0001066605-21-000014 | 10-K | XBRL Viewer | Heidrick Struggles International INC

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Cover - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Cover - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Feb. 22, 2021	Jun. 30, 2020
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-K
Document Annual Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2020
Entity File Number	0-25837
Entity Registrant Name	HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	36-2681268
Entity Address, Address Line One	233 South Wacker Drive
Entity Address, Address Line Two	Suite 4900
Entity Address, City or Town	Chicago
Entity Address, State or Province	IL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	60606-6303
City Area Code	(312)
Local Phone Number	496-1200
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $.01 par value
Trading Symbol	HSII
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Public Float			$ 356,598,123
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		19,359,586
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Transition Report	false
Entity Central Index Key	0001066605
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) shares in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 621,615,000	$ 706,924,000	$ 716,023,000
Revenues	629,370,000	725,614,000	735,655,000
Labor and Related Expense	450,424,000	501,791,000	506,349,000
General and administrative expenses	121,378,000	137,492,000	140,817,000
Asset Impairment Charges	32,970,000	0	0
Restructuring Charges	52,372,000	4,130,000	0
Total operating expenses	664,899,000	662,103,000	666,798,000
Operating income (loss)	(35,529,000)	63,511,000	68,857,000
Interest Income (Expense), Net	204,000	2,880,000	1,141,000
Other Nonoperating Income (Expense)	3,927,000	2,898,000	494,000
Net non-operating income	4,131,000	5,778,000	1,635,000
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes, Noncontrolling Interest	(31,398,000)	69,289,000	70,492,000
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	6,309,000	22,420,000	21,197,000
Net income (loss)	(37,707,000)	46,869,000	49,295,000
Foreign currency translation adjustment	82,000	844,000	(3,885,000)
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Available-for-sale Securities Adjustment, Net of Tax, Portion Attributable to Parent	(13,000)	13,000	0
Other Comprehensive (Income) Loss, Defined Benefit Plan, after Reclassification Adjustment, Tax, Attributable to Parent	(476,000)	(1,095,000)	721,000
Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax, Total	(407,000)	(238,000)	(3,164,000)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$ (38,114,000)	$ 46,631,000	$ 46,131,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic	19,301	19,103	18,917
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	19,301	19,551	19,532
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ (1.95)	$ 2.45	$ 2.61
Earnings Per Share, Diluted	(1.95)	2.40	2.52
Cash dividends paid per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.60	$ 0.60	$ 0.52
Reimbursements [Member]
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 7,755,000	$ 18,690,000	$ 19,632,000
Cost of Goods and Services Sold	$ 7,755,000	$ 18,690,000	$ 19,632,000

Consolidated Statements of Changes In Stockholders' Equity - USD ($)	Total	Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Treasury Stock [Member]	Additional Paid in Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member] Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment	Common Stock Including Additional Paid in Capital
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax
Common stock, shares issued			805,000						19,586,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 212,705,000		$ (26,096,000)	$ 226,006,000	$ (716,000)		$ 13,315,000		$ 196,000
Net income (loss)	49,295,000				49,295,000
Adoption of accounting standards	3,164,000						3,164,000
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Restricted Stock Unit, Increase for Cost Recognition	8,947,000			8,947,000
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings (in shares)			(167,000)
Restricted Stock, Value, Shares Issued Net of Tax Withholdings	2,233,000		$ (5,604,000)	7,837,000
Re-issuance of treasury stock (in shares)			6,000
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Treasury Stock Reissued	225,000		$ 194,000	31,000
Dividends, Cash	$ (7,389,000)				7,389,000
Cash dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.39
Dividend, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Cash	$ (184,000)				184,000
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2018		$ 8,954,000				$ 15,043,000		$ (6,089,000)
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax
Common stock, shares issued			632,000						19,586,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	267,156,000		$ (20,298,000)	227,147,000	56,049,000		4,062,000		$ 196,000
Net income (loss)	46,869,000				46,869,000
Adoption of accounting standards	238,000						238,000
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Restricted Stock Unit, Increase for Cost Recognition	10,298,000			10,298,000
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings (in shares)			(163,000)
Restricted Stock, Value, Shares Issued Net of Tax Withholdings	4,552,000		$ (5,154,000)	9,706,000
Re-issuance of treasury stock (in shares)			49,000
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Treasury Stock Reissued	1,417,000		$ 349,000	1,068,000
Dividends, Cash	$ (11,461,000)				11,461,000
Cash dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.60
Dividend, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Cash	$ (374,000)				374,000
Common stock, shares issued	19,165,954		420,000						19,586,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 309,115,000		$ (14,795,000)	228,807,000	91,083,000		3,824,000		$ 196,000
Net income (loss)	(37,707,000)				(37,707,000)
Adoption of accounting standards	407,000						407,000
APIC, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Restricted Stock Unit, Increase for Cost Recognition	10,199,000			10,199,000
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings (in shares)			(179,000)
Restricted Stock, Value, Shares Issued Net of Tax Withholdings	1,550,000		$ (6,225,000)	7,775,000
Re-issuance of treasury stock (in shares)			15,000
Stock Issued During Period, Value, Treasury Stock Reissued	346,000		$ 529,000	(183,000)
Dividends, Cash	$ (11,576,000)				11,576,000
Cash dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.60
Dividend, Share-based Payment Arrangement, Cash	$ (486,000)				486,000
Ending Balance at Dec. 31, 2020		$ (332,000)				$ (332,000)
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax
Common stock, shares issued	19,359,586		226,000						19,586,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	$ 267,602,000		$ (8,041,000)	$ 231,048,000	$ 40,982,000		$ 3,417,000		$ 196,000

Consolidated Statements of Changes In Stockholders' Equity (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Cash dividends per share (in dollars per share)	$ 0.60	$ 0.60	$ 0.39

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Cash flows - operating activities
Net income (loss)	$ (37,707,000)	$ 46,869,000	$ 49,295,000
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	26,656,000	10,371,000	12,522,000
Provision for income taxes	6,309,000	22,420,000	21,197,000
Deferred income taxes	(1,680,000)	1,644,000	(3,496,000)
Stock-based compensation expense	10,199,000	10,298,000	8,947,000
Accretion expense related to earnout payments	0	668,000	1,285,000
Asset Impairment Charges	32,970,000	0	0
Marketable Securities, Gain (Loss)	(154,000)	(595,000)	0
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets	287,000	0	0
Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Receivable	22,644,000	6,899,000	(16,759,000)
Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Payable	451,000	(994,000)	(526,000)
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions:
Accrued expenses	(26,513,000)	2,441,000	71,526,000
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment	2,479,000	1,959,000	(11,617,000)
Deferred revenue	(3,688,000)	175,000	(1,899,000)
Income taxes recoverable (payable), net	(4,016,000)	(5,450,000)	757,000
Retirement and pension plan assets and liabilities	1,794,000	3,258,000	(1,492,000)
Prepaid expenses	(1,642,000)	455,000	893,000
Other assets and liabilities, net	2,011,000	(1,557,000)	4,748,000
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities	23,353,000	78,645,000	102,902,000
Cash flows - investing activities
Acquisition of business, net of cash acquired	0	(3,520,000)	(3,083,000)
Capital expenditures	(7,322,000)	(3,352,000)	(5,960,000)
Purchases of available for sale investments	(118,904,000)	(130,411,000)	(2,201,000)
Proceeds from sale of available for sale investments	158,852,000	67,968,000	2,995,000
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities	32,626,000	(69,315,000)	(8,249,000)
Cash flows - financing activities
Proceeds from Lines of Credit	100,000,000	0	20,000,000
Repayments of Lines of Credit	(100,000,000)	0	(20,000,000)
Debt issuance costs	0	0	(981,000)
Cash dividends paid	(12,063,000)	(11,835,000)	(10,181,000)
Payment of employee tax withholdings on equity transactions	(1,550,000)	(4,552,000)	(2,234,000)
Payment for Contingent Consideration Liability, Financing Activities	(2,789,000)	(1,853,000)	(3,592,000)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities	(16,402,000)	(18,240,000)	(16,988,000)
Effect of exchange rates fluctuations on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	5,193,000	367,000	(5,565,000)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	44,770,000	(8,543,000)	72,100,000
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	316,489,000	271,719,000	280,262,000
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	316,473,000	271,719,000
Cash paid for
Income taxes	12,154	27,338	22,616
Interest Paid, Excluding Capitalized Interest, Operating Activities	$ 761,000	$ 0	$ 67

Basis of Presentation	12 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) is engaged in providing executive search and consulting services to clients on a retained basis. The Company operates in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific regions. The consolidated financial statements include Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries and have been prepared using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include revenue recognition, allowances for deferred tax assets and liabilities, assessment of goodwill, other intangible assets and long-lived assets for impairment. Estimates are subject to a degree of uncertainty and actual results could differ from these estimates.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Restricted Cash (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 316,473	$ 271,719	$ 279,906
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	316,489	271,719	280,262
Other Current Assets
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted Cash	0	0	108
Other Noncurrent Assets
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted Cash	$ 16	$ 0	$ 248

Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 316,473,000	$ 271,719,000
Marketable securities	19,999,000	61,153,000
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $6,557 and $5,140, respectively	88,123,000	109,163,000
Prepaid expenses	18,956,000	20,185,000
Other current assets	23,279,000	27,848,000
Income taxes recoverable	5,856,000	4,414,000
Total current assets	472,686,000	494,482,000
Non-current assets
Property and equipment, net	23,492,000	28,650,000
Operating lease right-of-use assets	92,671,000	99,391,000
Assets designated for retirement and pension plans	14,425,000	13,978,000
Investments	31,369,000	25,409,000
Other non-current assets	24,439,000	20,434,000
Goodwill	91,643,000	126,831,000	$ 122,092,000	$ 118,892,000
Other intangible assets, net	1,129,000	1,935,000
Deferred income taxes, net	35,958,000	33,063,000
Total non-current assets	315,126,000	349,691,000
Total assets	787,812,000	844,173,000
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	8,799,000	8,633,000
Accrued salaries and benefits	217,908,000	234,306,000
Deferred revenue	38,050,000	41,267,000
Operating lease liabilities	28,984,000	30,955,000
Other current liabilities	23,311,000	26,253,000
Income taxes payable	1,186,000	3,928,000
Total current liabilities	318,238,000	345,342,000
Total current liabilities
Accrued Salaries and Benefits	56,925,000	59,662,000
Retirement and pension plans	53,496,000	46,032,000
Operating lease liabilities	86,816,000	79,388,000
Other non-current liabilities	4,735,000	4,634,000
Total non-current liabilities	201,972,000	189,716,000
Total liabilities	520,210,000	535,058,000
Commitments and contingencies (Note 19)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 19,585,777 shares issued, 19,359,586 and 19,165,954 shares outstanding at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	196,000	196,000
Treasury stock at cost, 226,191 and 419,823 shares at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	(8,041,000)	(14,795,000)
Additional paid in capital	231,048,000	228,807,000
Retained earnings	40,982,000	91,083,000
Accumulated other comprehensive income	3,417,000	3,824,000
Total stockholders’ equity	267,602,000	309,115,000	$ 267,156,000	$ 212,705,000
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 787,812,000	$ 844,173,000

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	100,000,000	100,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	19,585,777	19,585,777
Common stock, shares issued	19,359,586	19,165,954
Treasury stock, shares	226,191	419,823
Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss, Current	$ 6,557	$ 5,140

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Marketable Securities

The Company’s marketable securities consist of available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities exceeding three months.

Concentration of Risk

The Company is potentially exposed to concentrations of risk associated with its accounts receivable. However, this risk is limited due to the Company’s large number of clients and their dispersion across many different industries and geographies. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company had no significant concentrations of risk.

Accounts Receivable

The Company’s accounts receivable consists of trade receivables. The Company’s expected credit loss allowance methodology for accounts receivable is developed using historical collection experience, current and future economic and market conditions and a review of the current status of customers' trade accounts receivables. These factors may change over time, impacting the allowance level. See Note 4, Credit Losses.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. The carrying value for receivables from clients, accounts payable, deferred revenue and other accrued liabilities reasonably approximate fair value due to the nature of the financial instruments and the short-term nature of the items.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the asset or, for leasehold improvements, the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the asset, as follows:


Office furniture, fixtures and equipment						5–10 years
Computer equipment and software						3–7 years

Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the lease term or life of the asset improvement, which typically range from three to ten years.

Depreciation is calculated for tax purposes using accelerated methods, where applicable.

Other Intangible Assets and Long Lived Assets

The Company reviews its other intangible assets and long-lived assets, including property and equipment and right-of-use assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of asset groups to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset group exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge, equal to the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds the fair value of the asset group, is recognized. The Company evaluated the recoverability of its other intangible assets and long-lived assets during the three months ended June 30, 2020 and determined that the other intangible assets and long-lived assets were recoverable. The Company continues to monitor the impact of the economic downturn resulting from COVID-19 for additional potential impairment indicators related to other intangible assets and long-lived assets.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in Operating Lease Right-of-Use Assets, Operating Lease Liabilities - Current and Operating Lease Liabilities - Non-Current in our Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company does not have any leases that meet the finance lease criteria.

Right-of-use assets represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized on the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company's leases do not provide an implicit rate, an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date is used in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating lease right-of-use asset also includes any lease payments made in advance and any accrued rent expense balances. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the option will be exercised. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company has lease agreements with lease and non-lease components. For office leases, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. For equipment leases, such as vehicles and office equipment, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components separately.

Investments

The Company’s investments consist primarily of available-for-sale investments within the U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan (the “Plan”).

Available-for-sale investments are reported at fair value with changes in unrealized gains (losses) and realized gains (losses) recorded as a non-operating expense in Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Goodwill

The goodwill impairment test compares the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying amount, including goodwill. The Company operates four reporting units: Americas, Europe (which includes Africa), Asia Pacific (which includes the Middle East) and Heidrick Consulting. The goodwill impairment test is completed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. The fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units is determined using a discounted cash flow

methodology. An impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value; however, the loss recognized is not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

During the three months ended June 30, 2020, and as a direct result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company experienced a decline in demand for our executive search and consulting services, a lengthening of the executive search process due to a slow-down in client decision making and an inability to execute in-person consulting engagements, which had a material negative impact on our results of operations. As a result, the Company identified a triggering event and performed an interim goodwill impairment evaluation during the three months ended June 30, 2020.

During the impairment evaluation process, the Company used a discounted cash flow methodology to estimate the fair value of its reporting units. The discounted cash flow approach is dependent on a number of factors, including estimates of future market growth and trends, forecasted revenue and costs, capital investments, appropriate discount rates, certain assumptions to allocate shared costs, assets and liabilities, historical and projected performance of the reporting unit, and the macroeconomic conditions affecting each of the Company’s reporting units. The assumptions used in the determination of fair value were (1) a forecast of growth in the near and long term; (2) the discount rate; (3) working capital investments; (4) macroeconomic conditions and (5) other factors.

