Korinn Lloyd loved her job as a cast member working at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park—she said so in a TikTok following her termination from the most magical place on Earth.
Lloyd was dismissed from her paid internship with the Disney college program after allegedly being rude to some park guests. In the now viral interaction, Lloyd appears to ask the guests to take their business to another souvenir cart because they were making her uncomfortable. A guest can then be heard threatening to “smash” everything on her cart, to which Lloyd replied, “You can, please smash it,” before eventually walking away. Many have come to Lloyd’s defense, condemning the company for letting her go.
“As a former cast member who was also let down by the company. You are valid and you are appreciated,” a user named Caroline commented on Lloyd’s TikTok. “The lack of respect towards cast members is sad.”
Disney—who did not respond to HR Brew’s requests for comment—has a reputation for going above and beyond for its park guests. But is a “customer is always right” mantra good for employees and, ultimately, an organization’s retention and recruitment strategies?
A different POV. Patti Simpson, the chief administrative officer for NYC-based restaurant company Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), doesn’t believe customers are more important than employees, though there is a need for proper training and development.
“We don’t start with [the idea that] the customer is always right,” Simpson told HR Brew. “Because the first stakeholder in our [restaurants] is the employee, we know that we have to protect that resource every single way that we can.”
If customer-facing employees don’t feel like the company they work for will support them in difficult situations, they may not see a reason to stay with that employer—and job-seekers may not want to apply for a job there. Indeed, 78% of a customer-facing employee’s job satisfaction correlates to their ability to effectively manage challenging customer situations, according to research by Michael Harari, an associate professor of management programs, specializing in HR and leadership at Florida Atlantic University.
“When training, I change the narrative from saying, ‘the customer is always right’ to ‘guest feelings are facts,’ because the guest may not be right,” Stephanie Leger, chief excellence officer of First Rate Hospitality, a training and evaluations provider for the hospitality industry, told HR Brew in an email via PR rep Melissa Benheim.
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The right strategy. To effectively combat the sometimes toxic mentality of the customer is always right, HR must work to help create a training program that empowers employees and improves the customer experience.
This is something USHG knows all too well. When the pandemic hit and the city required that masks be worn when eating out, the company faced pushback from customers who refused to wear face coverings. USHG knew it could be an issue for their employees and took action to prepare them for potentially difficult customer interactions.
“We brought in an outside company to help arm our people, especially managers and those at the front door,” Simpson said. “[They learned] in many cases you could say, ‘Hey, I love your smile, but can you put your mask on?’ We want people to come in and eat and we want to make people feel good.”
Their strategy made customers feel good and want to eat in their restaurants. Of course, there were individuals who just wanted to fight, Simpson said, and it was made clear that they were not welcome at the restaurant.
Providing support. When customers are combative, Simpson said employees need to feel empowered to get their manager and step away. Knowing a leader will have their back can make dealing with a stressful situation a little easier.
Leger also encouraged HR to set up channels where employees can communicate about their guest experiences, whether positive or negative. This offers the opportunity to uncover trends and make changes where needed.
It is also key to let employees know they are appreciated, especially after they have effectively dealt with a difficult customer.
“Recognizing their efforts can boost morale and reinforce the idea that their well-considered decisions are valued,” Leger commented via Benheim. “Creating a culture that respects both employees and guests requires time and effort. By fostering an environment that values fairness, respect, and collaboration, you can protect employees from the negative aspects of the adage the customer is always right.”
Correction 09/12/23: This piece has been updated to accurately reflect a quote.