13/06/2025
People need to know what management and security and cleaning staff are like at The Broadway Bradford .
As a contractor I have worked here since the mall opened.
Since day one, the security staff have treat contractors like filth. Like criminals. Signing in and out is like visiting a prison.
The security make you feel unwelcome from the moment you arrive, watch your every move and constantly stop you to waste your time! Constantly harassing you whilst you're trying to work, constantly asking if you've signed in, where are you going? What are you doing? Do you have a permit? What's your name? Is that a high Viz your wearing? Do you have any i.d? Wait there I'll ask my boss if I'm allowed to let you continue working.
I've got countless stories of past interactions with them.
But let's get to the latest one on Wednesday June 11th 2025 which led to me being escorted from the premises.
For me it was a normal morning, arrive on site, sign in the basement carparks office, and take my window cleaning bucket in my left hand, my extendable pole in my right hand, and I go up the lift to get into the mall area.
Now, I can't take my own mop or floor drying equipment, as I'm not allowed to make two trips to my vehicle.
Due to a strict rule security and management have put in place which is
*No equipment can be left unattended anywhere on site.
So I cleaned the windows, then found the nearest available mop that was in a nearby retailers unit, (I didn't ask permission as it's early morning and no one is around at all except me, a couple of cleaners and a couple of security guards).
I mopped the floor thoroughly, walked on it to make sure it wasn't slippy, could see it drying up with the heat in the mall, and because the centre is not open to public I move on to my next job.
I repeat the same process , clean windows, find the nearest mop, clean the floor thoroughly , check its ok...
And then I'm approached by a security guard who says you've been reported by the cleaning team (a cleaner) that you're leaving water everywhere and the cleaner slipped on it.
Why aren't you mopping up?
I replied "I have mopped it?"
It's not dry tho?
I said, I've mopped it thoroughly, it's not slippy, Ive been walking on it, it's fine. It's also drying up quite quickly you can see.
But it's still wet?
I said I'm not been funny here, but when you mop water up with a mop, the mop gets wet. So it's not going be bone dry straight away but it will be in a few minutes. Look you can see it's drying?
No it's not good enough.
Ok well if you have another dry mop handy I'll be happy to go over it again?
No you need to bring your own gear you can't borrow other people's mops.
Ok well what do you want me to do ? (Knowing I can't leave my bucket or pole unattended anywhere to go down to my van to get another mop or more cloths etc)
He said don't worry I will get cleaners to do it.
I waited for the cleaner to arrive with her state of the art drying equipment. guess what she had? A mop. But loads of them in a trolley lol that she will not let anyone touch but herself.
My precious mops.
I offered to clean it for her, the cleaner replied rudely "you can't touch our stuff you need to do your job properly or you'll be banned from site".
I said ok well thanks anyway and walked away. By the way the floor was fine. It had a slight residue on it that was drying and would have dried in a minute or two.
I then left my bucket and pole in the back corridors unattended for two minutes whilst I went for a cup of tea at Gregg's. As I was starting to get stressed out. Actually that's an understatement lol.
In the back corridors no one is able to access these except contractors or security. It was out of harms way and put to the side.
After walking back with my cup of tea, I was greeted with the security team, who informed me they were escorting me off site and was unable to carry on working that day, unable to fulfil my contracts or earn my wage and feed my family, and I'm banned from site.
After speaking with the security manager, and pleading with him to review the security footage and watch me thoroughly mop the floor like I do every week, he then agreed to allow me back on site to continue working inside the stores that I'm contracted to.
After I was fine, I signed out of the centre and went to my next job.
However when I got home. I received an email from Broadway management saying that I was banned from site for being non compliant and uncooperative. Which is complete lies.
The management then hit me with all the crimes I had commited that morning.
1 non compliant and uncooperative
2 didn't have his own mops has to borrow without asking from another retailer
3 left floor too wet and refused to dry it up
4 left bucket and pole unattended in back corridor.
I then reached out to the centre manager.
Where he said the same above.
I offered a solution.
I could bring cones and signs and barrier tape, section each store off first, this would allow me to bring my bucket and pole up and leave within the barriers sectioned of the store I'm cleaning.
Then I could make a second trip to my van to retrieve a mop bucket, a mop and extra drying equipment to achieve the standard you require and to abide by your rules. Is this ok ?
The centre manager replied "Marc you are making this too complicated! All they are asking you to do is wipe up after yourself. No residue can be left on the floor"
I agree with the centre manager, I'm happy to do what he requires, but what he doesn't understand is it's not me making this complicated, it's his security team and the cleaners who when a drop of water lands on the floor from my applicator they act like a tidal wave has hit Bradford and reach for their walkie talkies to send in the boys to sort me out like I'm some terrorist going round throwing acid everywhere. 🤣🤣🤣
Does it sound like I'm making this too complicated?
Did I not mop up after myself?
what they're asking me, is to carry a window cleaning bucket, and an extendable pole, a mop, a mop bucket to drain the water, extra drying cloths and mop heads to insure the floor does not have any residue at all left over. Bone dry.
They want me to carry all this with two hands on one journey, through all the back corridors and up the lift shafts, and never leave any of it unattended.
I asked kindly if I could possibly leave some of my equipment in the huge cleaning cupboard the cleaners have. Maybe some mops and mop heads and I'll label them ?
Absolutely not. That's for cleaners only.
So watch this space, I'll inform you all how I get on next week when I attend site and try like the birdman of Alcatraz to enter and escape Broadway prison unscathed.
Maybe I'll invest in a trolley for my own precious mops with my name on them? That could be another option.
Another story about the same cleaning lady from December, I once knocked my bucket over on the mall!
Carnage ensued.
The cleaning lady went crazy.
I rushed to the cleaners cleaning room and I picked up some wet floor signs and I scattered them around the water before attempting to clean it up.
The cleaner refused to allow me to borrow any of her precious trolley of mops, nor was I allowed permission to go the cleaning room to borrow any spare ones, she then proceeded to pick all the wet floor signs up and said "these are our signs, you're not allowed to touch them!" And took them back to the cleaning room leaving the mall a hazard to the public!!! Wow
Luckily I dried it up with my cloths, but I said to her "what if someone slips?" As she took the signs away....she replied "well that's your fault not ours"
Haha it's truly laughable the people they have working on this site.
Shouldn't a shopping mall be working in unison? To create safe working practices , helping each other out and creating a friendly welcoming place to work for contractors and customers?
Well obviously The Broadway in don't think so.
May I add there are a couple of security guards here who are absolutely fine and understanding, they are just following orders from their bosses!
If any other in or further afield want to share their experiences feel free. Let's have a good laugh. If we don't laugh we will cry! 😭
Has anyone else mopped a floor till it's bone dry or do there mops get wet too when they touch water? 😭
Bradford BID The Broadway Bradford