Based on the results of the impairment evaluation, the Company determined that the goodwill within the Europe and Asia Pacific reporting units was impaired, which resulted in an impairment charge of $24.5 million in Europe and $8.5 million in Asia Pacific to write-off all of the goodwill associated with each reporting unit. The impairment charge is recorded within Impairment charges in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the year ended December 31, 2020. The impairment was non-cash in nature and did not affect our current liquidity, cash flows, borrowing capability or operations; nor did it impact the debt covenants under our credit agreement.

The Company continues to monitor potential triggering events for its Americas reporting unit including changes in the business climate in which it operates, the Company’s market capitalization compared to its book value, and the Company’s recent operating performance. Any changes in these factors could result in a further impairment charge.

Restructuring Charges

The Company accounts for restructuring charges by recognizing a liability at fair value when the costs are incurred.

Revenue Recognition

See Note 3, Revenue.

Reimbursements

The Company incurs certain out-of-pocket expenses that are reimbursed by its clients, which are accounted for as revenue and expense in its Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Salaries and Benefits

Salaries and benefits consist of compensation and benefits paid to consultants, executive officers, and administrative and support personnel, of which the most significant elements are salaries and annual performance-related bonuses. Other items in this category are expenses related to sign-on bonuses, forgivable employee loans and minimum guaranteed bonuses (often incurred in connection with the hiring of new consultants), restricted stock unit and performance share unit amortization, payroll taxes, profit sharing and retirement benefits, and employee insurance benefits.

Salaries and benefits are recognized on an accrual basis. Certain sign-on bonuses, retention awards, and minimum guaranteed compensation are capitalized and amortized in accordance with the terms of the respective agreements.

A portion of the Company’s management cash bonuses are deferred and paid over a three-year vesting period. The portion of the bonus is approximately 15% depending on the employee’s level or position. The compensation expense related to the amounts being deferred is recognized on a graded vesting attribution method over the requisite service period. This service period begins on January 1 of the respective fiscal year and continues through the deferral date, which coincides with the Company’s bonus payments in the first quarter of the following year and for an additional three-year vesting period. The deferrals are recorded in Accrued salaries and benefits within both Current liabilities and Non-current liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Historically, the Company's consultants participated in the same cash bonus deferral program as management. In 2020, the Company terminated the cash bonus deferral for consultants and now pays 100% of the cash bonuses earned by consultants in the first quarter of the following year. Consultant cash bonuses earned prior to 2020 will continue to be paid under the terms of the cash bonus deferral program.

Income Taxes

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities, applying enacted statutory tax rates in effect for the year in which the tax differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.

Earnings per Common Share

Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income by weighted average common shares outstanding for the year. Diluted earnings per share reflect the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted. Common equivalent shares are excluded from the determination of diluted earnings per share in periods in which they have an anti-dilutive effect.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Net income (loss)	$	(37,707)	$	46,869	$	49,295
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	19,301		19,103		18,917
Effect of dilutive securities:
Restricted stock units	—		285		406
Performance stock units	—		163		209
Diluted	19,301		19,551		19,532
Basic earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.45	$	2.61
Diluted earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.40	$	2.52

Weighted average restricted stock units and performance stock units outstanding that could be converted into approximately 472,000 and 120,000 common shares, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2020, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effects would be anti-dilutive.

Translation of Foreign Currencies

The Company generally designates the local currency for all its subsidiaries as the functional currency. The Company translates the assets and liabilities of its subsidiaries into U.S. dollars at the current rate of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at a monthly average exchange rate for the period. Translation adjustments are reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive income.

Restricted Cash

Periodically, the Company is party to agreements with terms that required the Company to restrict cash through the termination dates of the agreements. Current and non-current restricted cash is included in Other current assets and Other non-current assets, respectively, in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash and cash equivalents between the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$	316,473	$	271,719	$	279,906
Restricted cash included within other current assets	—		—		108
Restricted cash included within other non-current assets	16		—		248
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	316,489	$	271,719	$	280,262

Recently Issued Financial Accounting Standards

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The guidance is intended to provide temporary optional expedients and exceptions to the guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the expected market transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. This guidance is effective March 12, 2020, and the Company may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this accounting guidance. The effect is not known or reasonably estimable at this time.

In December 2019, the FASB, issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The guidance simplifies the accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions to the guidance in ASC 740 related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The guidance also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. The guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this accounting guidance. The effect is not known or reasonably estimable at this time.

Recently Adopted Financial Accounting Standards

On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, and all related ASU amendments, using the modified retrospective method. The guidance amends the impairment model by requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables. The adoption had an immaterial impact on the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, Consolidated Balance Sheet, Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the year ended December 31, 2020.

Revenue (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue from Contract with Customer

Executive Search

Revenue is recognized as performance obligations are satisfied by transferring a good or service to a client. Generally, each executive search contract contains one performance obligation which is the process of identifying potentially qualified candidates for a specific client position. In most contracts, the transaction price includes both fixed and variable consideration. Fixed compensation is comprised of a retainer, equal to approximately one-third of the estimated first year compensation for the position to be filled, and indirect expenses, equal to a specified percentage of the retainer, as defined in the contract. The Company generally bills clients for the retainer and indirect expenses in one-third increments over a three-month period commencing in the month of a client’s acceptance of the contract. If actual compensation of a placed candidate exceeds the original compensation estimate, the Company is often authorized to bill the client for one-third of the excess compensation. The Company refers to this additional billing as uptick revenue. In most contracts, variable consideration is comprised of uptick revenue and direct expenses. The Company bills its clients for uptick revenue upon completion of the executive search, and direct expenses are billed as incurred.

The Company estimates uptick revenue at contract inception, based on a portfolio approach, utilizing the expected value method based on a historical analysis of uptick revenue realized in the Company’s geographic regions and industry practices, and initially records a contract’s uptick revenue in an amount that is probable not to result in a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized when the actual amount of uptick revenue for the contract is known. Differences between the estimated and

actual amounts of variable consideration are recorded when known. The Company does not estimate revenue for direct expenses as it is not materially different than recognizing revenue as direct expenses are incurred.

Revenue from executive search engagement performance obligations are recognized over time as clients simultaneously receive and consume the benefits provided by the Company's performance. Revenue from executive search engagements is recognized over the expected average period of performance, in proportion to the estimated personnel time incurred to fulfill the obligations under the executive search contract. Revenue is generally recognized over a period of approximately six months.

The Company's executive search contracts contain a replacement guarantee which provides for an additional search to be completed, free of charge except for expense reimbursements, should the candidate presented by the Company be hired by the client and subsequently terminated by the client for performance reasons within a specified period of time. The replacement guarantee is an assurance warranty, which is not a performance obligation under the terms of the executive search contract, as the Company does not provide any services under the terms of the guarantee that transfer benefits to the client in excess of assuring that the identified candidate complies with the agreed-upon specifications. The Company accounts for the replacement guarantee under the relevant warranty guidance in ASC 460 - Guarantees.

Heidrick Consulting

Revenue is recognized as performance obligations are satisfied by transferring a good or service to a client. Heidrick Consulting enters into contracts with clients that outline the general terms and conditions of the assignment to provide succession planning, executive assessment, top team and board effectiveness and culture shaping programs. The consideration the Company expects to receive under each contract is generally fixed. Most of our consulting contracts contain one performance obligation, which is the overall process of providing the consulting service requested by the client. The majority of our consulting revenue is recognized over time utilizing both input and output methods. Contracts that contain coaching sessions, training sessions or the completion of assessments are recognized using the output method as each session or assessment is delivered to the client. Contracts that contain general consulting work are recognized using the input method utilizing a measure of progress that is based on time incurred on the project.

The Company enters into enterprise agreements with clients to provide a license for online access, via the Company's Culture Connect platform, to training and other proprietary material related to the Company's culture shaping programs. The consideration the Company expects to receive under the terms of an enterprise agreement is comprised of a single fixed fee. The enterprise agreements contain multiple performance obligations, the delivery of materials via Culture Connect and material rights related to options to renew enterprise agreements at a significant discount. The Company allocates the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract on a stand-alone selling price basis. The stand-alone selling price for the initial term of the enterprise agreement is outlined in the contract and is equal to the price paid by the client for the agreement over the initial term of the contract. The stand-alone selling price for the options to renew, or material right, are not directly observable and must be estimated. This estimate is required to reflect the discount the client would obtain when exercising the option to renew, adjusted for the likelihood that the option will be exercised. The Company estimates the likelihood of renewal using a historical analysis of client renewals. Access to Culture Connect represents a right to access the Company’s intellectual property that the client simultaneously receives and consumes as the Company performs under the agreement, and therefore the Company recognizes revenue over time. Given the continuous nature of this commitment, the Company utilizes straight-line ratable revenue recognition over the estimated subscription period as the Company's clients will receive and consume the benefits from Culture Connect equally throughout the contract period. Revenue related to client renewals of enterprise agreements is recognized over the term of the renewal, which is generally twelve months. Enterprise agreements do not comprise a significant portion of the Company's revenue.

Contract Balances

Contract assets and liabilities are reported in a net position on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. Contract assets and liabilities are classified as current due to the nature of the Company's contracts, which are completed within one year. Contract assets are included within Other Current Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Unbilled receivables: Unbilled revenue represents contract assets from revenue recognized over time in excess of the amount billed to the client and the amount billed to the client is solely dependent upon the passage of time. This amount includes revenue recognized in excess of billed executive search retainers and Heidrick Consulting fees.

Contract assets: Contract assets represent revenue recognized over time in excess of the amount billed to the client and the amount billed to the client is not solely subject to the passage of time. This amount primarily includes revenue recognized for upticks and contingent placement fees in executive search contracts.

Deferred revenue: Contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue, which is equal to billings in excess of revenue recognized.

The following table outlines the changes in our contract asset and liability balances for the years ended:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		Change
Contract assets
Unbilled receivables	$	9,907	$	7,585	$	2,322
Contract assets	9,745		14,672		(4,927)
Total contract assets	19,652		22,257		(2,605)

Contract liabilities
Deferred revenue	$	38,050	$	41,267	$	(3,217)

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized revenue of $36.2 million that was included in the contract liabilities balance at the beginning of the period. The amount of revenue recognized during the year ended December 31, 2020, from performance obligations partially satisfied in previous periods as a result of changes in the estimates of variable consideration was $16.7 million.

Each of the Company's contracts has an expected duration of one year or less. Accordingly, the Company has elected to utilize the available practical expedient related to the disclosure of the transaction price allocated to the remaining performance obligations under its contracts. The Company has also elected the available practical expedients related to adjusting for the effects of a significant financing component and the capitalization of contract acquisition costs. The Company charges and collects from its clients, sales tax and value added taxes as required by certain jurisdictions. The Company has made an accounting policy election to exclude these items from the transaction price in its contracts.

- Definition

The entire disclosure of revenue from contract with customer to transfer good or service and to transfer nonfinancial asset. Includes, but is not limited to, disaggregation of revenue, credit loss recognized from contract with customer, judgment and change in judgment related to contract with customer, and asset recognized from cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contract with customer. Excludes insurance and lease contracts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=49130388

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130551-203045

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130556-203045

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130550-203045

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (e)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 15
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130558-203045

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

+ Details

Credit Losses

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Credit Loss [Abstract]

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company is exposed to credit losses primarily through the provision of its executive search and consulting services. The Company’s expected credit loss allowance methodology for accounts receivable is developed using historical collection experience, current and future economic and market conditions and a review of the current status of customers' trade accounts receivables. Due to the short-term nature of such receivables, the estimate of amount of accounts receivable that may not be collected is primarily based on historical loss-rate experience. When required, the Company adjusts the loss-rate methodology to account for current conditions and reasonable and supportable expectations of future economic and market conditions. The Company generally assesses future economic conditions for a period of sixty to ninety days, which corresponds with the contractual life of its accounts receivables. Additionally, specific allowance amounts are established to record the appropriate provision for customers that have a higher probability of default. The Company’s monitoring activities include timely account reconciliation, dispute resolution, payment confirmation, consideration of customers' financial condition and macroeconomic conditions. Balances are written off when determined to be uncollectible. The Company considered the current and expected future economic and market conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and determined that the estimate of credit losses was not significantly impacted.

The activity in the allowance for credit losses on the Company's trade receivables is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Balance at January 1,	$	5,140	$	3,502	$	2,534
Provision for credit losses	6,696		5,900		3,790
Write-offs	(5,418)		(4,270)		(2,708)
Foreign currency translation	139		8		(114)
Balance at December 31,	$	6,557	$	5,140	$	3,502

The fair value and unrealized losses on available for sale debt securities, aggregated by investment category and the length of time the security has been in an unrealized loss position, are as follows:


	Less Than 12 Months				Balance Sheet Classification
Balance at December 31, 2020	Fair Value		Unrealized Loss		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
U.S. Treasury securities	$	31,997	$	1	$	31,997	$	—

The unrealized loss on one investment in U.S. Treasury securities at December 31, 2020 was caused by fluctuations in market interest rates. The contractual cash flows of these investments are guaranteed by an agency of the U.S. government. Accordingly, it is expected that the investments would not be settled at a price less than the amortized cost basis. The Company does not intend to sell the investments and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investments before the recovery of the amortized cost basis. There were no investments with unrealized losses at December 31, 2019.

Property and Equipment, net

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment, net

The components of the Company’s property and equipment are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Leasehold improvements	$	40,320	$	47,269
Office furniture, fixtures and equipment	14,816		17,740
Computer equipment and software	25,544		27,531
Property and equipment, gross	80,680		92,540
Accumulated depreciation	(57,188)		(63,890)
Property and equipment, net	$	23,492	$	28,650

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, was $8.1 million, $9.5 million and $11.0 million, respectively.

Additionally, as part of the Company's restructuring plan, property and equipment located at certain of the Company's offices was abandoned and the useful life of the assets were shortened to correspond with the cease-use date. As a result of the change in the useful life, approximately $4.2 million of depreciation expense was accelerated and recorded in Restructuring charges in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) and Depreciation and amortization in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows during the year ended December 31, 2020.

Leases, Codification Topic 842

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Lessee, Operating Leases

The Company's lease portfolio is comprised of operating leases for office space and equipment. The majority of the Company's leases include both lease and non-lease components, which the Company accounts for differently depending on the underlying class of asset. Certain of the Company's leases include one or more options to renew or terminate the lease at the Company's discretion. Generally, the renewal and termination options are not included in the right-of-use assets and lease liabilities as they are not reasonably certain of exercise. The Company regularly evaluates the renewal and termination options and when they are reasonably certain of exercise, includes the renewal or termination option in our lease term.

As most of the Company's leases do not provide an implicit interest rate, the Company utilizes its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The

Company has a centrally managed treasury function; therefore, a portfolio approach is applied in determining the incremental borrowing rate. The incremental borrowing rate is the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a fully collateralized basis over a similar term in an amount equal to the total lease payments in a similar economic environment.

Office leases have remaining lease terms that range from less than 1 year to 12.5 years, some of which also include options to extend or terminate the lease. Most office leases contain both fixed and variable lease payments. Variable lease costs consist primarily of rent escalations based on an established index or rate and taxes, insurance, and common area or other maintenance costs, which are paid based on actual costs incurred by the lessor. The Company has elected to utilize the available practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for office leases.

