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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Nature of Operations. Robert Half International Inc. (the “Company”) provides specialized staffing and risk consulting services through such divisions as Accountemps®, Robert Half® Finance & Accounting, OfficeTeam®, Robert Half® Technology, Robert Half® Management Resources, Robert Half® Legal, The Creative Group®, and Protiviti®. The Company, through its Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Robert Half Management Resources divisions, is a specialized provider of contract, full-time, and senior-level project professionals in the fields of accounting and finance. OfficeTeam specializes in highly skilled contract administrative support professionals. Robert Half Technology provides project and full-time technology professionals. Robert Half Legal provides contract, project, and full-time staffing of lawyers, paralegals and legal support personnel. The Creative Group provides interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. Protiviti is a global consulting firm that helps companies solve problems in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit. Revenues are predominantly derived from specialized staffing services. The Company operates in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The Company is a Delaware corporation. Basis of Presentation. The Consolidated Financial Statements (“Financial Statements”) of the Company are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain reclassifications have been made to prior years’ consolidated financial statements to conform to the current presentation. Principles of Consolidation. The Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Such estimates include allowances for uncollectible accounts receivable, variable consideration, workers’ compensation losses, income and other taxes, and assumptions used in the Company’s goodwill impairment assessment and in the valuation of stock grants subject to market conditions. Actual results and outcomes may differ from management’s estimates and assumptions. We are continuing to monitor the efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus (“COVID-19”), including uncertainty around the duration and extent of the stay-at-home orders and the effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity. In light of the ongoing economic disruption, we continue to face a greater degree of uncertainty than normal in making the judgments and estimates needed to apply the Company’s significant accounting policies. As the situation continues to develop, we may make changes to these estimates and judgments over time, which could result in meaningful impacts to the Company’s financial statements in future periods. Actual results and outcomes may differ from management’s estimates and assumptions. Service Revenues. The Company derives its revenues from three segments: temporary and consultant staffing, permanent placement staffing, and risk consulting and internal audit services. Revenues are recognized when promised goods or services are delivered to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. See Note C for further discussion of the revenue recognition accounting policy. Costs of Services. Direct costs of temporary and consultant staffing consist of payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs for the Company’s engagement professionals, as well as reimbursable expenses. Direct costs of permanent placement staffing services consist of reimbursable expenses. Risk consulting and internal audit direct costs of services include professional staff payroll, payroll taxes and benefit costs, as well as reimbursable expenses. Advertising Costs. The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were $37.2 million, $54.3 million, and $52.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. (Income) loss from investments held in employee deferred compensation trusts. The Company has changed its Consolidated Statements of Operations to separately present (income) loss from investments held in employee deferred compensation trusts. Under the Company’s employee deferred compensation plans, employees direct the investment of their account balances, and the Company invests amounts held in the associated investment trusts consistent with these directions. As realized and unrealized investment gains and losses occur, the Company’s deferred compensation obligation to employees changes accordingly. Changes in the Company’s deferred compensation obligations remain in selling, general and administrative expenses or, in the case of risk consulting and internal audit services, costs of services. The value of the related investment trust assets also changes by an equal and offsetting amount, leaving no net cost to the Company. The Company’s (income) loss from investments held in employee deferred compensation trusts consists primarily of unrealized and realized gains and losses and dividend income from trust investments. Such amounts were previously presented as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses, or, in the case of risk consulting and internal audit services, costs of services. Reclassifications have been made to prior year’s consolidated financial statements to conform to the current presentation. The following table presents the Company’s (income) loss from investments held in employee deferred compensation trusts (in thousands):
|  | Year Ended December 31,
|  | 2020 |  |  | 2019 |  | 2018
Dividend income |  | $ | (8,322) |  |  |  | $ | (10,425) |  |  | $ | (10,857) |
Realized and unrealized (gains) losses |  | (66,866) |  |  |  | (44,492) |  |  | 22,343 |
|  | $ | (75,188) |  |  |  | $ | (54,917) |  |  | $ | 11,486 |
