Before you post a single job ad for next season, look at the people who’ve just worked this one with you. Which of them would you want back? For hotels, restaurants and agricultural businesses in Greece, a few early conversations with those people can make the next round of hiring a good deal easier to plan. They won’t get you out of the formalities, mind. Returning staff still need a clear offer and fresh eligibility checks every time you take them on.

Building a reliable seasonal workforce in Greece comes down to a handful of practical decisions. Keep a note of who did the job well and ask them whether they’d like to come back, then check how their availability sits with your calendar. You’ll probably still need some new recruits. The difference is that you’ll know which vacancies genuinely need filling.

Work out what next season will actually need

Last year’s headcount gives you somewhere to start. What it can’t tell you is whether you’ll need the same team on the same dates. The hotel might open earlier this year. The harvest schedule could shift, or bookings might bunch up into a few frantic weeks. Any one of those changes the skills you need, and the dates you need people on site.

So go through each department, week by week. Where did the overtime pile up? Which shifts were never covered, and when were people left twiddling their thumbs? Your supervisors will know what held the work up, so ask them. It’s quite possible you had enough staff overall but too few experienced team leaders right when it mattered.

Then there are the practicalities. A worker can accept the job and still be unable to start because the paperwork, the accommodation or the transport isn’t ready. Build those tasks into your seasonal staffing plan for Greece right from day one.

Talk to potential returners before they leave

Have this chat before people head home, while the season’s still fresh in everyone’s mind. Tell the employees you’d like back when you’re likely to need them, what the role will probably involve and which conditions are still waiting for approval. Their interest helps you plan. But a positive chat is just that, a chat. It isn’t an accepted offer.

It’s worth keeping a register of everyone who might return. For each person, note the role they did, how they performed, what training they’ve completed, which dates suit them and whether they’re happy for you to contact them again. Only the people who need that information should be able to see it, and your retention policy should decide how long you hang on to it.

Before anyone gets invited back, agree what the criteria are. Look at attendance, how safely someone worked, the quality of their service and whether they were a team player. That gives managers something far more solid to go on than a name somebody half-remembers. And if something got in the way of a worker’s performance, give them a chance to explain.

Ask people what would bring them back and what might stop them. If the housing was poor, the pay felt uncertain or the journey was awkward, sending another job offer won’t change any of that. Those concerns have to be sorted out in the way the job itself is organised.

Base your recruitment plan on confirmed acceptances

We’d suggest keeping three groups separate in your plan: workers who’ve confirmed they’re coming back, people who are interested but haven’t decided, and roles that need new candidates. Lump them all together and you end up with a long list of familiar names that makes an understaffed operation look fully covered. It isn’t.

Picture a hotel looking for 40 seasonal employees. Twenty-four former staff say they’re interested, so it looks as if only 16 vacancies are left. But what if just 18 of them accept the revised offer and get through the required checks? You’re still 22 people short. (The figures are only there to show the calculation, by the way. They aren’t a recommended staffing ratio.)

Put dates on everything: when offers go out, when replies are due and when unconfirmed positions open up to new applicants. If someone still can’t make up their mind by the deadline, be clear with them about what happens to the vacancy. You can stay in touch with them without leaving the role out of your recruitment plan.

For whatever’s still open after that, our Greece recruitment services can help you find candidates for the roles and start dates your business has confirmed.

Check returning workers against this season’s role

With a former employee you already have some idea of how they work, which helps, but you still need to check their availability, explain any revised terms and look at whether their skills suit the job as it is now. Someone moving from housekeeping into a supervisor role, say, may need a different assessment from someone coming back to do the same duties as before.

Before you tell anyone they’re ready to start, check their identity, the validity of their documents and their permission to work. The Greek Ministry of Labour’s guidance on third-country workers sets out a seasonal employment limit under Law 5038/2023: nine months within a twelve-month period, subject to the applicable conditions. Don’t assume last season’s approval will cover the next engagement.

Get the responsible adviser to confirm which route applies here, both for the worker and for your business. Training needs a look too. If the equipment, procedures or safety requirements have changed since they were last with you, arrange a refresher before the employee takes on those duties.

Give people a reason to come back

Of course, none of this works unless people want another season with you. In practice, that means a job they understand and an experience they’d choose to repeat. Spell out the pay and working hours, what the accommodation involves and any lawful deductions, so they can weigh the offer up properly.

Make time to ask how things are going while the season’s in full swing. A problem with supervision, transport or living conditions is far easier to fix in week two than in week ten. If the same concern keeps cropping up in several departments, give one person the job of resolving it, and then check what actually happens.

Is there room for someone to progress? Then talk about it. An experienced restaurant employee might help train new starters. A returning farm worker could learn another task and help the team out as workloads change. If you do agree on extra responsibility, make sure the role and the employment conditions reflect it.

Between seasons, keep in touch the way each worker prefers and send updates that help them plan. If you tell someone when to expect an offer, that’s something they can work with. Chasing them again and again for a commitment before you can even explain the terms isn’t.

Put the hiring plan on a shared calendar

Build your workforce planning calendar for Greece around the dates your business will be up and running. Start from opening day (or the first day of the harvest) and work back from there, using verified lead times for each hiring route. The order of things might look like this:

• After the season: review how people performed, ask workers for feedback and decide who you’d like to invite back.
• Before sending offers: get each department’s headcount and pay signed off, along with the accommodation you have available and any changes to roles.
• During recruitment: log accepted offers, get the eligibility checks done and find new candidates for the vacancies still open.
• Before workers arrive: make sure people are ready to travel, allocate accommodation and set up the induction.
• During the season: keep tabs on vacancies and worker concerns, and jot down what needs to change next time.

Keep it all on one shared calendar, with a named owner for every milestone, so recruitment, operations and HR are all working off the same information. If the opening date changes, everyone who has a hand in getting workers to the site should hear about it.

Frequently asked questions

Can we fill every seasonal role with returning workers?

Returning staff are great for continuity. You’ll still need a way of finding new candidates, though. People’s plans change, eligibility issues can come up and demand may grow. Only count someone towards your confirmed staffing requirement once they’ve accepted and all the necessary checks are done.

When should we get in touch with last season’s staff?

Ideally while the current season is still running. Then get back to them once the next role and its terms of employment are approved. That gives workers time to think over a clear offer, and you’ll see sooner where you need to recruit.

Plan your next season with Oman Agencies

Here at Oman Agencies, our job is helping employers recruit for hospitality and agriculture in Greece. If you’re bringing back experienced staff but still need people for the remaining roles, we’d be glad to discuss sourcing support for those vacancies. There’s more help with planning in our seasonal worker recruitment guide. Or just share your headcount, job categories and intended start dates with our team, and we’ll talk through what your next season needs.