As part of the Company's restructuring plan, lease components related to certain of the Company's offices were abandoned and the useful life of the associated right-of-use asset was shortened to correspond with the cease-use date. As a result of the change in the useful life, approximately $13.7 million of right-of-use asset amortization was accelerated and recorded in Restructuring charges in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) and Depreciation and amortization in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows during the year ended December 31, 2020.

Equipment leases, which are comprised of vehicle and office equipment leases, have remaining terms that range from less than 1 year to 5.0 years, some of which also include options to extend or terminate the lease. The Company's equipment leases do not contain variable lease payments. The Company separates the lease and non-lease components for its equipment leases. Equipment leases do not comprise a significant portion of the Company's lease portfolio.

Lease cost components included within General and Administrative Expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the year ended December 31, were as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Operating lease cost	$	22,227	$	24,928
Variable lease cost	6,047		7,932
Total lease cost	$	28,274	$	32,860

Rent expense, as previously defined under ASC 840, which includes the base rent, maintenance costs, operating expenses and real estate taxes, and the costs of equipment leases for the year ended December 31, 2018, was $33.2 million.

Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company's operating leases for the year ended December 31, is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	31,573	$	33,797
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations:
Operating leases	$	31,829	$	19,640

The weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of December 31, is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
Operating leases	6.0 years		4.7 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
Operating leases	3.5	%	3.9	%

The future maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities for the years ended December 31, is as follows:


	Operating Lease Maturity
2021	$	28,089
2022	25,803
2023	23,822
2024	14,030
2025	6,726
Thereafter	30,226
Total lease payments	128,696
Less: Interest	(12,896)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	115,800

The Company has an obligation at the end of the lease term to return certain offices to the landlord in its original condition, which is recorded at fair value at the time the liability is incurred. The Company had $3.3 million and $3.0 million of asset retirement obligations as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, which are recorded within Other current liabilities and Other non-current liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

The Company's investments in marketable debt securities, which consist of U.S. Treasury bills and commercial paper, are classified and accounted for as available-for-sale. The Company classifies its marketable debt securities as either short-term or long-term based on each instrument's underlying contractual maturity date. Unrealized gains and losses on marketable debt securities classified as available-for-sale are recognized in Accumulated other comprehensive income in the Consolidated Balance Sheets until realized.

The Company's cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities by significant investment category are as follows:


	Fair Value								Balance Sheet Classification
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
Balance at December 31, 2020
Cash									$	230,490	$	—

Level 1(1):
Money market funds									53,986
U.S. Treasury securities	51,996		1		(1)		51,996		31,997		19,999
Total Level 1	51,996		1		(1)		51,996		85,983		19,999




Total	$	51,996	$	1	$	(1)	$	51,996	$	316,473	$	19,999


	Fair Value								Balance Sheet Classification
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
Balance at December 31, 2019
Cash									$	177,493	$	—

Level 1(1):
Money market funds									15,661		—
U.S. Treasury securities	139,705		13		—		139,718		78,565		61,153
Total Level 1	139,705		13		—		139,718		94,226		61,153

Total	$	139,705	$	13	$	—	$	139,718	$	271,719	$	61,153

(1)Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Investments, Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans and Associated Liabilities

The Company has a U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan that consists primarily of U.S. marketable securities and mutual funds. The aggregate cost basis for these investments was $19.5 million and $17.2 million as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

The Company also maintains a pension plan for certain current and former employees in Germany. The pensions are individually fixed Euro amounts that vary depending on the function and the eligible years of service of the employee. The Company’s investment strategy is to support its pension obligations through reinsurance contracts. The BaFin—German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority—supervises the insurance companies and the reinsurance contracts. The BaFin requires each reinsurance contract to guarantee a fixed minimum return. The Company’s pension benefits are fully reinsured by group insurance contracts with ERGO Lebensversicherung AG, and the group insurance contracts are measured in accordance with BaFin guidelines (including mortality tables and discount rates) which are considered Level 2 inputs.

The following tables provide a summary of the fair value measurements for each major category of investments, assets designated for retirement and pension plans and associated liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:


			Balance Sheet Classification
	Fair Value		Other Current Assets		Goodwill	Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans		Investments		Other Current Liabilities		Retirement and Pension Plans
Balance at December 31, 2020

Measured on a recurring basis:
Level 1(1):
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan	$	31,369	$	—	—	$	—	$	31,369	$	—	$	—

Level 2(2):
Retirement and pension plan assets	15,859		1,434		—	14,425		—		—		—
Pension benefit obligation	(22,351)		—		—	—		—		(1,434)		(20,917)
Total Level 2	(6,492)		1,434		—	14,425		—		(1,434)		(20,917)

Measured on a non-recurring basis:
Level 3(3)(4):
Goodwill	91,643				91,643

Total	$	116,520	$	1,434	91,643	$	14,425	$	31,369	$	(1,434)	$	(20,917)


			Balance Sheet Classification
	Fair Value		Other Current Assets		Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans		Investments		Other Current Liabilities		Retirement and Pension Plans
Balance at December 31, 2019

Level 1(1):
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan	$	25,409	$	—	$	—	$	25,409	$	—	$	—

Level 2(2):
Retirement and pension plan assets	15,296		1,318		13,978		—		—		—
Pension benefit obligation	(20,918)		—		—		—		(1,318)		(19,600)
Total Level 2	(5,622)		1,318		13,978		—		(1,318)		(19,600)





Total	$	19,787	$	1,318	$	13,978	$	25,409	$	(1,318)	$	(19,600)

(1)Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

(2)Level 2 – Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets and liabilities, or other inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument.

(3)Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets and liabilities. This includes certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs.

(4)In accordance with Subtopic 350-20, goodwill with a carrying value of $33.0 million was written down to its implied fair value of zero, resulting in the revised total goodwill of $91.6 million and an impairment charge of $33.0 million in earnings.

Contingent Consideration

The former owners of the Company's acquisitions are eligible to receive additional cash consideration based on the attainment of certain operating metrics in the periods subsequent to acquisition. Contingent consideration is valued using significant inputs that are not observable in the market which are defined as Level 3 inputs pursuant to fair value measurement accounting. The Company determines the fair value of contingent consideration using discounted cash flow models. Contingent consideration is recorded within non-current Accrued salaries and benefits in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of Level 3 liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2020:


	Acquisition Earnout Accruals		Contingent Compensation Accruals
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(5,278)	$	(618)

Earnout accretion/compensation expense	—		(1,942)
Payments	5,051		—

Foreign currency translation	227		170
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	—	$	(2,390)

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the difference between the purchase price of acquired companies and the related fair value of the net assets acquired, which is accounted for by the acquisition method of accounting. The Company performs assessments of the carrying value of goodwill at least annually and whenever events occur or circumstances indicate that a carrying amount of goodwill may not be recoverable. During the three months ended June 30, 2020, an interim goodwill impairment evaluation was conducted to determine the fair value of goodwill resulting in an impairment of $33.0 million. On October 31, 2020, the Company conducted its annual goodwill impairment evaluation in accordance with ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other, which indicated that the fair value of the Americas reporting unit was in excess of its carrying value and no impairment was necessary. Goodwill is valued using significant inputs that are not observable in the market which are defined as Level 3 inputs pursuant to fair value measurement accounting. The Company determines the fair value of goodwill using discounted cash flow models.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of Level 3 assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020:


	Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	126,831

Impairment	(32,970)
Foreign currency translation	(2,218)
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	91,643

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill

The Company's goodwill by segment is as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Executive Search
Americas	$	91,643	$	92,497
Europe	—		25,579
Asia Pacific	—		8,755
Total goodwill	$	91,643	$	126,831

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	Executive Search
	Americas		Europe		Asia Pacific		Total













Goodwill	$	88,690	$	20,900	$	9,302	$	118,892
Accumulated impairment losses	—		—		—		—
Balance at December 31, 2017	88,690		20,900		9,302		118,892

Amrop acquisition	—		5,478		—		5,478
Foreign currency translation	(280)		(1,454)		(544)		(2,278)
Balance at December 31, 2018	88,410		24,924		8,758		122,092

2GET acquisition	3,793		—		—		3,793
Foreign currency translation	294		655		(3)		946

Balance at December 31, 2019	92,497		25,579		8,755		126,831

Impairment	—		(24,475)		(8,495)		(32,970)
Foreign currency translation	(854)		(1,104)		(260)		(2,218)

Goodwill	91,643		24,475		8,495		124,613
Accumulated impairment losses	—		(24,475)		(8,495)		(32,970)
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	91,643	$	—	$	—	$	91,643

During the three months ended June 30, 2020, and as a direct result of the economic impact of COVID-19, the Company experienced a decline in demand for our executive search services and a lengthening of the executive search process due to a slow-down in client decision making, which had a material adverse impact on our results of operations. As a result, the Company identified a triggering event and performed an interim goodwill impairment evaluation.

During the 2020 fourth quarter, the Company conducted its annual goodwill impairment evaluation as of October 31, 2020 in accordance with ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other for the Company's remaining goodwill in the Americas reporting unit. The goodwill impairment test is completed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit, calculated as described above, with its carrying amount. An impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value; however, the loss recognized is not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

Based on the results of the impairment analysis, the fair value of the Americas reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by an amount in excess of 100%.

Other Intangible Assets, net

The Company’s other intangible assets, net by segment, are as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Executive Search
Americas	$	225	$	557
Europe	852		1,314
Asia Pacific	52		64


Total Other Intangible Assets, Net	$	1,129	$	1,935

The carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization were as follows:


		December 31, 2020						December 31, 2019
	Weighted Average Life (in years)	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount
Client relationships	6.6	$	16,600	$	(15,587)	$	1,013	$	16,302	$	(14,683)	$	1,619
Trade name	5.0	280		(164)		116		362		(46)		316
Total intangible assets	6.4	$	16,880	$	(15,751)	$	1,129	$	16,664	$	(14,729)	$	1,935

Intangible asset amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, was $0.7 million, $0.9 million and $1.5 million, respectively.

The Company's estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets as of December 31, 2020 for the years ended December 31, is as follows:


2021			496
2022			318
2023			189
2024			77
2025			49
Total			1,129

Other Current Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Prepaid Expense and Other Assets, Current [Abstract]

Other Current Assets [Text Block]

The components of other current assets are as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Contract assets	$	19,652	$	22,257
Other	3,627		5,591
Total other current assets	$	23,279	$	27,848

Line of Credit	12 Months Ended
Line of Credit	Dec. 31, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Line of Credit	On October 26, 2018, the Company entered into a new Credit Agreement (the "2018 Credit Agreement") to replace the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Restated Credit Agreement") executed on June 30, 2015. The 2018 Credit Agreement provides the Company with a senior unsecured revolving line of credit with an aggregate commitment of $175 million, which includes a sublimit of $25 million for letters of credit, and a $10 million swingline loan sublimit. The agreement also includes a $75 million expansion feature. The 2018 Credit Agreement will mature in October 2023. Borrowings under the 2018 Credit Agreement bear interest at the Company's election of the Alternate Base Rate (as defined in the 2018 Credit Agreement) or Adjusted LIBOR (as defined in the 2018 Credit Agreement) plus a spread as determined by the Company’s leverage ratio. Borrowings under the 2018 Credit Agreement may be used for working capital, capital expenditures, Permitted Acquisitions (as defined in the 2018 Credit Agreement) and for other general purposes of the Company and its subsidiaries. The obligations under the 2018 Credit Agreement are guaranteed by certain of the Company's subsidiaries. The Company capitalized approximately $1.0 million of loan acquisition costs related to the 2018 Credit Agreement, which will be amortized over the remaining term of the agreement. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company borrowed $100.0 million under the 2018 Credit Agreement. The Company elected to draw down a portion of the available funds from its revolving line of credit as a precautionary measure to increase its cash position and further enhance its financial flexibility in light of current uncertainty in the global markets resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. The Company subsequently repaid $100.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2020. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company borrowed $20 million under the Restated Credit Agreement and elected the Adjusted LIBOR rate. The Company subsequently repaid $8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018 and $12 million during the three months ended June 30, 2018. As of December 31, 2020, and 2019, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the 2018 Credit Agreement. The Company was in compliance with the financial and other covenants under the 2018 Credit Agreement and no event of default existed.

Employee Benefit Plans	12 Months Ended
Employee Benefit Plans	Dec. 31, 2020
Postemployment Benefits [Abstract]
Employee Benefit Plans	Qualified Retirement Plan The Company has a defined contribution retirement plan (the “Plan”) for all eligible employees in the United States. Eligible employees may begin participating in the Plan upon their hire date. The Plan contains a 401(k) provision, which provides for employee pre-tax and/or after-tax contributions, from 1% to 50% of their eligible compensation up to a combined maximum permitted by law. The Company matched employee contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis per participant up to the greater of $6,000, or 6.0%, of eligible compensation for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. Employees are eligible for the Company match immediately upon entry into the plan. Those contributions vest annually, provided the employee is employed by the Company on the last day of the Plan year in which the match is made. The Plan also provides for employees who retire, die or become disabled during the Plan year to receive the Company match for that Plan year. The Plan provides that forfeitures will be used to reduce the Company’s contributions. Forfeitures are created annually by participants who terminate employment before becoming entitled to the Company’s matching contribution under the Plan. The Company also has the option of making discretionary contributions. There were no discretionary contributions made for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. The expense that the Company incurred for matching employee contributions for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, was $5.7 million, $6.3 million and $5.7 million, respectively. The Company maintains additional retirement plans in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific regions which the Company does not consider as material and, therefore, additional disclosure has not been presented. Deferred Compensation Plans The Company has a deferred compensation plan for certain U.S. employees (the “U.S. Plan”) that became effective on January 1, 2006. The U.S. Plan allows participants to defer up to 25% of their base compensation and up to the lesser of $500,000 or 25% of their eligible bonus compensation into several different investment vehicles. These deferrals are immediately vested and are not subject to a risk of forfeiture. In 2020 and 2019, all deferrals in the U.S. Plan were funded. The compensation deferred in the U.S. Plan was $30.5 million and $23.8 million at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The assets of the U.S. Plan are included in Investments and the liabilities of the U.S. Plan are included in Retirement and pension plans in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019. The Company has a Non-Employee Directors Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan whereby non-employee members of the Company’s Board of Directors may elect to defer up to 100% of the cash component of their directors’ fees into several different investment vehicles. As of December 31, 2020, and 2019, the total amounts deferred under the plan were $0.9 million and $1.6 million, respectively, all of which were funded. The assets of the plan are included in Investments and the liabilities of the plan are included in Retirement and pension plans in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2020 and 2019. The U.S. and Non-Employee Directors Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plans consist primarily of marketable securities and mutual funds, all of which are valued using Level 1 inputs (See Note 7, Financial Instruments and Fair Value).

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]

The Company maintains a pension plan for certain current and former employees in Germany. The pensions are individually fixed Euro amounts that vary depending on the function and the eligible years of service of the employee.