Comprehensive Income (Loss). Comprehensive income (loss) includes net income and certain other items that are recorded directly to stockholders’ equity. The Company’s only sources of other comprehensive income (loss) are foreign currency translation and foreign defined benefit plan adjustments. Cash and Cash Equivalents. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity at the date of purchase of three months or less as cash equivalents. This includes money market funds that meet the requirements to be treated as cash equivalents. However, money market funds held in investment trusts that are being used as investments to satisfy the Company’s obligations under its employee deferred compensation plans are treated as investments and are included in employee deferred compensation trust assets on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Fair Value of Financial Instruments. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value are measured and classified in accordance with a three-tier fair value hierarchy based on the observability of the inputs available in the market to measure fair value, summarized as follows: Level 1: observable inputs for identical assets or liabilities, such as quoted prices in active markets Level 2: inputs other than the quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly Level 3: unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires management’s best estimates and assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, approximates fair value because of their short-term nature. The Company holds mutual funds and money market funds to satisfy its obligations under its employee deferred compensation plans, which are carried at fair value based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets (level 1). The following table sets forth the composition of the underlying assets which comprise the Company’s deferred compensation trust assets (in thousands):
| Fair Value Measurements Using
| Balance at December 31, 2020 |  | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Money market funds | $ | 69,681 |  |  | $ | 69,681 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - bond | 27,282 |  |  | 27,282 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - stock | 234,667 |  |  | 234,667 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - blend | 75,004 |  |  | 75,004 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
| $ | 406,634 |  |  | $ | 406,634 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
| Fair Value Measurements Using
| Balance at December 31, 2019 |  | Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |  | Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |  | Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)
Assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Money market funds | $ | 141,295 |  |  | $ | 141,295 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - bond | 28,451 |  |  | 28,451 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - stock | 170,469 |  |  | 170,469 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Mutual funds - blend | 58,227 |  |  | 58,227 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
| $ | 398,442 |  |  | $ | 398,442 |  |  | — |  |  | — |
Certain items such as goodwill and other intangible assets are recognized or disclosed at fair value on a non-recurring basis. The Company determines the fair value of these items using level 3 inputs. There are inherent limitations when estimating the fair value of financial instruments, and the fair values reported are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that would be realized in current market transactions. Allowance for Credit Losses. The Company is exposed to credit losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments. The Company establishes an allowance for these potential credit losses based on its review of customers’ credit profiles, historical loss statistics, prepayments, recoveries, current business conditions and macro-economic trends. The Company considers risk characteristics of trade receivables based on asset type, size, term, and geographical locations to evaluate trade receivables on a collective basis. The Company applies credit loss estimates to these pooled receivables to determine expected credit losses. The following table sets forth the activity in the allowance for credit losses from December 31, 2019, through December 31, 2020 (in thousands):
| Allowance for Credit Losses
Balance as of December 31, 2019 | $ | 22,885 |
Adoption of accounting pronouncement | 558 |
Balance as of January 1, 2020 | $ | 23,443 |
Charges to expense | 4,200 |
Deductions | (7,906) |
Other, including translation adjustments | (120) |
Balance as of December 31, 2020 | $ | 19,617 |
Property and Equipment. Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the following useful lives:
Computer hardware | 2 to 3 years
Computer software | 2 to 3 years
Furniture and equipment | 3 to 5 years
Leasehold improvements | Term of lease
Internal-use Software. The Company capitalizes direct costs incurred in the development of internal-use software. Cloud computing implementation costs incurred in hosting arrangements are capitalized and reported as a component of other assets. All other internal-use software development costs are capitalized and reported as a component of computer software within property and equipment on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Capitalized internal-use software development costs were $40.6 million, $35.6 million, and $3.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Leases. The Company determines if a contractual arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets, current operating lease liabilities, and noncurrent operating lease liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. The Company does not currently have finance leases. ROU 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 ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The lease payments included in the present value are fixed lease payments and index-based variable lease payments. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company estimates its collateralized incremental borrowing rate, based on information available at the commencement date, in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company applies the portfolio approach in applying discount rates to its classes of leases. The operating lease ROU assets include any payments made before the commencement date and exclude lease incentives. