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Stock-Based Compensation and Common Stock | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2025
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract] |
Stock-Based Compensation and Common Stock | Stock-Based Compensation and Common Stock On May 23, 2024, the stockholders of the Company approved an amendment and restatement of the Company's Fourth Amended and Restated 2012 Heidrick & Struggles GlobalShare Program (as so amended and restated, the "Fifth A&R Program") to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the plan by 649,000 shares, among other things. The Fifth A&R Program provides for grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units, performance stock units, and other stock-based compensation awards that are valued based upon the grant date fair value of the awards. These awards may be granted to directors, selected employees and independent contractors. As of September 30, 2025, 5,169,027 awards have been issued under the Fifth A&R Program, including 955,707 forfeited awards, and 643,896 shares remain available for future awards assuming performance stock units vest at maximum levels. The Fifth A&R Program provides that no awards can be granted after the first annual meeting of the Company's stockholders to occur on or after May 23, 2034. The Company measures its stock-based compensation costs based on the grant date fair value of the awards and recognizes these costs over the requisite service period. A summary of information with respect to stock-based compensation is as follows:
| Three Months Ended September 30, |  | Nine Months Ended September 30, |  |
| 2025 |  | 2024 |  | 2025 |  | 2024 |  |  |  |
Salaries and benefits (1) | $ | 3,753 |  |  | $ | 5,262 |  |  | $ | 9,988 |  |  | $ | 11,132 |  |  |  |  |
General and administrative expenses | — |  |  | 202 |  |  | 1,050 |  |  | 1,252 |  |  |  |  |
Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income | 1,021 |  |  | 1,506 |  |  | 3,003 |  |  | 3,413 |  |  |  |  |
(1) Includes $0.9 million and $1.7 million of expense related to cash-settled restricted stock units for the three months ended September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively, and $1.6 million and $2.5 million of expense related to cash-settled restricted stock units for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively. Restricted Stock Units Restricted stock units granted to employees are subject to ratable vesting over a three-year or four-year period dependent upon the terms of the individual grant. Compensation expense related to service-based restricted stock units is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Non-employee members of the Board of Directors may elect to receive restricted stock units or shares of common stock annually pursuant to the Fifth A&R Program as part of their annual compensation. Based on their respective elections, the Company issued 17,325 and 22,126 restricted stock units for services provided by the non-employee directors during the nine months ending September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively. Restricted stock units issued to non-employee directors remain unvested until the respective non-employee directors retire from the Board of Directors. Restricted stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, is as follows:
| Number of Restricted Stock Units |  | Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Outstanding on December 31, 2024 | 675,411 |  |  | $ | 31.85 |
Granted | 219,302 |  |  | 46.22 |
Vested and converted to common stock | (305,192) |  |  | 32.56 |
Forfeited | (26,007) |  |  | 31.18 |
Outstanding on September 30, 2025 | 563,514 |  |  | $ | 37.09 |
As of September 30, 2025, there was $11.3 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.1 years. Performance Stock Units The Company grants performance stock units to certain of its senior executives. The majority of performance stock units are subject to cliff vesting at the end of a three-year period. The vesting will vary between 0% and 200% based on the attainment of certain performance and market conditions over the three-year vesting period. For the majority of granted performance stock units, half of the award is based on the achievement of adjusted operating margin or Adjusted EBITDA 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 subject to total shareholder return metrics is determined using a 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. The performance stock units are expensed on a straight-line basis over the three-year vesting period. Certain of the Company's senior executives are granted performance stock units that are subject to ratable vesting over a four-year period. The vesting will vary between 0% and 100% of the shares subject to the performance stock units based on the attainment of specified stock price hurdles over the vesting period. The fair value of the awards subject to such stock price hurdles is determined using the Monte Carlo simulation model. The performance stock units are expensed on a straight-line basis over the derived service period, which ranges from one to four years. Performance stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, is as follows:
| Number of Performance Stock Units |  | Weighted- Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Outstanding on December 31, 2024 | 353,076 |  |  | $ | 34.17 |
Granted | 138,331 |  |  | 52.43 |
Vested and converted to common stock | (160,636) |  |  | 43.57 |
Forfeited | (13,199) |  |  | 38.55 |
Outstanding on September 30, 2025 | 317,572 |  |  | $ | 37.19 |
As of September 30, 2025, there was $6.7 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested performance stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.0 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 three-year or four-year period, and such vesting is subject to certain other conditions, including continued service to the Company. As a result of the cash-settlement feature of the awards, the Company classifies the awards as 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 is determined using the closing share price of the Company's common stock on that date. The Company recorded phantom stock-based compensation expense of $0.9 million and $1.7 million related to cash-settled restricted stock units for the three months ended September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively, and $1.6 million and $2.5 million of expense related to cash-settled restricted stock units for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively. Phantom stock unit activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, is as follows:
| Number of Phantom Stock Units
Outstanding on December 31, 2024 | 131,177 |
Granted | 22,049 |
Vested | (64,514) |
Forfeited | (2,390) |
Outstanding on September 30, 2025 | 86,322 |
As of September 30, 2025, there was $1.1 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested phantom stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.0 years. Common Stock Non-employee members of the Board of Directors may elect to receive restricted stock units or shares of common stock annually pursuant to the Fifth A&R Program as part of their annual compensation, which is typically issued in the second quarter each year. The Company issued 6,930 and 12,564 shares of common stock for services provided by the non-employee directors during the nine months ended September 30, 2025, and 2024, respectively. On February 11, 2008, the Company's Board of Directors authorized management to repurchase shares of the Company's common stock with an aggregate purchase price of up to $50.0 million (the "Repurchase Authorization"). From time to time and as business conditions warrant, the Company may purchase shares of its common stock on the open market or in negotiated or block trades. No time limit has been set for completion of this program. There were no repurchases of common stock in 2025 and 2024. Prior to 2024, the most recent purchase of the Company's shares of common stock occurred during the year ended December 31, 2023 when the Company purchased 36,000 shares of common stock for $0.9 million. As of September 30, 2025, the Company has purchased 1,074,670 shares of its common stock pursuant to the Repurchase Authorization for a total of $29.2 million and $20.8 million remains available for future purchases under the Repurchase Authorization.

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