	2020		2019
Benefit obligation at January 1,	$	20,918	$	20,908
Interest cost	212		338
Actuarial loss	790		1,506
Benefits paid	(1,402)		(1,375)
Cumulative translation adjustment	1,833		(459)
Benefit obligation at December 31,	$	22,351	$	20,918

The benefit obligation amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Current liabilities	$	1,434	$	1,318
Noncurrent liabilities	20,917		19,600
Total	$	22,351	$	20,918

The components of and assumptions used to determine the net periodic benefit cost are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020			2019			2018
Net period benefit cost:

Interest cost	$	212		$	338		$	373
Amortization of net loss	140			35			92
Net periodic benefit cost	$	352		$	373		$	465
Weighted average assumptions
Discount rate (1)	1.03		%	1.71		%	1.64		%
Rate of compensation increase	—		%	—		%	—		%

Assumptions to determine the Company’s benefit obligation are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Discount rate (1)	0.72	%	1.03	%	1.71	%
Rate of compensation increase	—	%	—	%	—	%
Measurement Date	12/31/2020		12/31/2019		12/31/2018

(1)The discount rates are based on long-term bond indices adjusted to reflect the longer duration of the benefit obligation.

The amounts in Accumulated other comprehensive income as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, that had not yet been recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost were $5.1 million and $4.0 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, an insignificant amount of the accumulated other comprehensive income is expected to be recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost in 2021.

The Company’s investment strategy is to support its pension obligations through reinsurance contracts. The BaFin—German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority—supervises the insurance companies and the reinsurance contracts. The BaFin requires each reinsurance contract to guarantee a fixed minimum return. The Company’s pension benefits are fully reinsured by group insurance contracts with ERGO Lebensversicherung AG, and the group insurance contracts are measured in accordance with BaFin guidelines (including mortality tables and discount rates) which are considered Level 2 inputs (See Note 7, Financial Instruments and Fair Value). The fair value at December 31, 2020 and 2019, was $15.9 million and $15.3 million, respectively.

Since the pension assets are not segregated in trust from the Company’s other assets, the pension assets are not shown as an offset against the pension liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. These assets are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, as a component of Other current assets and Assets designated for retirement and pension plans.

The benefits expected to be paid in each of the next five years, and in the aggregate for the five years thereafter are as follows:


2021			1,434
2022			1,415
2023			1,393
2024			1,367
2025			1,335
2025 through 2029			6,034

- Definition

The entire disclosure for retirement benefits.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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+ Details

Stock-Based Compensation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Share-based Payment Arrangement

On May 28, 2020, the stockholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company's Second Amended and Restated 2012 Heidrick & Struggles GlobalShare Program (as so amended, the "Third A&R 2012 Program") to increase the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the 2012 Program by 500,000 shares. The Third A&R 2012 Program provides for grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, and other stock-based compensation awards that are valued based upon the grant date fair value of shares. These awards may be granted to directors, selected employees and independent contractors.

As of December 31, 2020, 3,001,357 awards have been issued under the Third A&R 2012 Program and 1,057,037 shares remain available for future awards, including 708,394 forfeited awards. The Third A&R 2012 Program provides that no awards can be granted after May 24, 2028.

The Company measures its stock-based compensation costs based on the grant date fair value of the awards and recognizes these costs in the financial statements over the requisite service period.

A summary of information with respect to stock-based compensation is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Salaries and employee benefits (1)	$	12,968	$	12,857	$	9,548
General and administrative expenses	460		460		562
Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income	3,571		3,529		2,674

(1) Includes $3.2 million, $3.0 million and $1.2 million of expense related to cash settled restricted stock units for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units

Restricted stock units are generally subject to ratable vesting over a three-year period. Beginning in 2018, a portion of the Company's restricted stock units are subject to ratable vesting over a four-year period. Compensation expense related to service-based restricted stock units is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.

Restricted stock unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:


	Number of Restricted Stock Units	Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value








Outstanding on December 31, 2018	512,446	$	28.83
Granted	270,488	33.55
Vested and converted to common stock	(175,792)	24.19
Forfeited	(8,154)	34.29
Outstanding on December 31, 2019	598,988	32.25
Granted	329,068	22.20
Vested and converted to common stock	(194,921)	29.67
Forfeited	(25,271)	30.62
Outstanding on December 31, 2020	707,864	$	28.35

As of December 31, 2020, there was $7.1 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.3 years.

Performance Stock Units

The Company grants performance stock units to certain of its senior executives. The performance stock units are generally subject to a cliff vesting at the end of a three-year period. The vesting will vary between 0% - 200% based on the attainment of operating income goals over the three-year vesting period. The performance stock units are expensed on a straight-line basis over the three-year vesting period.

Beginning in 2019, performance stock units were granted to certain employees of the Company and are subject to a cliff vesting period of three years and certain other performance conditions. Half of the award is based on the achievement of certain operating margin thresholds and half of the award is based on the Company's total shareholder return, relative to a peer group. The fair value of the awards based on total shareholder return was determined using the Monte-Carlo simulation model. A Monte Carlo simulation model uses stock price volatility and other variables to estimate the probability of satisfying the performance conditions and the resulting fair value of the award.

Performance share unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:


	Number of Performance Stock Units	Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value








Outstanding on December 31, 2018	197,117	$	24.88
Granted	81,661	35.58
Vested and converted to common stock	(99,219)	25.04
Forfeited	—	—
Outstanding on December 31, 2019	179,559	32.63
Granted	105,847	23.52
Vested and converted to common stock	(50,472)	26.69
Forfeited	—	—
Outstanding on December 31, 2020	234,934	$	29.80

As of December 31, 2020, there was $4.0 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested performance stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 1.7 years.

Phantom Stock Units

Phantom stock units are grants of phantom stock with respect to shares of the Company's common stock that are settled in cash and are subject to various restrictions, including restrictions on transferability, vesting and forfeiture provisions. Shares of phantom stock that do not vest for any reason will be forfeited by the recipient and will revert to the Company.

Phantom stock units are subject to vesting over a period of four years and certain other conditions, including continued service to the Company. As a result of the cash-settlement feature of the awards, the Company considers the awards to be liability awards, which are measured at fair value at each reporting date and the vested portion of the award is recognized as a

liability to the extent that the service condition is deemed probable. The fair value of the phantom stock awards on the balance sheet date, was determined using the closing share price of the Company's common stock on that date.

The Company recorded phantom stock-based compensation expense of $3.2 million and $3.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Phantom stock unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 is as follows:


						Number of Phantom Stock Units




Outstanding on December 31, 2018						111,673
Granted						154,387
Vested						—
Forfeited						—
Outstanding on December 31, 2019						266,060
Granted						118,596
Vested						(21,346)
Forfeited						(11,676)
Outstanding on December 31, 2020						351,634

As of December 31, 2020, there was $4.1 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested phantom stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.9 years.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Equity [Abstract]

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) by component for the year ended December 31, 2020, are summarized below:


	Available- for- Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation		Pension		AOCI
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	13	$	6,102	$	(2,291)	$	3,824
Other comprehensive income (loss) before classification, net of tax	(13)		82		(476)		(407)



Balance at December 31, 2020	—		$	6,184	$	(2,767)	$	3,417

Restructuring

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]

Restructuring Charges

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company implemented a restructuring plan to optimize future growth and profitability. The primary components of the restructuring included a workforce reduction, a reduction of the Company's real estate expenses and professional fees, and the elimination of certain deferred compensation programs. The Company recorded restructuring charges of $30.5 million in the Americas, $8.6 million in Europe, $4.6 million in Asia Pacific, $4.7 million in Heidrick Consulting and $4.0 million in Global Operations Support. The Company anticipates future restructuring charges of $7.0 million to $10.0 million related to further real estate optimization will be recognized in 2021.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $4.1 million related to the closing of the Company's legacy Brazil operations due to the acquisition of 2GET Holdings Limited. The restructuring charges primarily consist of employee-related costs for the Company's legacy Brazil operations. The America's incurred $4.1 million in restructuring charges, while Global Operations Support incurred less than $0.1 million in restructuring charges.

Restructuring charges by operating segment for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Executive Search
Americas	$	30,479	$	4,102	$	—
Europe	8,603		—		—
Asia Pacific	4,614		—		—
Total Executive Search	43,696		4,102		—


Heidrick Consulting	4,657		—		—
Global Operations Support	4,019		28		—
Total restructuring	$	52,372	$	4,130	$	—

Changes in the restructuring accrual for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	Employee Related		Office Related		Other		Total











Accrual balance at December 31, 2017	11,866		148		1,011		13,025

Cash payments	(8,689)		(248)		(993)		(9,930)
Non-cash write-offs	—		195		—		195
Other	(1,843)		(95)		5		(1,933)
Exchange rate fluctuations	(65)		—		(6)		(71)
Accrual balance at December 31, 2018	1,269		—		17		1,286
Restructuring charges	4,130		—		—		4,130
Cash payments	(2,213)		—		—		(2,213)
Non-cash write-offs	—		—		(17)		(17)
Other	4		—		—		4
Exchange rate fluctuations	55		—		—		55
Accrual balance at December 31, 2019	3,245		—		—		3,245
Restructuring charges	32,780		18,910		682		52,372
Cash payments	(11,443)		(138)		(682)		(12,263)
Non-cash write-offs	(1,633)		(17,823)		—		(19,456)
Other	(173)		—		—		(173)
Exchange rate fluctuations	(464)		4		—		(460)
Accrual balance at December 31, 2020	$	22,312	$	953	$	—	$	23,265

Restructuring accruals of are recorded within Other current liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets with the exception of certain employee related accruals. Accruals associated with the elimination of certain deferred compensation programs of $7.2 million and $11.3 million are recorded within current and non-current Accrued salaries and benefits, respectively, as of December 31, 2020.

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

The sources of income (loss) before income taxes are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
United States	$	11,346	$	53,461	$	47,191
Foreign	(42,744)		15,828		23,301
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	(31,398)	$	69,289	$	70,492

The provision for income taxes are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Current
Federal	$	4,469	$	11,311	$	12,311
State and local	1,948		4,422		4,843
Foreign	2,172		4,423		6,907
Current provision for income taxes	8,589		20,156		24,061

Deferred
Federal	(2,416)		2,031		6,403
State and local	(697)		698		(354)
Foreign	833		(465)		(8,913)
Deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	(2,280)		2,264		(2,864)
Total provision for income taxes	$	6,309	$	22,420	$	21,197

A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes to income taxes at the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Income tax provision (benefit) at the statutory U.S. federal rate	$	(6,594)	$	14,551	$	14,803
State income tax provision, net of federal tax benefit	735		3,509		3,242
Nondeductible expenses, net	7,065		1,570		1,651
Foreign taxes (includes rate differential and changes in foreign valuation allowance)	4,470		698		(35)
Establishment (release) of valuation allowance	566		(117)		(43)
Additional U.S. tax on foreign operations	—		2,550		1,628
Current/deferred items	(505)		(157)		(1,199)

Other, net	572		(184)		1,150
Total provision for income taxes	$	6,309	$	22,420	$	21,197

The deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following components:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Deferred tax assets attributable to:
Operating lease liability and accrued rent	$	22,765	$	20,371
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards	19,721		17,940
Accrued compensation and employee benefits	18,553		14,506
Deferred compensation	17,376		17,110
Foreign tax credit carryforwards	5,196		6,493
Other accrued expenses	4,350		5,882
Deferred tax assets, before valuation allowance	87,961		82,302
Valuation allowance	(25,218)		(24,200)
Deferred tax assets, after valuation allowance	62,743		58,102

Deferred tax liabilities attributable to:
Operating lease, right-of-use, assets	17,526		17,716
Goodwill	7,625		5,440

Depreciation on property and equipment	1,172		1,652
Other	533		533
Deferred tax liabilities	26,856		25,341
Net deferred tax assets	$	35,887	$	32,761

The recognition of deferred tax assets is based on management’s belief that it is more likely than not that the tax benefits associated with temporary differences, net operating loss carryforwards and tax credits will be utilized. The Company assesses the recoverability of the deferred tax assets on an ongoing basis. In making this assessment, the Company considers all positive and negative evidence, and all potential sources of taxable income including scheduled reversals of deferred tax liabilities, tax-planning strategies, projected future taxable income and recent financial performance. Certain of the Company’s deferred tax liabilities, based on jurisdictional netting, of $0.1 million and $0.3 million are included in Other non-current liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The valuation allowance increased from $24.2 million at December 31, 2019 to $25.2 million at December 31, 2020. The valuation allowance at December 31, 2020 was related to foreign net operating loss carryforwards, foreign tax credit carryforwards, and certain foreign deferred tax assets. The Company intends to maintain these valuation allowances until sufficient evidence exists to support their reversal.

At December 31, 2020, the Company had a net operating loss carryforward of $128.1 million related to its foreign tax filings. Of the $128.1 million net operating loss carryforward, $87.9 million is subject to a valuation allowance. Depending on the tax rules of the tax jurisdictions, the losses can be carried forward indefinitely or for periods ranging from five to twenty years. The Company also has a foreign tax credit carryforward of $5.2 million subject to a valuation allowance of $5.2 million.

At December 31, 2019, the Company had a net operating loss carryforward of $116.1 million related to its foreign tax filings. Of the $116.1 million net operating loss carryforward, $76.9 million was subject to a valuation allowance. Depending on the tax rules of the tax jurisdictions, the losses can be carried forward indefinitely or for periods ranging from five to twenty years. The Company also has a foreign tax credit carryforward of $6.5 million subject to a valuation allowance of $6.5 million.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had $0.1 million of unrecognized tax benefits. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $0.4 million of unrecognized tax benefits which, if recognized, would be recorded as a component of income tax expense.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the total amounts of gross unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Gross unrecognized tax benefits at January 1,	$	130	$	1,128	$	740
Gross increases for tax positions of prior years	500		389		608
Gross decreases for tax positions of prior years	(31)		(377)		—
Settlements	(183)		(1,010)		(220)

Gross unrecognized tax benefits at December 31,	$	416	$	130	$	1,128

In many cases the Company’s uncertain tax positions are related to tax years that remain subject to examination by the relevant taxable authorities. Years 2017 through 2019 are subject to examination by the state taxing authorities. The years 2017 through 2019 are also subject to examination by the federal taxing authority. There are certain foreign jurisdictions that are subject to examination for years prior to 2017.

The Company is currently under audit by some jurisdictions. It is likely that the examination phase of several of these audits will conclude in the next twelve months. No significant increases or decreases in unrecognized tax benefits are expected to occur by December 31, 2021.

Estimated interest and penalties related to the underpayment of income taxes are classified as a component of the provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss). Accrued interest and penalties are less than $0.1 million as of December 31, 2020.

The Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) provisions require the Company to include in its U.S. income tax return foreign subsidiary earnings in excess of an allowable return on the foreign subsidiary’s tangible assets. The Company will be subject to incremental U.S. tax on GILTI income beginning in 2018, due to expense allocations required by the U.S. foreign tax credit rules. The Company has elected to account for GILTI tax in the period in which it is incurred, and therefore has not provided any deferred tax impacts of GILTI in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.

The Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (“BEAT”) provisions in the Tax Reform Act eliminates the deduction of certain base-erosion payments made to related foreign corporations, and impose a minimum tax if greater than regular tax. The Company does not expect it will be subject to this tax and therefore has not included any tax impacts of BEAT in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

+ References + Details

Segment Information

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Information

The Company has four operating segments. The executive search business operates in the Americas, Europe (which includes Africa) and Asia Pacific (which includes the Middle East), and the Heidrick Consulting business operates globally.

