Been refused any annual leave this year.

An employer who can't afford to give minimum annual leave it's legally obliged to is not an employer you're going to build a career with anyway.

In my country, this would be illegal. They can't deny your leave and then take it away from you. Are you part of a union? This should be escalated to a formal complaint with HR at the very least.

OP, why are you so resigned and accepting of this? You should be angry! They are taking advantage. Is it a mainly female workforce?

Not only are you not being unreasonable but I'm sure your employer is acting illegally. Go to Citizen Advice and get a legal opinion before you approach your boss.

Sounds like the moment for the strategic flu. Get yourself sorted with some wine and nibbles and hunker down to bingewatch all those programmes you've never had time for. And feel no guilt!

I don't think you understand what blackmail is.

This is a nuts system. You are entitled to your leave. Go to your HR.

I'm watching with interest as this may be me this year. I've already discreetly alerted HR to the situation and I'm hoping it will get resolved. And while I'm not HR's biggest fan, in this I know they will back the team to the hilt.

However you frame it, you're putting a target on your back trying to blackmail them like this.

Just to be a bit pedantic, employers are not required to give you an employment contract. They must provide written terms and conditions of employment which is often in the form of a contract. I'm pretty sure all the banks issue a contract though.

It is OK for an employer to put some restrictions on annual leave, eg during busy business periods; but not to make it impossible to take it at all. They are failing in their duty of care towards you here.

Really, HR should be all over this and ensuring it is sorted out. If they are not then they are a rubbish HR team...not uncommon when the employer is also rubbish.

Is there a recognised union at your workplace and are you a member? Regardless, you should join a union; I think everyone should anyway.

Make sure you keep records of all your attempts to book annual leave, as well as requests for your manager to resolve it. You can raise a formal grievance if attempts to resolve informally fail. Just be aware that, although employees are not supposed to suffer any detriment through raising a legitimate grievance, in practice (and with poor employers) they frequently do.

So longer term I would probably look for a new job. I would be wary of trying to progress your career at this company as they evidently don't give a shit about doing the right thing by their employees.

What does it say about your leave entitlement in your employment contract which by law is legally binding on you and your employer and means they have to give it and you have to take it.
if employer not allow time off then they are liable for any injury including physical and mental health you may suffer.
HR knows this and they are trying it on. This is a legitimate grievance under firms complaints policy and if they don’t have complaints policy then they don’t have a leg to stand on.
Join a Union you’re going to need it in this job.

Lolz at my username created just for this post 😂
I’m fairly sure that whilst they can dictate when you take your leave they can’t deny your statutory leave entitlement. A quick google found this from https://landaulaw.co.uk/holidays/;
“Following a ruling by the European Court of Justice towards the end of 2017, your paid holiday entitlement (up to 20 days which is the EU minimum) is not lost- even though the new holiday year starts. Therefore your outstanding paid holiday entitlement can bank up for many years and would be a payment your employer would need to make is still owed when your employment ended. The rationale for this is that you have been prevented from exercising your basic EU rights to minimum paid holiday, and it is actually irrelevant if you have actually asked for the annual leave or not.”

so it might be worth putting something in writing to your manager that if you aren’t able to take your statutory entitlement then should you ever leave the company they will be paying you what you’ve lost for each year, not just what they’ve allowed you to carry over. I’m sure you’ll soon get a response from them or HR 😂

Dunno about UK, but in the USA, this would be illegal. I'm sure there are some sort of laws about it there, I've seen "mandatory 20 days," so that might be it. Check with HR, or whatever the equivalent of a Wage and Hour Board is there.

That's appalling. Are you in a Union?

Just found this on the UK government holiday entitlement SECTION of the government website...

Almost all people classed as workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave). This includes: agency workers. workers with 'irregular hours' (where the number of hours they work in a pay period often or always changes)

You’re being unreasonable.
Speak to HR and make a complaint. You’re entitled to your annual leave. Their poor management of time off isn’t your responsibility

Clearly the current system your employer is operating doesn’t work. Have a conversation and ask them how you are supposed to get your leave in as the current approach leans everything you have requested bar what you have mentioned has been declined.

It's a stupid system, you shouldn't be able to purchase additional leave, if others can't use they allocated. Most people would give up booking and go off sick and with this system I wouldn't blame them & I'm a HR Manager.

Any employer which isn't allowing the OP to take a holiday has not got a single leg to stand on.

Legally they have to allow you the statutory minimum. Speak to your line manager or HR. They can dictate when you take it. They have to give you double the amount of time as the days they are asking you to take.
you need to follow this up as you are entitled to this.

Go see your HR department or manager.

Your number of days leave is part of your contract.

But as grown up, it's also a healthy idea to discuss with your manager/HR the practice of annual leave taking priority over "bought" leave, or no "bought" leave being requested or used in the first 3 months of the company year.

Any employers going to interpret that as blackmail.

It's perfectly legitimate. Anyone would be burnt out if they're denied holiday.

What fantastic career advice 😂