I have been working for Regal a long time. There were always cons to working in the theatre industry. There were always decisions and policies that I didn't agree with, however for the first time in my Regal career, I am ashamed of our leaders. I'm ashamed of our company, and I'm ashamed to continue my employment there. In 2018, Regal was taken over by Cineworld, the second largest theater chain in the world. At first, it was business as usual with promises of upgrades to theatres and a focus on making our theatres the "best place to watch a movie". As time moved forward, irrational behavior and quite frankly insane ideas were coming down from those in charge. For example: Take down signage. Cineworld doesn't like signs. The signage that you're required to have on display they want you to put it in a place no one will actually see it. Hide garbage cans or remove them completely. We were even questioned as to why there were garbage cans in the bathrooms. They don't like advertising for movies in their own theatres. What kind of company thinks advertising movies in a movie theatre with studio designed banners and cardboard standees isn't a good idea? Does this make sense to anyone? It doesn't, but if it's what they want, then whatever, just do it. That's what they're paying you for. Which leads me to what just happened. All management was informed that a restructuring of management teams was going into effect. Each theater was assigned a scaled number as to how “complex” their theater was to run, and how many managers, assistants, team leads, etc they were granted. Sounds fairly reasonable, but pay caps were instituted across the board from Floor Staff up to the General Manager. If you are floor staff, you will now only be able to get a 75cent raise total above minimum wage, with a minimum of two years working there. If you want to make more money, you will have to advance within the company. Each level after that has it's own rules and pay cap to encourage employees to dedicate their lives to the company, but as you go further up the chain your options for advancement decrease significantly. Most GMs and current managers will now not be able to make any more money within their jobs, unless they advance, because we are already capped. In order to advance, you'll most likely have to transfer to another site location. Some sites are close to one another, but in a lot of cases sites are hours if not whole states away. The real kicker to all of this is that we were told that if you get offered a higher position and turn it down, your current roll will be re-evaluated and you will be in danger of being demoted. Most higher level managers have families, houses, and a life they have built working hard at their jobs; a job that is open 365 days a year. Working in this industry you spend many holidays, weekends, and nights away from family and friends. Now they expect us to completely uproot our lives, in order to make a little extra money, in yet another position that is pay capped? Who wants to do that? The answer is, not many, and that's the whole point here right? When you step back and look at the new system put in place, it doesn't actually encourage advancement at all. It encourages people to quit. Cineworld effectively figured out a way to get the older seasoned manager's to leave, so they can tap into a next generation of suckers. After this initial strategy is put into place, they will have a revolving door of management whom they can pay a lot less money than those of us who have been with the company for years. It's shameful. It's gross. It's abhorrent. If you browse current negative reviews, they are always replied to with basically a form letter. Don't bother replying to this one. Instead really sit back and think about all of the managers now faced with pay cuts and possible demotion. Think about their families and each of the lives that will be damaged by this greed fueled plan. Think about what will happen when they decide to put a cap on your own position in hopes of replacing you. If they did it to us, they'll most certainly do it to you. Who knows, maybe they already have. If you're thinking about working here, or even the theater industry in general; Don't. It's a dying industry. The people in charge are literally trying to make as much money as they can, and bail, before this sinking ship goes down. I wouldn't even recommend a floor staff position to someone in high school or college. You can make more money, doing similar work, elsewhere in a more progressive industry. It's an absolute disgrace the way we are being treated.