For segment purposes, reimbursements of out-of-pocket expenses classified as revenue and other operating income are reported separately and, therefore, are not included in the results of each segment. The Company believes that analyzing trends in revenue before reimbursements (net revenue), analyzing operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue, and analyzing operating income (loss) more appropriately reflects its core operations.

The revenue, operating income, depreciation and amortization, and capital expenditures, by segment, are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Revenue
Executive Search
Americas	$	361,416	$	415,455	$	405,267
Europe	124,243		135,070		145,348
Asia Pacific	79,511		95,827		102,276
Total Executive Search	565,170		646,352		652,891
Heidrick Consulting	56,445		60,572		63,132
Revenue before reimbursements	621,615		706,924		716,023
Reimbursements	7,755		18,690		19,632
Total revenue	$	629,370	$	725,614	$	735,655

Operating income (loss)
Executive Search
Americas (1)	$	62,806	$	100,833	$	96,880
Europe (2)	(22,827)		3,026		5,849
Asia Pacific (3)	(6,724)		13,590		15,999
Total Executive Search	33,255		117,449		118,728
Heidrick Consulting (4)	(28,369)		(18,499)		(13,619)
Total segments	4,886		98,950		105,109
Global Operations Support (5)	(40,415)		(35,439)		(36,252)
Total operating income (loss)	$	(35,529)	$	63,511	$	68,857

Depreciation and amortization
Executive Search
Americas	$	20,937	$	4,204	$	4,605
Europe	2,270		2,784		3,735
Asia Pacific	1,837		1,472		1,646
Total Executive Search	25,044		8,460		9,986
Heidrick Consulting	953		1,079		1,577
Total segments	25,997		9,539		11,563
Global Operations Support	659		832		959
Total depreciation and amortization	$	26,656	$	10,371	$	12,522

Capital expenditures
Executive Search
Americas	$	4,258	$	1,121	$	601
Europe	409		1,070		3,557
Asia Pacific	2,015		295		440
Total Executive Search	6,682		2,486		4,598
Heidrick Consulting	116		541		581
Total segments	6,798		3,027		5,179
Global Operations Support	524		325		1,006
Total capital expenditures	$	7,322	$	3,352	$	6,185

(1)Includes $30.5 million of restructuring charges in 2020 and $4.1 million of restructuring charges in 2019.

(2)Includes $8.6 million of restructuring charges and $24.5 million of impairment charges in 2020.

(3)Includes $4.6 million of restructuring charges and $8.5 million of impairment charges in 2020.

(4)Includes $4.7 million of restructuring charges in 2020.

(5)Includes $4.0 million of restructuring charges in 2020 and less than $0.1 million of restructuring charges in 2019.

Identifiable assets, and goodwill and other intangible assets, net, by segment, are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Current assets
Executive Search
Americas	$	284,837	$	286,818
Europe	84,841		96,230
Asia Pacific	76,523		78,967
Total Executive Search	446,201		462,015
Heidrick Consulting	24,546		30,628
Total segments	470,747		492,643
Global Operations Support	1,939		1,839
Total allocated current assets	472,686		494,482
Unallocated non-current assets	222,354		220,925
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net
Executive Search
Americas	91,868		93,054
Europe	852		26,893
Asia Pacific	52		8,819
Total Executive Search	92,772		128,766
Heidrick Consulting	—		—
Total goodwill and other intangible assets, net	92,772		128,766
Total assets	$	787,812	$	844,173

- Definition

The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 31
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8924-108599

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 34
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8981-108599

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 21
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8721-108599

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
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-Paragraph 40
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e9031-108599

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (f)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (e)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 26
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8844-108599

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 41
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e9038-108599

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8736-108599

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8657-108599

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 21
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8721-108599

Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2134510

+ Details

Guarantees	12 Months Ended
Guarantees	Dec. 31, 2020
Guarantees [Abstract]
Guarantees	The Company has utilized letters of credit to support certain obligations, primarily the payment of office lease obligations and business license requirements for certain of its subsidiaries in Europe and Asia Pacific. The letters of credit were made to secure the respective agreements and are for the terms of the agreements, which extend through 2033. For each letter of credit issued, the Company would have use cash to fulfill the obligation if the subsidiary defaults on a lease payment. The maximum amount of undiscounted payments the Company would be required to make in the event of default on all outstanding letters of credit is approximately $5.4 million as of December 31, 2020. The Company has not accrued for these arrangements as no event of default exists or is expected to exist.

Commitments and Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Litigation The Company has contingent liabilities from various pending claims and litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, some of which involve claims for damages that are substantial in amount. Some of these matters are covered by insurance. Based upon information currently available, the Company believes the ultimate resolution of such claims and litigation will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Marketable Securities, Policy

Marketable Securities

The Company’s marketable securities consist of available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities exceeding three months.

Concentration of Risk

Accounts Receivable

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Property and Equipment


Office furniture, fixtures and equipment						5–10 years
Computer equipment and software						3–7 years

Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the lease term or life of the asset improvement, which typically range from three to ten years.

Depreciation is calculated for tax purposes using accelerated methods, where applicable.

Long-lived Assets

Other Intangible Assets and Long Lived Assets

Lessee, Leases

Leases

Investments

The Company’s investments consist primarily of available-for-sale investments within the U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan (the “Plan”).

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill

Restructuring Charges

The Company accounts for restructuring charges by recognizing a liability at fair value when the costs are incurred.

Revenue from Contract with Customer

Revenue Recognition

See Note 3, Revenue.

Reimbursements

The Company incurs certain out-of-pocket expenses that are reimbursed by its clients, which are accounted for as revenue and expense in its Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

Salaries and Employee Benefits

Salaries and Benefits

Income Taxes

Earnings per Common Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Net income (loss)	$	(37,707)	$	46,869	$	49,295
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	19,301		19,103		18,917
Effect of dilutive securities:
Restricted stock units	—		285		406
Performance stock units	—		163		209
Diluted	19,301		19,551		19,532
Basic earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.45	$	2.61
Diluted earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.40	$	2.52

Translation of Foreign Currencies

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Restricted Cash


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$	316,473	$	271,719	$	279,906
Restricted cash included within other current assets	—		—		108
Restricted cash included within other non-current assets	16		—		248
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	316,489	$	271,719	$	280,262

Recently Issued Financial Accounting Standards

Recently Adopted Financial Accounting Standards

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Estimated Useful Life of Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment


Office furniture, fixtures and equipment						5–10 years
Computer equipment and software						3–7 years

Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the lease term or life of the asset improvement, which typically range from three to ten years.

Depreciation is calculated for tax purposes using accelerated methods, where applicable.

Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Net income (loss)	$	(37,707)	$	46,869	$	49,295
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	19,301		19,103		18,917
Effect of dilutive securities:
Restricted stock units	—		285		406
Performance stock units	—		163		209
Diluted	19,301		19,551		19,532
Basic earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.45	$	2.61
Diluted earnings (loss) per share	$	(1.95)	$	2.40	$	2.52

Schedule of Cash and Cash Equivalents


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$	316,473	$	271,719	$	279,906
Restricted cash included within other current assets	—		—		108
Restricted cash included within other non-current assets	16		—		248
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	316,489	$	271,719	$	280,262

Revenue (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Contract with Customer, Contract Asset, Contract Liability, and Receivable

The following table outlines the changes in our contract asset and liability balances for the years ended:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		Change
Contract assets
Unbilled receivables	$	9,907	$	7,585	$	2,322
Contract assets	9,745		14,672		(4,927)
Total contract assets	19,652		22,257		(2,605)

Contract liabilities
Deferred revenue	$	38,050	$	41,267	$	(3,217)

Credit Losses (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Credit Loss [Abstract]

Debt Securities, Available-for-sale


	Less Than 12 Months				Balance Sheet Classification
Balance at December 31, 2020	Fair Value		Unrealized Loss		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
U.S. Treasury securities	$	31,997	$	1	$	31,997	$	—

Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss

The activity in the allowance for credit losses on the Company's trade receivables is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Balance at January 1,	$	5,140	$	3,502	$	2,534
Provision for credit losses	6,696		5,900		3,790
Write-offs	(5,418)		(4,270)		(2,708)
Foreign currency translation	139		8		(114)
Balance at December 31,	$	6,557	$	5,140	$	3,502

Property and Equipment, net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Components of Company's Property and Equipment

The components of the Company’s property and equipment are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Leasehold improvements	$	40,320	$	47,269
Office furniture, fixtures and equipment	14,816		17,740
Computer equipment and software	25,544		27,531
Property and equipment, gross	80,680		92,540
Accumulated depreciation	(57,188)		(63,890)
Property and equipment, net	$	23,492	$	28,650

Leases, Codification Topic 842 (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Lease, Cost

Lease cost components included within General and Administrative Expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the year ended December 31, were as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Operating lease cost	$	22,227	$	24,928
Variable lease cost	6,047		7,932
Total lease cost	$	28,274	$	32,860

Schedule Of Cash Flow Information Related to Leases

Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company's operating leases for the year ended December 31, is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	31,573	$	33,797
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations:
Operating leases	$	31,829	$	19,640

Schedule of Weighted Average Information Related to Leases

The weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of December 31, is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
Operating leases	6.0 years		4.7 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
Operating leases	3.5	%	3.9	%

Summary of Minimum Future Office Space and Equipment Lease Payments Due

The future maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities for the years ended December 31, is as follows:


	Operating Lease Maturity
2021	$	28,089
2022	25,803
2023	23,822
2024	14,030
2025	6,726
Thereafter	30,226
Total lease payments	128,696
Less: Interest	(12,896)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	115,800

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments

The Company's cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities by significant investment category are as follows:


	Fair Value								Balance Sheet Classification
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
Balance at December 31, 2020
Cash									$	230,490	$	—

Level 1(1):
Money market funds									53,986
U.S. Treasury securities	51,996		1		(1)		51,996		31,997		19,999
Total Level 1	51,996		1		(1)		51,996		85,983		19,999




Total	$	51,996	$	1	$	(1)	$	51,996	$	316,473	$	19,999


	Fair Value								Balance Sheet Classification
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses		Fair Value		Cash and Cash Equivalents		Marketable Securities
Balance at December 31, 2019
Cash									$	177,493	$	—

Level 1(1):
Money market funds									15,661		—
U.S. Treasury securities	139,705		13		—		139,718		78,565		61,153
Total Level 1	139,705		13		—		139,718		94,226		61,153

Total	$	139,705	$	13	$	—	$	139,718	$	271,719	$	61,153

(1)Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Fair Value, Separate Account Investment


			Balance Sheet Classification
	Fair Value		Other Current Assets		Goodwill	Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans		Investments		Other Current Liabilities		Retirement and Pension Plans
Balance at December 31, 2020

Measured on a recurring basis:
Level 1(1):
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan	$	31,369	$	—	—	$	—	$	31,369	$	—	$	—

Level 2(2):
Retirement and pension plan assets	15,859		1,434		—	14,425		—		—		—
Pension benefit obligation	(22,351)		—		—	—		—		(1,434)		(20,917)
Total Level 2	(6,492)		1,434		—	14,425		—		(1,434)		(20,917)

Measured on a non-recurring basis:
Level 3(3)(4):
Goodwill	91,643				91,643

Total	$	116,520	$	1,434	91,643	$	14,425	$	31,369	$	(1,434)	$	(20,917)


			Balance Sheet Classification
	Fair Value		Other Current Assets		Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans		Investments		Other Current Liabilities		Retirement and Pension Plans
Balance at December 31, 2019

Level 1(1):
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan	$	25,409	$	—	$	—	$	25,409	$	—	$	—

Level 2(2):
Retirement and pension plan assets	15,296		1,318		13,978		—		—		—
Pension benefit obligation	(20,918)		—		—		—		(1,318)		(19,600)
Total Level 2	(5,622)		1,318		13,978		—		(1,318)		(19,600)





Total	$	19,787	$	1,318	$	13,978	$	25,409	$	(1,318)	$	(19,600)

(1)Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Balance of Level 3 Assets and Liabilities

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of Level 3 liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2020:


	Acquisition Earnout Accruals		Contingent Compensation Accruals
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	(5,278)	$	(618)

Earnout accretion/compensation expense	—		(1,942)
Payments	5,051		—

Foreign currency translation	227		170
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	—	$	(2,390)

Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of Level 3 assets for the twelve months ended December 31, 2020:


	Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	126,831

Impairment	(32,970)
Foreign currency translation	(2,218)
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	91,643

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Identifiable Assets, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net, by Segment

The Company's goodwill by segment is as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Executive Search
Americas	$	91,643	$	92,497
Europe	—		25,579
Asia Pacific	—		8,755
Total goodwill	$	91,643	$	126,831

Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill by Segment

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	Executive Search
	Americas		Europe		Asia Pacific		Total













Goodwill	$	88,690	$	20,900	$	9,302	$	118,892
Accumulated impairment losses	—		—		—		—
Balance at December 31, 2017	88,690		20,900		9,302		118,892

Amrop acquisition	—		5,478		—		5,478
Foreign currency translation	(280)		(1,454)		(544)		(2,278)
Balance at December 31, 2018	88,410		24,924		8,758		122,092

2GET acquisition	3,793		—		—		3,793
Foreign currency translation	294		655		(3)		946

Balance at December 31, 2019	92,497		25,579		8,755		126,831

Impairment	—		(24,475)		(8,495)		(32,970)
Foreign currency translation	(854)		(1,104)		(260)		(2,218)

Goodwill	91,643		24,475		8,495		124,613
Accumulated impairment losses	—		(24,475)		(8,495)		(32,970)
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	91,643	$	—	$	—	$	91,643

Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]

The Company's estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets as of December 31, 2020 for the years ended December 31, is as follows:


2021			496
2022			318
2023			189
2024			77
2025			49
Total			1,129

Schedule of Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

The Company’s other intangible assets, net by segment, are as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Executive Search
Americas	$	225	$	557
Europe	852		1,314
Asia Pacific	52		64


Total Other Intangible Assets, Net	$	1,129	$	1,935

Schedule of Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class

The carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization were as follows:


		December 31, 2020						December 31, 2019
	Weighted Average Life (in years)	Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount		Gross Carrying Amount		Accumulated Amortization		Net Carrying Amount
Client relationships	6.6	$	16,600	$	(15,587)	$	1,013	$	16,302	$	(14,683)	$	1,619
Trade name	5.0	280		(164)		116		362		(46)		316
Total intangible assets	6.4	$	16,880	$	(15,751)	$	1,129	$	16,664	$	(14,729)	$	1,935

Other Current Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Other Current Assets

The components of other current assets are as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Contract assets	$	19,652	$	22,257
Other	3,627		5,591
Total other current assets	$	23,279	$	27,848

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]

Schedule of Changes in Projected Benefit Obligations [Table Text Block]


	2020		2019
Benefit obligation at January 1,	$	20,918	$	20,908
Interest cost	212		338
Actuarial loss	790		1,506
Benefits paid	(1,402)		(1,375)
Cumulative translation adjustment	1,833		(459)
Benefit obligation at December 31,	$	22,351	$	20,918

