One of the reopening problems being reported is employees who are making more on unemployment than they would if they went back to work. Some employers are having a difficult time getting those employees back, especially if it’s in their own economic interest to stay home. That may be true for some companies but there is one where it certainly is not: Walt Disney World Company.

Most Disney team members, cast members in Disney terms, are eager to return to work. Why? It’s a combination of five factors I explained in Care Like a Mouse: purpose, priorities, people, platform and process.

Purpose – No one works at the mouse house to get rich. The pay is often subpar. Cast members work there to fulfill Walt Disney’s purpose: making people happy. The happiness purpose is embedded in everything Disney cast members do. It is their reason for existing and a key motivator for returning to work.

Priorities – Disney people have specific ways of responding, both behaviorally and operationally. As we discovered in Snap V3 I3, the parameters for how to behave are clear, and directly tied to Purpose.

People – Disney’s people first approach has been front and center in this coronavirus-19 situation. From Bob Iger and other leaders forgoing pay, to furloughing instead of firing cast members, to continuing to pay those cast members until the enhanced unemployment benefits kicked in, to Disney’s conferring with the State of Florida to get its employees automatically enrolled in that unemployment system, to still paying furloughed cast member health care benefits, to continual communication with those team members, Disney has place its cast front and center.

Platform – The parks are a magical place. The entirety of the physical experience wraps cast members in happiness. It makes delivering purpose easy. The Cast members truly miss their work environment. Would many other employees say that about their job locations?

Process – From moving people, to providing service, to handling problems, Disney has its processes so defined, and continually being refined, that it is easy to focus on purpose. Happiness seems effortless.

So, what about you? What can you do to get your people back if they hesitate? Unfortunately, not much. They are likely not devoted to an overarching purpose, or do not have clear priorities, or have  bosses instead of leaders, or have issues with the work environment, or get frustrated with inane processes. Their hesitancy is a symptom of larger issues that, given that we all are starting over, it is time to fix.