Ouimet appointed to Cedar Fair board, seeks a ninth member

Sounds like things are moving along nicely.

I'm very optimistic for what Matt can do. I hope he is sincere about listening to what their guests want because it seems like guests are being fairly vocal in their feelings about the Paddewheel removal. That's not to say the park won't still remove the ride, just that it seems a fair number of people (online at least, for what that's worth) feel the park needs more family attractions that aren't up-charges.

The board initially took no position on the unitholder nomination process when Q Funding proposed it, right? Now they are in favor of it.

I believe they were opposing Q Funding's method of accomplishing unit-holder nomination and proposed their own.

Word on the street is that Ouimet is seen from time to time around the offices in a polo and khakis. In other words, not a tie. That could be the single biggest win for the full-time staff at Cedar Point.

With all of the complaints about micromanagement from above, intolerance for dissenting views, etc., if the single biggest win was I didn't have to wear a tie, I would be pretty bummed.

But, not wearing a tie is just the beginning. It shows that the job can be more relaxed, and creates a less stressful attitude with all of the employees. Ties can be considered kind of threatening to the lower tier of employees, especially in an environment where "fun" is being sold.

One of my biggest problems with working at Cedar Point was how uptight the supervisors and managers were. Upper management used fear and intimidation to control their employees. Using positive reinforcement instead of negative threatening your employees could be a step forward, and perhaps, hopefully, taking off the tie is indicating that that will be the case.

Now that the witch is dead, I have high hopes for the new guy.

If its the beginning of correction of a whole list of problems, then not wearing a tie isn't the biggest win. And if its not the beginning of any of that then I stand by my statement. Some of the worst companies I know in terms of how employees are treated are casual and some of the best require ties.

I think the point may be that in this case, Kinzel's attire is directly related to his inability to evolve.

A lack of a tie can be a statement, one that says "we're going to roll up our sleeves and get to WORK getting this ship's course corrected". Can't say whether or not this IS the statement Oumet is trying to make - but if it is, that's something that can, and should, be conveyed quickly to the employees and the customers.

Jeff said:
Word on the street is that Ouimet is seen from time to time around the offices in a polo and khakis. In other words, not a tie. That could be the single biggest win for the full-time staff at Cedar Point.

I am glad to hear this, even if from a safety stand point for employees. I was working a coaster one day during a difficult staffing period and my tie accidently become caught in a locked restraint. I could have easily been strangled had it not been for the guests hollaring to get the controller's attention.

I am all for looking professional but clearly it can be done in a way that strikes a balance between comfort/safety while maintaining a "Cedar Fair" look.

I would be curious to know, has SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment changed grooming standards allowing males to have facial hair such as beards or goatees? I swear I saw a video on YouTube showing a male ride operator with a beard.

Matt, if you are reading this, I went to Knott's on Sunday and that huge expanse of concrete they call the Boardwalk could REALLY use some landscaping (oh, and a bit of work on Ghostrider). :)

mlnem4s said:
allowing males to have facial hair such as bears or goatees?

I saw some bears with facial hair at Cedar Point on Father's Day, but I don't think they were employees.

Edit: ;)

^^Just a BIT of work on Ghostrider? Last time I rode that thing, it needed a fairly major overhaul. Oh, and Boardwalk def. could use some trees for shade...and other landscaping just to make it look less "CF-barren"... ;)

GoBucks89 said:
Some of the worst companies I know in terms of how employees are treated are casual and some of the best require ties.

I agree.

It kind of amuses me a little to hear how many of the same people who rail against the idea that casual dress/grooming means something toward employee standards can also be so judgmental about what it means to wear suits and ties. Kind of hypocritical when you think about it.

Dress codes, and people worrying about this kind of thing, ranks right up there with people being paid to keep empty window offices open and doubling up other people in interior offices (this goes on in the group I work in, so glad to leave it). It's a complete waste of time that has nothing to do with winning as a business.

GoBucks89 said:
With all of the complaints about micromanagement from above, intolerance for dissenting views, etc., if the single biggest win was I didn't have to wear a tie, I would be pretty bummed.

Wow, really? You couldn't see that what I was getting at is that this is symbolic of radical culture change? This isn't about ties at all.

Boy, I hope Microsoft gets it together soon or they may just go under. ;)

I think the point is that not everyone equates the wearing of ties to culture. I've worked in very positive work environments where suits were required. And I've worked in business casual environments (e.g. polos, khakis) that were very negative. The removal of a tie is not necessarily symbolic of anything. Perhaps he just doesn't like to wear ties.

birdhombre said:

mlnem4s said:
allowing males to have facial hair such as bears or goatees?

I saw some bears with facial hair at Cedar Point on Father's Day, but I don't think they were employees.

Edit: ;)

LOL, thanks for pointing out my mistake...I was doing 3 things at once, though that could have been a Freudian slip!

I'm not going to argue causation, Carrie, or try to account for every work environment in the world, because I'm talking about just one. The symbolism of this one matters.