Schedule of Net Benefit Costs [Table Text Block]

The components of and assumptions used to determine the net periodic benefit cost are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020			2019			2018
Net period benefit cost:

Interest cost	$	212		$	338		$	373
Amortization of net loss	140			35			92
Net periodic benefit cost	$	352		$	373		$	465
Weighted average assumptions
Discount rate (1)	1.03		%	1.71		%	1.64		%
Rate of compensation increase	—		%	—		%	—		%

Schedule of Assumptions Used [Table Text Block]

Assumptions to determine the Company’s benefit obligation are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Discount rate (1)	0.72	%	1.03	%	1.71	%
Rate of compensation increase	—	%	—	%	—	%
Measurement Date	12/31/2020		12/31/2019		12/31/2018

Schedule of Expected Benefit Payments [Table Text Block]

The benefits expected to be paid in each of the next five years, and in the aggregate for the five years thereafter are as follows:


2021			1,434
2022			1,415
2023			1,393
2024			1,367
2025			1,335
2025 through 2029			6,034

Schedule of Amounts Recognized in Balance Sheet [Table Text Block]

The benefit obligation amounts recognized in the Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Current liabilities	$	1,434	$	1,318
Noncurrent liabilities	20,917		19,600
Total	$	22,351	$	20,918

Stock-Based Compensation (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Summary of Information with Respect to Stock-based Compensation

A summary of information with respect to stock-based compensation is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Salaries and employee benefits (1)	$	12,968	$	12,857	$	9,548
General and administrative expenses	460		460		562
Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income	3,571		3,529		2,674

Restricted Stock Unit Activity

Restricted stock unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:


	Number of Restricted Stock Units	Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value








Outstanding on December 31, 2018	512,446	$	28.83
Granted	270,488	33.55
Vested and converted to common stock	(175,792)	24.19
Forfeited	(8,154)	34.29
Outstanding on December 31, 2019	598,988	32.25
Granted	329,068	22.20
Vested and converted to common stock	(194,921)	29.67
Forfeited	(25,271)	30.62
Outstanding on December 31, 2020	707,864	$	28.35

Performance Stock Unit Activity

Performance share unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:


	Number of Performance Stock Units	Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value








Outstanding on December 31, 2018	197,117	$	24.88
Granted	81,661	35.58
Vested and converted to common stock	(99,219)	25.04
Forfeited	—	—
Outstanding on December 31, 2019	179,559	32.63
Granted	105,847	23.52
Vested and converted to common stock	(50,472)	26.69
Forfeited	—	—
Outstanding on December 31, 2020	234,934	$	29.80

Stock-Based Compensation Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Phantom Stock Units Award Activity (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Phantom Stock Units Award Activity [Line Items]

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Phantom Stock Units Award Activity [Table Text Block]

Phantom stock unit activity for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 is as follows:


						Number of Phantom Stock Units




Outstanding on December 31, 2018						111,673
Granted						154,387
Vested						—
Forfeited						—
Outstanding on December 31, 2019						266,060
Granted						118,596
Vested						(21,346)
Forfeited						(11,676)
Outstanding on December 31, 2020						351,634

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Equity [Abstract]

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ("AOCI") by Component

The changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) by component for the year ended December 31, 2020, are summarized below:


	Available- for- Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation		Pension		AOCI
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	13	$	6,102	$	(2,291)	$	3,824
Other comprehensive income (loss) before classification, net of tax	(13)		82		(476)		(407)



Balance at December 31, 2020	—		$	6,184	$	(2,767)	$	3,417

Restructuring (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Schedule of Restructuring Charges by Segment [Table Text Block]

Restructuring charges by operating segment for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Executive Search
Americas	$	30,479	$	4,102	$	—
Europe	8,603		—		—
Asia Pacific	4,614		—		—
Total Executive Search	43,696		4,102		—


Heidrick Consulting	4,657		—		—
Global Operations Support	4,019		28		—
Total restructuring	$	52,372	$	4,130	$	—

Restructuring and Related Costs

Changes in the restructuring accrual for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018 were as follows:


	Employee Related		Office Related		Other		Total











Accrual balance at December 31, 2017	11,866		148		1,011		13,025

Cash payments	(8,689)		(248)		(993)		(9,930)
Non-cash write-offs	—		195		—		195
Other	(1,843)		(95)		5		(1,933)
Exchange rate fluctuations	(65)		—		(6)		(71)
Accrual balance at December 31, 2018	1,269		—		17		1,286
Restructuring charges	4,130		—		—		4,130
Cash payments	(2,213)		—		—		(2,213)
Non-cash write-offs	—		—		(17)		(17)
Other	4		—		—		4
Exchange rate fluctuations	55		—		—		55
Accrual balance at December 31, 2019	3,245		—		—		3,245
Restructuring charges	32,780		18,910		682		52,372
Cash payments	(11,443)		(138)		(682)		(12,263)
Non-cash write-offs	(1,633)		(17,823)		—		(19,456)
Other	(173)		—		—		(173)
Exchange rate fluctuations	(464)		4		—		(460)
Accrual balance at December 31, 2020	$	22,312	$	953	$	—	$	23,265

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Sources of Income (Loss) before Income Taxes

The sources of income (loss) before income taxes are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
United States	$	11,346	$	53,461	$	47,191
Foreign	(42,744)		15,828		23,301
Income (loss) before income taxes	$	(31,398)	$	69,289	$	70,492

Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes

The provision for income taxes are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Current
Federal	$	4,469	$	11,311	$	12,311
State and local	1,948		4,422		4,843
Foreign	2,172		4,423		6,907
Current provision for income taxes	8,589		20,156		24,061

Deferred
Federal	(2,416)		2,031		6,403
State and local	(697)		698		(354)
Foreign	833		(465)		(8,913)
Deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	(2,280)		2,264		(2,864)
Total provision for income taxes	$	6,309	$	22,420	$	21,197

Reconciliation of Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes

A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes to income taxes at the statutory U.S. federal income tax rate of 21% is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Income tax provision (benefit) at the statutory U.S. federal rate	$	(6,594)	$	14,551	$	14,803
State income tax provision, net of federal tax benefit	735		3,509		3,242
Nondeductible expenses, net	7,065		1,570		1,651
Foreign taxes (includes rate differential and changes in foreign valuation allowance)	4,470		698		(35)
Establishment (release) of valuation allowance	566		(117)		(43)
Additional U.S. tax on foreign operations	—		2,550		1,628
Current/deferred items	(505)		(157)		(1,199)

Other, net	572		(184)		1,150
Total provision for income taxes	$	6,309	$	22,420	$	21,197

Summary of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following components:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Deferred tax assets attributable to:
Operating lease liability and accrued rent	$	22,765	$	20,371
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards	19,721		17,940
Accrued compensation and employee benefits	18,553		14,506
Deferred compensation	17,376		17,110
Foreign tax credit carryforwards	5,196		6,493
Other accrued expenses	4,350		5,882
Deferred tax assets, before valuation allowance	87,961		82,302
Valuation allowance	(25,218)		(24,200)
Deferred tax assets, after valuation allowance	62,743		58,102

Deferred tax liabilities attributable to:
Operating lease, right-of-use, assets	17,526		17,716
Goodwill	7,625		5,440

Depreciation on property and equipment	1,172		1,652
Other	533		533
Deferred tax liabilities	26,856		25,341
Net deferred tax assets	$	35,887	$	32,761

Reconciliation of Amounts of Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefits

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the total amounts of gross unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Gross unrecognized tax benefits at January 1,	$	130	$	1,128	$	740
Gross increases for tax positions of prior years	500		389		608
Gross decreases for tax positions of prior years	(31)		(377)		—
Settlements	(183)		(1,010)		(220)

Gross unrecognized tax benefits at December 31,	$	416	$	130	$	1,128

Segment Information (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment

The revenue, operating income, depreciation and amortization, and capital expenditures, by segment, are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Revenue
Executive Search
Americas	$	361,416	$	415,455	$	405,267
Europe	124,243		135,070		145,348
Asia Pacific	79,511		95,827		102,276
Total Executive Search	565,170		646,352		652,891
Heidrick Consulting	56,445		60,572		63,132
Revenue before reimbursements	621,615		706,924		716,023
Reimbursements	7,755		18,690		19,632
Total revenue	$	629,370	$	725,614	$	735,655

Operating income (loss)
Executive Search
Americas (1)	$	62,806	$	100,833	$	96,880
Europe (2)	(22,827)		3,026		5,849
Asia Pacific (3)	(6,724)		13,590		15,999
Total Executive Search	33,255		117,449		118,728
Heidrick Consulting (4)	(28,369)		(18,499)		(13,619)
Total segments	4,886		98,950		105,109
Global Operations Support (5)	(40,415)		(35,439)		(36,252)
Total operating income (loss)	$	(35,529)	$	63,511	$	68,857

Depreciation and amortization
Executive Search
Americas	$	20,937	$	4,204	$	4,605
Europe	2,270		2,784		3,735
Asia Pacific	1,837		1,472		1,646
Total Executive Search	25,044		8,460		9,986
Heidrick Consulting	953		1,079		1,577
Total segments	25,997		9,539		11,563
Global Operations Support	659		832		959
Total depreciation and amortization	$	26,656	$	10,371	$	12,522

Capital expenditures
Executive Search
Americas	$	4,258	$	1,121	$	601
Europe	409		1,070		3,557
Asia Pacific	2,015		295		440
Total Executive Search	6,682		2,486		4,598
Heidrick Consulting	116		541		581
Total segments	6,798		3,027		5,179
Global Operations Support	524		325		1,006
Total capital expenditures	$	7,322	$	3,352	$	6,185

(1)Includes $30.5 million of restructuring charges in 2020 and $4.1 million of restructuring charges in 2019.

(2)Includes $8.6 million of restructuring charges and $24.5 million of impairment charges in 2020.

(3)Includes $4.6 million of restructuring charges and $8.5 million of impairment charges in 2020.

(4)Includes $4.7 million of restructuring charges in 2020.

(5)Includes $4.0 million of restructuring charges in 2020 and less than $0.1 million of restructuring charges in 2019.

Identifiable Assets, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net, by Segment

The Company's goodwill by segment is as follows:


	December 31, 2020		December 31, 2019
Executive Search
Americas	$	91,643	$	92,497
Europe	—		25,579
Asia Pacific	—		8,755
Total goodwill	$	91,643	$	126,831

Schedule of Other Assets

Identifiable assets, and goodwill and other intangible assets, net, by segment, are as follows:


	December 31,
	2020		2019
Current assets
Executive Search
Americas	$	284,837	$	286,818
Europe	84,841		96,230
Asia Pacific	76,523		78,967
Total Executive Search	446,201		462,015
Heidrick Consulting	24,546		30,628
Total segments	470,747		492,643
Global Operations Support	1,939		1,839
Total allocated current assets	472,686		494,482
Unallocated non-current assets	222,354		220,925
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net
Executive Search
Americas	91,868		93,054
Europe	852		26,893
Asia Pacific	52		8,819
Total Executive Search	92,772		128,766
Heidrick Consulting	—		—
Total goodwill and other intangible assets, net	92,772		128,766
Total assets	$	787,812	$	844,173

Commitments and Contingencies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Minimum Future Office Space and Equipment Lease Payments Due

The future maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities for the years ended December 31, is as follows:


	Operating Lease Maturity
2021	$	28,089
2022	25,803
2023	23,822
2024	14,030
2025	6,726
Thereafter	30,226
Total lease payments	128,696
Less: Interest	(12,896)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	115,800

Accounting Policies (Details)	12 Months Ended
Accounting Policies (Details)	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Financing Receivable, Impaired [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	$ 32,970,000
Asia Pacific [Member]
Financing Receivable, Impaired [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	8,500,000
Europe [Member]
Financing Receivable, Impaired [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	$ 24,500,000

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cash And Cash Equivalents Maximum Maturity Period	3 months
Concentration Risk, Customer	no	no

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Summary of Estimated Useful Life of Property and Equipment (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Office Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	5 years
Office Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	10 years
Computer Equipment and Software [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	3 years
Computer Equipment and Software [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	7 years
Leasehold Improvements [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	3 years
Leasehold Improvements [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated useful life of assets	10 years

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Salaries and Employee Benefits (Details)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Excluding Share-based Payments and Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Vesting Period Of Deferred Cash Bonuses	3 years
Additional Vesting Period After Deferral Date For Bonus Payment	3 years
Percentage Of Estimated First Year Compensation Received For Executive Search Services	33.33%
Percentage Of Excess Of Actual Over Estimated Compensation Of Placed Candidate Billed To Client	33.33%
Percentage Increments Billed To Clients For Retainer And Indirect Expenses	33.33%
Maximum [Member]
Deferred Compensation Arrangement with Individual, Excluding Share-based Payments and Postretirement Benefits [Line Items]
Variation Percentage Of Deferred Cash Bonuses	15.00%

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Earnings Per Share, Diluted, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	$ (37,707)	$ 46,869	$ 49,295
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic	19,301,000	19,103,000	18,917,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	19,301,000	19,551,000	19,532,000
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ (1.95)	$ 2.45	$ 2.61
Earnings Per Share, Diluted	$ (1.95)	$ 2.40	$ 2.52
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Earnings Per Share, Diluted, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	0	285,000	406,000
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	472,000	120,000
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	472,000	120,000
Performance Shares [Member]
Earnings Per Share, Diluted, by Common Class, Including Two Class Method [Line Items]
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	0	163,000	209,000

Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Unbilled Contracts Receivable	$ 9,907	$ 7,585
Increase (Decrease) in Unbilled Contracts Receivable	2,322
Unbilled Receivables, Current	9,745	14,672
Increase (Decrease) in Contract Assets	(4,927)
Contract with Customer, Asset, before Allowance for Credit Loss, Current	19,652	22,257
Increase (Decrease) in Contract with Customer, Asset	(2,605)
Deferred Revenue, Current	38,050	$ 41,267
Increase (Decrease) in Contract Liabilities	(3,217)
Deferred Revenue, Revenue Recognized	36,200
Contract with Customer, Performance Obligation Satisfied in Previous Period	$ 16,700

Credit Losses - Summary of Credit Losses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Credit Loss [Abstract]
Provision for credit losses	$ 6,696	$ 5,900	$ 3,790
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable, Write-offs	(5,418)	(4,270)	(2,708)
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Loss, Foreign Currency Translation	139	8	(114)
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable	6,557	$ 5,140	$ 3,502	$ 2,534
Available for sale securities	31,997
Available-for-sale Securities, Gross Unrealized Gain	1
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]
Available for sale securities	31,997
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Domain]
Credit Loss [Abstract]
Available for sale securities	31,997
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]
Available for sale securities	31,997
Investments [Member]
Credit Loss [Abstract]
Available for sale securities	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Allowance for Credit Loss [Line Items]
Available for sale securities	$ 0

Property and Equipment, Net - Components of Company's Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 80,680	$ 92,540
Accumulated depreciation	(57,188)	(63,890)
Property and equipment, net	23,492	28,650
Office Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	14,816	17,740
Leaseholds and Leasehold Improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	40,320	47,269
Computer Equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 25,544	$ 27,531