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The Company does not currently have subleases. The Company does not currently have residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants in its leases. The Company has contracts with lease and non-lease components, which are accounted for on a combined basis. Goodwill and Intangible Assets. Goodwill and intangible assets primarily consist of the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair market value of their net tangible assets at the date of acquisition. Identifiable intangible assets are amortized over their useful lives, typically ranging from two to five years. Goodwill is not amortized, but is tested at least annually for impairment. The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment assessment as of June 30 in each of the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, and determined that no adjustment to the carrying value of goodwill was required. There were no events or changes in circumstances during the six months ended December 31, 2020, that caused the Company to perform an interim impairment assessment. Income Taxes. The Company’s operations are subject to U.S. federal, state and local, and foreign income taxes. In establishing its deferred income tax assets and liabilities and its provision for income taxes, the Company makes judgments and interpretations based on the enacted tax laws that are applicable to its operations in various jurisdictions. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured and recorded using current enacted tax rates, which the Company expects will apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are recovered or settled. The likelihood of a material change in the Company’s expected realization of its deferred tax assets is dependent on future taxable income and the effectiveness of its tax planning strategies in the various relevant jurisdictions. The Company also evaluates the need for valuation allowances to reduce the deferred tax assets to realizable amounts. Management evaluates all positive and negative evidence and uses judgment regarding past and future events, including operating results, to help determine when it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the deferred tax assets may not be realized. When appropriate, a valuation allowance is recorded against deferred tax assets to offset future tax benefits that may not be realized. Valuation allowances of $24.1 million and $21.6 million were recorded as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The valuation allowances recorded related primarily to net operating losses in certain foreign operations. If such losses are ultimately utilized to offset future segment income, the Company will recognize a tax benefit up to the full amount of the valuation reserve. Workers’ Compensation. Except for states which require participation in state-operated insurance funds, the Company retains the economic burden for the first $0.5 million per occurrence in workers’ compensation claims. Workers’ compensation includes the ongoing medical and indemnity costs for claims filed, which may be paid over numerous years following the date of injury. Claims in excess of $0.5 million are insured. Workers’ compensation expense includes the insurance premiums for claims in excess of $0.5 million, claims administration fees charged by the Company’s workers’ compensation administrator, premiums paid to state-operated insurance funds, and an estimate for the Company’s liability for Incurred But Not Reported (“IBNR”) claims and for the ongoing development of existing claims. The reserves for IBNR claims and for the ongoing development of existing claims in each reporting period includes estimates. The Company has established reserves for workers’ compensation claims using loss development rates which are estimated using periodic third party actuarial valuations based upon historical loss statistics which include the Company’s historical frequency and severity of workers’ compensation claims, and an estimate of future cost trends. While management believes that its assumptions and estimates are appropriate, significant differences in actual experience or significant changes in assumptions may materially affect the Company’s future results. Foreign Currency Translation. The reporting currency of the Company and its subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is their local currency. The results of operations of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are translated at the monthly average exchange rates prevailing during the period. The financial position of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries is translated at the current exchange rates at the end of the period, and the related translation adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within Stockholders’ Equity. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions are included as a component of selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, and have not been material for all periods presented. Stock-based Compensation. Under various stock plans, officers, employees and outside directors have received or may receive grants of restricted stock, stock units, stock appreciation rights or options to purchase common stock. The Company recognizes compensation expense equal to the grant-date fair value for all stock-based payment awards that are expected to vest. This expense is recorded on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the entire award, unless the awards are subject to performance conditions, in which case the Company recognizes compensation expense over the requisite service period of each separate vesting tranche. The Company determines the grant-date fair value of its restricted stock and stock unit awards using the fair market value of its stock on the grant date, unless the awards are subject to market conditions, in which case the Company utilizes a binomial-lattice model (i.e., Monte Carlo simulation model). The Monte Carlo simulation model utilizes multiple input variables to determine the stock-based compensation expense. No stock appreciation rights have been granted under the Company’s existing stock plans. The Company has not granted any options to purchase common stock since 2006.

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