In late 2019, a report shared information about the arrest of a registered sex offender at Walt Disney World. The man was accused of groping an Ariel performer at the Magic Kingdom. Then another report surfaced about Disney character performers being groped by several guests.

On first read these alleged behaviors appear shocking. It is a more common problem than you might think. A few customers, especially young adult males, can be especially aggressive with two types of performers: Minnie Mouse and the female face role performers. Some grab for Minnie’s chest and crotch areas. Although it is extremely difficult to feel anything beyond the padding of the costume, it is still an invasion of the performer's person.

Face role performers confront a higher level of difficulty. Ariel and Jasmine, for instance, have skimpy upper body costumes. Those performers are often glad when colder weather arrives and they can cover up. They also appreciate parades like the snap above  where there is distance between them and potential problems. Additionally, the performers and their support staff are aggressively trained to watch out for, and stop, inappropriate guest behavior. In the Ariel incident, Ariel’s location was immediately closed. Disney photographer photos were used for identification and Disney employees, Security and local law enforcement stepped in to find and apprehend the suspect. In what is also a common occurance, the charges were later dropped in early 2020.

But beyond the sleaziness of the behavior, how does this relate to you and your business?

• Do you have a policy against customer abuse of your employees, or do wing it?
• Do you thoroughly train that policy, or do you give it minimal attention?
• Do you follow the steps in that policy when something happens, or do you downplay the issue?
• Do you suspend and fire the employee, or do you, after listening to the explanation, support your employee?

Are customers always right? Perhaps. But what if they are not? How can you expect your employees to go all out for your customers if you won’t go all out for your employees? In Disney’s world castomers™ come first. Customers next. Disney doesn’t allow its guests to abuse its employees. No leader should.