Property and Equipment, Net - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation expense	$ 8,100	$ 9,500	$ 11,000
Depreciation expense	$ 8,100	$ 9,500	$ 11,000

Leases, Codification Topic 842 (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Leases, Codification Topic 842 (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Leases [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Expense	$ 22,227,000	$ 24,928,000
Variable Lease, Cost	6,047,000	7,932,000
Lease, Cost	28,274,000	32,860,000
Rent expense and costs of equipment leases			$ 33,200,000
Operating Lease, Payments	31,573,000	33,797,000
Right-of-Use Asset Obtained in Exchange for Operating Lease Liability	$ 31,829,000	$ 19,640,000
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term	6 years	4 years 8 months 12 days
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Discount Rate, Percent	3.50%	3.90%
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year One	$ 28,089,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Two	25,803,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Three	23,822,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Four	14,030,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, Year Five	6,726,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid, after Year Five	30,226,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, to be Paid	128,696,000
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Undiscounted Excess Amount	(12,896,000)
Operating Lease, Liability	115,800,000
Asset retirement obligation	3,300,000	$ 3,000,000.0
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	52,372,000	$ 4,130,000	$ 0
Office Lease [Member]
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	$ 13,700,000
Minimum [Member] \| Office Lease [Member]
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Minimum [Member] \| Equipment Lease [Member]
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Maximum [Member] \| Office Lease [Member]
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	12 years 6 months
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	12 years 6 months
Maximum [Member] \| Equipment Lease [Member]
Leases [Abstract]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	5 years
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	5 years

Fair Value Measures and Disclosures (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	$ 124,613,000			$ 118,892,000
Goodwill	91,643,000	$ 126,831,000	$ 122,092,000	118,892,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	33,000,000.0			$ 0
Europe and Asia Pacific [Member]
Fair Value, Option, Quantitative Disclosures [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	33,000,000.0
Goodwill	91,600,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	$ 33,000,000.0

Fair Value Measures and Disclosures - Fair Value by Balance Sheet Classification (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	$ 51,996,000	$ 139,705,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	51,996,000	139,718,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	316,473,000	271,719,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain (Loss), before Tax	(1,000)
Marketable Securities	19,999,000	61,153,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	1,000	13,000
Aggregate cost basis for investments	19,500,000	17,200,000
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	51,996,000	139,705,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	51,996,000	139,718,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	85,983,000	94,226,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain (Loss), before Tax	(1,000)
Marketable Securities	19,999,000	61,153,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	1,000	13,000
Cash
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	230,490,000	177,493,000
Money Market Funds \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	53,986,000	15,661,000
US Treasury Securities \| Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	51,996,000	139,705,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	51,996,000	139,718,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	31,997,000	78,565,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain (Loss), before Tax	(1,000)
Marketable Securities	19,999,000	61,153,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	$ 1,000	$ 13,000

Fair Value Measures and Disclosures - Fair Value by Level Grouping (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	$ 15,900,000	$ 15,300,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(22,351,000)	(20,918,000)	$ (20,908,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	116,520,000	19,787,000
Goodwill	91,643,000	126,831,000	$ 122,092,000	$ 118,892,000
Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	31,369,000	25,409,000
Other Current Assets
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	1,434,000	1,318,000
Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	14,425,000	13,978,000
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(1,434,000)	(1,318,000)
Other Pension Plan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(20,917,000)	(19,600,000)
Goodwill [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	91,643,000
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred Compensation Plan Assets	31,369,000	25,409,000
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member] \| Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Deferred Compensation Plan Assets	31,369,000	25,409,000
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	15,859,000	15,296,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(22,351,000)	(20,918,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(6,492,000)	(5,622,000)
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Other Current Assets
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	1,434,000	1,318,000
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	1,434,000	1,318,000
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	14,425,000	13,978,000
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	14,425,000	13,978,000
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(1,434,000)	(1,318,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(1,434,000)	(1,318,000)
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Other Pension Plan [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(20,917,000)	(19,600,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(20,917,000)	(19,600,000)
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Goodwill	91,643,000	$ 126,831,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] \| Goodwill [Member]
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 91,643,000

Fair Value Measurements - Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Balance of Level 3 Liabilities (Detail) - Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Acqusition Earnout Accruals [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Acquisition Earnout Accruals	$ 0	$ (5,278,000)
Earnout accretion/compensation expense	0
Payments	5,051,000
Fair Value Measurement With Unobservable Inputs, Recurring Basis Liability, Foreign Currency Translation	227,000
Contingent Compensation [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Acquisition Earnout Accruals	(2,390,000)	$ (618,000)
Earnout accretion/compensation expense	(1,942,000)
Payments	0
Fair Value Measurement With Unobservable Inputs, Recurring Basis Liability, Foreign Currency Translation	$ 170,000

Fair Value Measurements - Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Balance of Level 3 Assets (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Goodwill, Total	$ 91,643,000	$ 126,831,000	$ 122,092,000	$ 118,892,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(33,000,000.0)			$ 0
Europe and Asia Pacific [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Goodwill, Total	91,600,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(33,000,000.0)
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Goodwill, Total	91,643,000	$ 126,831,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(32,970,000)
Fair Value Measurement with Unobservable Inputs, Goodwill, Foreign Currency Translation	$ (2,218,000)

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accretion expense	$ 0	$ 668,000	$ 1,285,000
Goodwill	$ 91,643,000	$ 126,831,000	122,092,000	$ 118,892,000
Amrop [Member] [Domain]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired			$ 5,478,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 126,831,000	$ 122,092,000	$ 118,892,000
Goodwill, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(2,218,000)	946,000	(2,278,000)
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	(32,970,000)
Goodwill, Gross	124,613,000			$ 118,892,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(33,000,000.0)			0
Ending Balance	91,643,000	126,831,000	122,092,000
Europe [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	(24,500,000)
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(24,500,000)
Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	(8,500,000)
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(8,500,000)
Amrop [Member] [Domain]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			5,478,000
2Get [Domain]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			3,793,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Americas [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	92,497,000	88,410,000	88,690,000
Goodwill, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(854,000)	294,000	(280,000)
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	0
Goodwill, Gross	91,643,000			88,690,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	0			0
Ending Balance	91,643,000	92,497,000	88,410,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	25,579,000	24,924,000	20,900,000
Goodwill, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(1,104,000)	655,000	(1,454,000)
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	(24,475,000)
Goodwill, Gross	24,475,000			20,900,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(24,475,000)			0
Ending Balance	0	25,579,000	24,924,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	8,755,000	8,758,000	9,302,000
Goodwill, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(260,000)	(3,000)	(544,000)
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	(8,495,000)
Goodwill, Gross	8,495,000			9,302,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(8,495,000)			$ 0
Ending Balance	$ 0	$ 8,755,000	8,758,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Americas [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			0
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Europe [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			5,478,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			0
Executive Search Member [Member] \| 2Get [Domain] \| Americas [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			3,793,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| 2Get [Domain] \| Europe [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			0
Executive Search Member [Member] \| 2Get [Domain] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill acquired			$ 0

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Goodwill - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2017
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	$ 32,970,000
Goodwill, Gross	$ 124,613,000			$ 118,892,000
Percentage of fair value excess by carrying value	100.00%
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	$ (33,000,000.0)			0
Goodwill	91,643,000	$ 122,092,000	$ 126,831,000	118,892,000
Europe [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	24,500,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(24,500,000)
Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	8,500,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(8,500,000)
Amrop [Member] [Domain]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		5,478,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	24,475,000
Goodwill, Gross	24,475,000			20,900,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(24,475,000)			0
Goodwill	0	24,924,000	25,579,000	20,900,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Americas [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	0
Goodwill, Gross	91,643,000			88,690,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	0			0
Goodwill	91,643,000	88,410,000	92,497,000	88,690,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill, Impairment Loss	8,495,000
Goodwill, Gross	8,495,000			9,302,000
Goodwill, Impaired, Accumulated Impairment Loss	(8,495,000)			0
Goodwill	$ 0	8,758,000	$ 8,755,000	$ 9,302,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Europe [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		5,478,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Americas [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		0
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Amrop [Member] [Domain] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill And Other Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill acquired		$ 0

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Summary of Other Intangible Assets Net by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,129,000	$ 1,935,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Carrying Amount of Amortizable Intangible Assets and Related Accumulated Amortization (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	6 years 4 months 24 days
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 16,880,000	$ 16,664,000
Accumulated Amortization	(15,751,000)	(14,729,000)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,129,000	1,935,000
Client relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	6 years 7 months 6 days
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 16,600,000	16,302,000
Accumulated Amortization	(15,587,000)	(14,683,000)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,013,000	1,619,000
Trade Name [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (in years)	5 years
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 280,000	362,000
Accumulated Amortization	(164,000)	(46,000)
Net Carrying Amount	$ 116,000	$ 316,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Intangible Assets- Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
2021	$ 496,000
2022	318,000
2023	189,000
2024	77,000
2025	49,000
Net Carrying Amount	1,129,000	$ 1,935,000
Intangible asset amortization expense, excluding impairment charge	700,000	900,000	$ 1,500,000
Executive Search Member [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	1,129,000	1,935,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Americas [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	225,000	557,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Europe [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	852,000	1,314,000
Executive Search Member [Member] \| Asia Pacific [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	$ 52,000	$ 64,000

Other Assets (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Unbilled Receivables, Current	$ 19,652,000	$ 22,257,000
Other Assets, Miscellaneous, Current	3,627,000	5,591,000
Other Assets, Current	$ 23,279,000	$ 27,848,000

Line of Credit - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs			$ 0	$ 0	$ 981
Long-term Line of Credit, Noncurrent			0	0
Proceeds from Lines of Credit			100,000	0	20,000
Repayments of Lines of Credit			100,000	$ 0	$ 20,000
Senior Unsecured Revolving Line Of Credit Member [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit		$ 20,000
Repayments of Long-term Debt	$ 12,000	$ 8,000
2018 Credit Agreement [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Borrowing amount under term loan facility			175,000
Sublimit for letters of credit			25,000
Bridge Loan			10,000
Line of credit facility expansion feature			75,000
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs			$ 1,000

Employee Benefit Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Employer Contributions, Next Fiscal Year	$ 1,434,000
Minimum amount of employee contributions	6,000	$ 6,000
Discretionary contribution amount	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Match	6.00%	600.00%
U.S. Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage to defer up base compensation of employees, effective from January 1, 2006	25.00%
Amount to defer up bonus compensation of employees, effective from January 1, 2006	$ 500,000
Percentage to defer up eligible bonus compensation, effective from January 1, 2006	25.00%
Amount of compensation deferred in plan	$ 30,500,000	$ 23,800,000
Percentage to defer up cash component of director's fees for non-employee [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage to defer up directors' fees	100.00%
Non-Employee Directors Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Amount of compensation deferred in plan	$ 900,000	1,600,000
Qualified Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage for employee pre-tax and/or after-tax contributions, minimum	1.00%
Percentage for employee pre-tax and/or after-tax contributions, maximum	50.00%
Defined Contribution Plan, Cost	$ 5,700,000	$ 6,300,000	$ 5,700,000

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract - Reconcile Benefit Obligation for Pension Plan (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Interest Cost	$ 212	$ 338	$ 373
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation, Actuarial Gain (Loss)	790	1,506
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation, Benefits Paid	(1,402)	(1,375)
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	1,833	(459)
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	$ 22,351	$ 20,918	$ 20,908

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract - Benefit Obligation Amounts Recognized in Consolidated Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Liability, Pension and Other Postretirement and Postemployment Benefits, Current	$ 1,434	$ 1,318
Liability, Pension and Other Postretirement and Postemployment Benefits, Noncurrent	20,917	19,600
Liability, Defined Benefit Plan, Noncurrent	53,496	46,032
Liability, Defined Benefit Plan	$ 22,351	$ 20,918

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Interest Cost	$ 212	$ 338	$ 373
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Employer Contributions, Next Fiscal Year	1,434
Defined Benefit Plan Amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Not Yet Recognized In Net Periodic Benefit Cost	5,100	4,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Amortization of Gain (Loss)	140	35	92
Defined Benefit Plan, Net Periodic Benefit Cost (Credit)	$ 352	$ 373	$ 465
Defined Benefit Plan, Assumptions Used Calculating Benefit Obligation, Rate of Compensation Increase	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Defined Benefit Plan, Assumptions Used Calculating Net Periodic Benefit Cost, Discount Rate	1.03%	1.71%	1.64%
Defined Benefit Plan, Assumptions Used Calculating Net Periodic Benefit Cost, Rate of Compensation Increase	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract - Assumptions to Determine Company's Benefit Obligation (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Assumptions Used Calculating Benefit Obligation, Discount Rate	0.72%	1.03%	1.71%
Defined Benefit Plan, Assumptions Used Calculating Benefit Obligation, Rate of Compensation Increase	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Defined Benefit Plan Assumptions Used Calculating Benefit Obligation Measurement Date	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Benefit Plan Amounts in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Not Yet Recognized In Net Periodic Benefit Cost	$ 5,100	$ 4,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Fair Value of Plan Assets	$ 15,900	$ 15,300

- Definition

Amount of asset segregated and restricted to provide benefit under defined benefit plan. Asset includes, but is not limited to, stock, bond, other investment, earning from investment, and contribution by employer and employee.

