Restructuring Charges (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]

Restructuring Charges


	Years ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Severance and termination costs	$	140.4	$	22.0	$	0.0
Lease restructuring costs	256.0		11.9		0.0
Other restructuring costs	17.4		0.0		0.0
Total restructuring charges	$	413.8	$	33.9	$	0.0

2020 Restructuring Plan

Beginning in the second quarter of 2020, the Company took restructuring actions to lower its operating expenses structurally and permanently relative to revenue and to accelerate the transformation of our business (the “2020 Plan”). These actions continued through the fourth quarter and most are based on our recent experience and learning in the COVID-19 pandemic and a resulting review of our operations to address certain operating expenses such as occupancy expense and salaries and related expenses.

A summary of the restructuring activities related to the 2020 Plan is as follows:


	2020 Plan
	Restructuring Expense		Non-Cash Items		Cash Payments		Liability at December 31, 2020
Severance and termination costs	$	140.4	$	4.5	$	61.3	$	74.6
Lease impairment costs	256.0		256.0		0.0		0.0
Other	17.4		5.1		12.3		0.0
Total	$	413.8	$	265.6	$	73.6	$	74.6

Our charges for restructuring actions for the year ended December 31, 2020 totaled $413.8 and were designed to reduce our expenses, such as occupancy expense and salaries and related expenses, relative to our net revenue on an ongoing basis. These actions, taken during the second, third and fourth quarters, reduced our global real estate footprint by approximately 15% or 1,700,000 square feet and, further, downsized selected levels of management and staff with severance costs for 1,520 employees or approximately 3%. Of the total charges for the year ended December 31, 2020, $265.6 or 64%, is non-cash, mainly representing the impairment of right-of-use assets of operating leases.

Net restructuring charges were comprised of $317.9 at IAN and $78.8 at DXTRA for the year ended December 31, 2020, which include non-cash lease impairment costs of $190.4 and $59.8, respectively.

Lease impairment costs, which relate to the office spaces that were vacated as part of the 2020 Plan, included impairments of operating lease right-of-use assets and associated leasehold improvements, furniture and asset retirement obligations. Lease impairments were calculated based on estimated fair values using market participant assumptions including forecasted net discounted cash flows related to the operating lease right-of-use assets.

2019 Restructuring Plan

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company implemented a cost initiative (the “2019 Plan”) to better align our cost structure with our revenue primarily related to specific client losses occurring in 2018. All restructuring actions were identified and initiated by the end of the first quarter of 2019, with all actions substantially completed by the end of the second quarter of 2019, and there have not been any restructuring adjustments.