge an employee’s inclusivity actions over the review period to determine a weighted payout factor. If a manager finds a sales employee’s commitment to diversity lacking, the employee in question would have their commission-based wages cut by up to 25%.
According to a document titled FY21 Disney Ad Sales Incentive Plan, a payout factor would be assigned to each of four different MBO (management by objective) metrics with “Enhance Our Culture of Inclusion” carrying the same factor weighting as customer-service and technology adoption-based metrics.
These initiatives are described in the documentation as providing and supporting advancement opportunities for employees classified by the companies as “diverse.” This would include preferential treatment in mentorship, granting access to special projects, prioritizing race, sex, and gender-based events on behalf of the company and more. In addition, cast members under this model were expected to show preference to diverse candidates in the hiring process.
A source familiar with this program stated that the company would often lower qualification standards to show preferential treatment in the hiring process if the company deemed the potential candidates to have an elevated diversity status but did not otherwise meet minimum qualification requirements.
In addition, team members are expected to participate or plan diversity presentations at regular staff meetings. Additional documents show that employees are encouraged to attend gender-themed presentations given several times each workweek. This same document encourages employees to verbally praise Muslim co-workers that engage in fasting during Ramadan.
In addition, the presentation encourages managers and co-workers to be supportive of time off for Muslim employees and directly tells employees to say to Muslim employees “I have so much admiration for your commitment to your faith.” Sources within the company could not recall any times that employees were encouraged to make similar statements for adherents to Christianity or Orthodox Judaism.
The Walt Disney Company came under fire over the last few years for ordering all employees to submit verification of their COVID19 vaccination status. In August of 2021, Disney stated that employees had two months to verify that they had received the experimental vaccination, or they would be terminated from the company. Allison Williams of ESPN, a subsidiary of Disney, publicly stated that she would not be receiving the COVID19 vaccination because of concerns over her own attempts to become pregnant with her second child. In October of 2021, Williams stated that she had been separated from ESPN.
Other employees have reported difficulty in receiving religious exemptions for vaccine hesitancy, with one work-from-home employee stating that after they applied for an exemption as a Christian, the company required multiple meetings with a company representative to prove the employee’s religious status and dedication.
this year, Latondra Newton left the Walt Disney Company to suddenly pursue her jewelry business. The Reimagine Tomorrow initiative that Netwon helmed still remains in place at the Walt Disney Company. Sonia Coleman, who led HR for Disney Entertainment and ESPN during the time of Allison Williams’ exit was recently promoted to Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for the entire Walt Disney Company.
That Park Place and our team is continuing to receive additional information regarding the DEI system at Disney and its impressive hold on employees, their actions, and potentially the eradication of conservative and moderate viewpoints from the company. We will have more coverage of this interesting situation over the next days and weeks, and as more and more individuals reach out to tell their stories.
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