+ References + Details

Pension Plan and Life Insurance Contract - Summary of Benefits Expected to Be Paid in Each of Next Five Years (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Retirement Benefits [Abstract]
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Employer Contributions, Next Fiscal Year	$ 1,434
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payment, Year Two	1,415
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payment, Year Three	1,393
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payment, Year Four	1,367
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payment, Year Five	1,335
Defined Benefit Plan, Expected Future Benefit Payment, Five Fiscal Years Thereafter	$ 6,034

Stock-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
	May 28, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Increase in number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance	500,000
Shares available for future awards		1,057,037
Number of forfeited awards under 2012 Program (in shares)		708,394
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Shares Issued in Period		3,001,357
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock units vesting period		3 years
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense		$ 7,100,000
Expected time to be recognized		2 years 3 months 18 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period		329,068	270,488
Performance Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense		$ 4,000,000.0
Expected time to be recognized		1 year 8 months 12 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period		105,847	81,661
Performance Stock Units [Member] \| Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock units vesting period		3 years
Performance stock units, Expiration Period		3 years
Performance Stock Units [Member] \| Minimum [Member] \| Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock units, variation percentage		0.00%
Performance Stock Units [Member] \| Maximum [Member] \| Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Performance stock units, variation percentage		200.00%
Phantom Share Units (PSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense		$ 4,100,000
Expected time to be recognized		2 years 10 months 24 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period		118,596	154,387

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Information with Respect to Stock-Based Compensation (Detail) - USD ($)		12 Months Ended
	May 28, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Additional Shares Authorized	500,000
Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income		$ 3,571,000	$ 3,529,000	$ 2,674,000
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
General and administrative expenses		3,200,000	3,000,000.0	1,200,000
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Salaries and employee benefits (1)		460,000	460,000	562,000
Labor and Related Expenses [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Salaries and employee benefits (1)		$ 12,968,000	$ 12,857,000	$ 9,548,000

Stock-based Compensation - Restricted Stock Unit Activity (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	3 years
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$ 7,100,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Number of Stock Units, Beginning balance (in shares)	598,988	512,446
Number of Stock Units, Granted (in shares)	329,068	270,488
Number of Stock Units, Vested and converted to common stock (in shares)	(194,921)	(175,792)
Number of Stock Units, Forfeited (in shares)	(25,271)	(8,154)
Number of Stock Units, Ending balance (in shares)	707,864	598,988
Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Beginning balance (in dollars per share)	$ 32.25	$ 28.83
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Granted (in dollars per share)	22.20	33.55
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Vested and converted to common stock (in dollars per share)	29.67	24.19
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Forfeited (in dollars per share)	30.62	34.29
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Ending balance (in dollars per share)	$ 28.35	$ 32.25
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 3 months 18 days
Special Restricted Stock Unit [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	4 years

Stock-based Compensation - Performance Stock Unit Activity (Detail) - Performance Stock Units [Member] - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$ 4,000,000.0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Number of Stock Units, Beginning balance (in shares)	179,559	197,117
Number of Stock Units, Granted (in shares)	105,847	81,661
Number of Stock Units, Vested and converted to common stock (in shares)	(50,472)	(99,219)
Number of Stock Units, Forfeited (in shares)	0	0
Number of Stock Units, Ending balance (in shares)	234,934	179,559
Weighted- Average Grant-date Fair Value
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Beginning balance (in dollars per share)	$ 32.63	$ 24.88
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Granted (in dollars per share)	23.52	35.58
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Vested and converted to common stock (in dollars per share)	26.69	25.04
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Forfeited (in dollars per share)	0	0
Weighted-Average Grant-date Fair Value, Ending balance (in dollars per share)	$ 29.80	$ 32.63
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	1 year 8 months 12 days

Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based Compensation - Phantom Stock Unit Activity (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Performance Shares [Member]
Schedule of Nonvested Performance-based Phantom Units [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	351,634	266,060	111,673
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	118,596	154,387
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	(21,346)	0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	(11,676)	0
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$ 4,100,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 10 months 24 days
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Schedule of Nonvested Performance-based Phantom Units [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ 3,200,000	$ 3,000,000.0	$ 1,200,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	707,864	598,988	512,446
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	329,068	270,488
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	3 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	(194,921)	(175,792)
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	(25,271)	(8,154)
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$ 7,100,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 3 months 18 days

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ("AOCI") by Component (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 3,824,000
Net current period other comprehensive income	407,000	$ 238,000	$ 3,164,000
Ending balance	3,417,000	3,824,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	267,602,000	309,115,000	267,156,000	$ 212,705,000
AOCI, Accumulated Gain (Loss), Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Including Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	0	13,000
Reclassification from AOCI, Current Period, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	(13,000)
Accumulated Foreign Currency Adjustment Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	6,184,000	6,102,000
Reclassification from AOCI, Current Period, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	82,000
Accumulated Defined Benefit Plans Adjustment Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	(2,767,000)	(2,291,000)
Reclassification from AOCI, Current Period, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	(476,000)
AOCI Attributable to Parent [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Roll Forward]
Net current period other comprehensive income	407,000	238,000	3,164,000
Stockholders' Equity, Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest	3,417,000	$ 3,824,000	$ 4,062,000	$ 13,315,000
Reclassification from AOCI, Current Period, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	$ (407,000)

- Definition

Accumulated change in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources, net of tax effect, at period end. Excludes Net Income (Loss), and accumulated changes in equity from transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Includes foreign currency translation items, certain pension adjustments, unrealized gains and losses on certain investments in debt and equity securities, other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses related to factors other than credit losses on available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt securities that an entity does not intend to sell and it is not more likely than not that the entity will be required to sell before recovery of the amortized cost basis, as well as changes in the fair value of derivatives related to the effective portion of a designated cash flow hedge.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount after tax and reclassification adjustments of other comprehensive income (loss).

+ References

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+ Details

- Definition

Amount of stockholders' equity (deficit), net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity, attributable to both the parent and noncontrolling interests. Amount excludes temporary equity. Alternate caption for the concept is permanent equity.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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+ Details

Restructuring (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Restructuring (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	$ 52,372,000	$ 4,130,000	$ 0
Restructuring Reserve	23,265,000	3,245,000	$ 1,286,000	$ 13,025,000
Employee-related Liabilities, Current
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	7,200,000
Accrued Salaries and Benefits
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	11,300,000
Minimum [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Future Restructuring Charges [Domain]	7,000,000.0
Maximum [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Future Restructuring Charges [Domain]	10,000,000.0
Americas [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	30,500,000	4,100,000
Europe [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	8,600,000
Asia Pacific [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	4,600,000
Heidrick Consulting [Domain]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	4,700,000
Corporate Segment [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges	$ 4,000,000.0	$ 100,000

Restructuring - Restructuring Accrual by Segment (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	$ 52,372,000	$ 4,130,000	$ 0
Executive Search [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	43,696,000	4,102,000	0
Heidrick Consulting [Domain]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	4,700,000
Corporate Segment [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	4,000,000.0	100,000
Americas [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	30,500,000	4,100,000
Americas [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	30,479,000	4,102,000	0
Europe [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	8,600,000	24,500,000
Europe [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	8,603,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	4,600,000	8,500,000
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	4,614,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Heidrick Consulting [Domain]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	4,657,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Corporate Segment [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Charges, Total	$ 4,019,000	$ 28,000	$ 0

Restructuring - Changes in Restructuring Accrual (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Schedule of Restructuring Charges and Related Cash Payments [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	$ 23,265,000	$ 3,245,000	$ 1,286,000	$ 13,025,000
Restructuring Charges	52,372,000	4,130,000	0
Payments for Restructuring	(12,263,000)	(2,213,000)	(9,930,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	19,456,000	17,000	195,000
Other Restructuring Costs	(173,000)	4,000	(1,933,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(460,000)	55,000	(71,000)
Employee Severance [Member]
Schedule of Restructuring Charges and Related Cash Payments [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	22,312,000	3,245,000	1,269,000	11,866,000
Restructuring Charges	(32,780,000)	(4,130,000)
Payments for Restructuring	(11,443,000)	(2,213,000)	(8,689,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	1,633,000	0	0
Other Restructuring Costs	(173,000)	4,000	(1,843,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	(464,000)	55,000	(65,000)
Facility Closing [Member]
Schedule of Restructuring Charges and Related Cash Payments [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	953,000	0	0	148,000
Restructuring Charges	(18,910,000)	0
Payments for Restructuring	(138,000)	0	(248,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	17,823,000	0	195,000
Other Restructuring Costs	0	0	(95,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	4,000	0	0
Other Restructuring [Member]
Schedule of Restructuring Charges and Related Cash Payments [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	0	0	17,000	$ 1,011,000
Restructuring Charges	(682,000)	0
Payments for Restructuring	(682,000)	0	(993,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Settled without Cash	0	17,000	0
Other Restructuring Costs	0	0	5,000
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	$ 0	$ 0	$ (6,000)

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Deferred Tax Liability Not Eligible for Netting	$ 100	$ 300
Valuation allowance	25,218	24,200
Unrecognized tax benefits	$ 416	$ 130	$ 1,128	$ 740
Several statutes of limitation expected to close	12 months
Accrued interest and penalties	$ 100
Minimum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Losses carried forward	five	five
Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Losses carried forward	twenty	twenty
Foreign Tax Authority [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Net operating loss carryforward	$ 128,100	$ 116,100
Net operating loss carryforward subject to valuation allowance	87,900	76,900
Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Credit Carryforwards	5,200	6,500
Tax Credit Carryforward, Valuation Allowance	$ 5,200	$ 6,500
Foreign Tax Authority [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Year under Examination	2017
Federal Tax Authority [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Year under Examination	2017
Federal Tax Authority [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Year under Examination	2019
State Tax Authority [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Year under Examination	2017
State Tax Authority [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Income Tax Examination, Year under Examination	2019

Income Taxes - Sources of Income before Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
United States	$ 11,346	$ 53,461	$ 47,191
Foreign	(42,744)	15,828	23,301
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes, Noncontrolling Interest	$ (31,398)	$ 69,289	$ 70,492

- Definition

Amount of income (loss) from continuing operations, including income (loss) from equity method investments, before deduction of income tax expense (benefit), and income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 30
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8906-108599

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 32
-Subparagraph (f)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8933-108599

Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 940
-SubTopic 20
-Section 25
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68072869&loc=d3e41242-110953

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 22
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8736-108599

Reference 6: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03(10))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120395209&loc=SL114868664-224227

Reference 7: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 944
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04(8))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120400993&loc=SL114874131-224263

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 235
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-05(b)(2))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120399901&loc=d3e537907-122884

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 31
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120311839&loc=d3e8924-108599

Reference 10: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 220
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.9-04(15))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=120399700&loc=SL114874048-224260

+ Details

Income Taxes - Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current
Federal	$ 4,469	$ 11,311	$ 12,311
State and local	1,948	4,422	4,843
Foreign	2,172	4,423	6,907
Current provision for income taxes	8,589	20,156	24,061
Deferred
Federal	(2,416)	2,031	6,403
State and local	(697)	698	(354)
Foreign	833	(465)	(8,913)
Deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes	(2,280)	2,264	(2,864)
Total provision for income taxes	$ 6,309	$ 22,420	$ 21,197

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Provision for (Benefit from) Income Taxes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory U.S. federal income tax rate	21.00%
Income tax provision (benefit) at the statutory U.S. federal rate	$ (6,594)	$ 14,551	$ 14,803
State income tax provision, net of federal tax benefit	735	3,509	3,242
Nondeductible expenses, net	7,065	1,570	1,651
Foreign taxes (includes rate differential and changes in foreign valuation allowance)	4,470	698	(35)
Establishment (release) of valuation allowance	566	(117)	(43)
Additional U.S. tax on foreign operations	0	(2,550)	(1,628)
Current/deferred items	(505)	(157)	(1,199)
Other, net	572	(184)	1,150
Total provision for income taxes	$ 6,309	$ 22,420	$ 21,197

Income Taxes - Summary of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Deferred tax assets attributable to:
Deferred Tax Assets, Tax Deferred Expense, Reserves and Accruals, Deferred Rent	$ 22,765	$ 20,371
Foreign net operating loss carryforwards	19,721	17,940
Accrued compensation and employee benefits	18,553	14,506
Deferred compensation	17,376	17,110
Foreign tax credit carryforwards	5,196	6,493
Other accrued expenses	4,350	5,882
Deferred tax assets, before valuation allowance	87,961	82,302
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance	25,218	24,200
Deferred tax assets, after valuation allowance	62,743	58,102
Deferred tax liabilities attributable to:
Operating Loss Carryforwards	17,526	17,716
Goodwill	7,625	5,440
Depreciation on property and equipment	1,172	1,652
Other	533	533
Deferred tax liabilities	26,856	25,341
Net deferred tax assets	$ 35,887	$ 32,761

Income Taxes - Reconciliation of Amounts of Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefits (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Reconciliation [Roll Forward]
Gross unrecognized tax benefits at January 1,	$ 130	$ 1,128	$ 740
Gross increases for tax positions of prior years	500	389	608
Gross decreases for tax positions of prior years	(31)	(377)	0
Settlements	(183)	(1,010)	(220)
Gross unrecognized tax benefits at December 31,	$ 416	$ 130	$ 1,128

Segment Information - Revenue, Operating Income, Depreciation and Amortization, and Capital Expenditures, by Segment (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 621,615,000	$ 706,924,000	$ 716,023,000
Revenues	629,370,000	725,614,000	735,655,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(35,529,000)	63,511,000	68,857,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	26,656,000	10,371,000	12,522,000
Capital expenditures	7,322,000	3,352,000	6,185,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	52,372,000	4,130,000	0
Reimbursements [Member]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 7,755,000	18,690,000	19,632,000
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of Reportable Segments	4
Executive Search [Member]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	$ 565,170,000	646,352,000	652,891,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	33,255,000	117,449,000	118,728,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	25,044,000	8,460,000	9,986,000
Capital expenditures	6,682,000	2,486,000	4,598,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	43,696,000	4,102,000	0
Heidrick Consulting [Domain]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	56,445,000	60,572,000	63,132,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(28,369,000)	(18,499,000)	(13,619,000)
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	953,000	1,079,000	1,577,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,700,000
Operating Segments [Member]
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	4,886,000	98,950,000	105,109,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	25,997,000	9,539,000	11,563,000
Capital expenditures	6,798,000	3,027,000	5,179,000
Corporate Segment [Member]
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(40,415,000)	(35,439,000)	(36,252,000)
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	659,000	832,000	959,000
Capital expenditures	524,000	325,000	1,006,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,000,000.0	100,000
Europe [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	8,600,000
Asia Pacific [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,600,000
Heidrick Consulting [Member]
Depreciation and amortization
Capital expenditures	116,000	541,000	581,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,700,000
Americas [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	30,500,000	4,100,000
Americas [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	361,416,000	415,455,000	405,267,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	62,806,000	100,833,000	96,880,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	20,937,000	4,204,000	4,605,000
Capital expenditures	4,258,000	1,121,000	601,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	30,479,000	4,102,000	0
Europe [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	8,600,000	24,500,000
Europe [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	124,243,000	135,070,000	145,348,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(22,827,000)	3,026,000	5,849,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	2,270,000	2,784,000	3,735,000
Capital expenditures	409,000	1,070,000	3,557,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	8,603,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,600,000	8,500,000
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Revenue
Revenue from Contract with Customer, Excluding Assessed Tax	79,511,000	95,827,000	102,276,000
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(6,724,000)	13,590,000	15,999,000
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization	1,837,000	1,472,000	1,646,000
Capital expenditures	2,015,000	295,000	440,000
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,614,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Heidrick Consulting [Domain]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	4,657,000	0	0
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Corporate Segment [Member]
Restructuring Costs [Abstract]
Restructuring Charges	$ 4,019,000	$ 28,000	$ 0

Segment Information - Identifiable Assets, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, Net, by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	$ 472,686,000	$ 494,482,000
Unallocated non-current assets	222,354,000	220,925,000
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	92,772,000	128,766,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net
Assets	787,812,000	844,173,000
Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment	7,322,000	3,352,000	$ 5,960,000
Executive Search [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	446,201,000	462,015,000
Operating Segments [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	470,747,000	492,643,000
Corporate Segment [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	1,939,000	1,839,000
Executive Search Member [Member]
Current assets
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	92,772,000	128,766,000
Heidrick Consulting [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	24,546,000	30,628,000
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	0	0
Americas [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	284,837,000	286,818,000
Americas [Member] \| Executive Search Member [Member]
Current assets
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	91,868,000	93,054,000
Europe [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	84,841,000	96,230,000
Europe [Member] \| Executive Search Member [Member]
Current assets
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	852,000	26,893,000
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Executive Search [Member]
Current assets
Total allocated current assets	76,523,000	78,967,000
Asia Pacific [Member] \| Executive Search Member [Member]
Current assets
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill)	$ 52,000	$ 8,819,000

Guarantees - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Guarantees - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Guarantees [Abstract]
Extend termination dates of the leases	extend through 2033
Maximum undiscounted payments under outstanding guarantees	$ 5,400