Heidrick & Struggles International (HSII) 10-Q 27 Apr 20 2020 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Apr. 24, 2020
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2020
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2020
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	HSII
Entity Registrant Name	HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001066605
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		19,274,921

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 251,000,000	$ 271,719,000
Marketable Securities	0	61,153,000
Marketable securities	131,371,000	109,163,000
Prepaid expenses	26,505,000	20,185,000
Other current assets	32,133,000	27,848,000
Income taxes recoverable	4,400,000	4,414,000
Total current assets	445,409,000	494,482,000
Non-current assets
Property and equipment, net	28,450,000	28,650,000
Operating Lease, Right-of-Use Asset	98,943,000	99,391,000
Assets designated for retirement and pension plans	13,756,000	13,978,000
Investments	23,516,000	25,409,000
Other non-current assets	25,181,000	20,434,000
Goodwill	123,422,000	126,831,000
Other intangible assets, net	(1,554,000)	(1,935,000)
Deferred income taxes	32,299,000	33,063,000
Total non-current assets	347,121,000	349,691,000
Total assets	792,530,000	844,173,000
Current liabilities
Accounts payable	11,088,000	8,633,000
Accrued salaries and benefits	97,875,000	234,306,000
Deferred revenue	41,433,000	41,267,000
Operating Lease, Liability, Current	29,818,000	30,955,000
Other current liabilities	19,534,000	26,253,000
Income taxes payable	8,198,000	3,928,000
Total current liabilities	207,946,000	345,342,000
Long-term Line of Credit	100,000,000	0
Employee-related Liabilities, Non-current	46,823,000	59,662,000
Non-current liabilities
Retirement and pension plans	43,851,000	46,032,000
Operating Lease, Liability, Noncurrent	77,594,000	79,388,000
Other non-current liabilities	4,551,000	4,634,000
Total non-current liabilities	272,819,000	189,716,000
Total liabilities	480,765,000	535,058,000
Commitments and contingencies (Note 18)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019	0	0
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 19,585,777 shares issued, 19,274,921 and 19,165,954 shares outstanding at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	196,000	196,000
Treasury stock at cost, 310,856 and 419,823 shares at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively	(10,957,000)	(14,795,000)
Additional paid in capital	226,033,000	228,807,000
Retained earnings	96,415,000	91,083,000
Accumulated other comprehensive income	78,000	3,824,000
Total stockholders’ equity	311,765,000	309,115,000
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 792,530,000	$ 844,173,000

Condensed Consolidated Balanc_2

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value (in USD 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 USD 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 outstanding	19,274,921	19,165,954
Treasury stock, shares	310,856	419,823

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	$ 171,481	$ 171,594
Revenue
Reimbursements Revenue	3,366	4,680
Total revenue	174,847	176,274
Operating expenses
Salaries and benefits	121,089	120,818
General and administrative expenses	32,240	34,385
Reimbursable Expenses	3,366	4,680
Total operating expenses	156,695	159,883
Operating income	18,152	16,391
Non-operating income (expense)
Interest, net	679	808
Other, net	(4,435)	1,643
Net non-operating income (expense)	(3,756)	2,451
Income before income taxes	14,396	18,842
Provision for income taxes	5,730	6,755
Net income	8,666	12,087
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
Foreign currency translation adjustment	(3,716)	320
Net unrealized loss on available-for-sale investments	(30)	0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(3,746)	320
Comprehensive income	$ 4,920	$ 12,407
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	19,192	19,003
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding (in shares)	19,776	19,504
Basic net income per common share (in USD per share)	$ 0.45	$ 0.64
Diluted net income per common share (in USD per share)	0.44	0.62
Cash dividends paid per share (in USD per share)	$ 0.15	$ 0.15

Condensed Consolidated Statem_2

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Additional Paid in Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 267,156	$ 196	$ (20,298)	$ 227,147	$ 56,049	$ 4,062
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2018		19,586,000	632,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	12,087				12,087
Other comprehensive income, net of tax	320					320
Common and treasury stock transactions:
Stock-based compensation	1,343			1,343
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings	(4,552)		$ (5,155)	(9,707)
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings, shares			160,000
Cash dividends declared ($0.15 per share)	(2,848)				(2,848)
Dividend equivalents on restricted stock units	87				(87)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019	273,419	$ 196	$ (15,143)	218,783	65,201	4,382
Ending balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2019		19,586,000	472,000
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2019	$ 309,115	$ 196	$ (14,795)	228,807	91,083	3,824
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2019	19,165,954	19,586,000	420,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net income	$ 8,666				8,666
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Effect of Adoption, Quantification	(332)				(332)
Other comprehensive income, net of tax	(3,746)					(3,746)
Common and treasury stock transactions:
Stock-based compensation	2,614			2,614
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings	(1,550)		$ (3,838)	(5,388)
Vesting of equity, net of tax withholdings, shares			109,000
Cash dividends declared ($0.15 per share)	(2,876)				(2,876)
Dividend equivalents on restricted stock units	(126)				(126)
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2020	$ 311,765	$ 196	$ (10,957)	$ 226,033	$ 96,415	$ 78
Ending balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2020	19,274,921	19,586,000	311,000

Condensed Consolidated Statem_3

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Cash dividends per share	$ 0.15	$ 0.15

Condensed Consolidated Statem_4

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Condensed Cash Flow Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	$ 251,000,000	$ 114,762,000
Cash flows - operating activities
Net income	8,666,000	12,087,000
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	2,337,000	2,734,000
Deferred Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	110,000	336,000
Stock-based compensation expense	2,614,000	1,343,000
Accretion expense related to earnout payments	0	(160,000)
Marketable Securities, Gain (Loss)	(111,000)	0
Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets	1,000	0
Increase (Decrease) in Accounts Receivable	(24,656,000)	(20,167,000)
Changes in assets and liabilities:
Accounts payable	1,897,000	99,000
Accrued expenses	(147,265,000)	(146,222,000)
Restructuring Reserve, Accrual Adjustment	(138,000)	(681,000)
Deferred revenue	837,000	(1,586,000)
Income taxes payable, net	4,082,000	2,496,000
Retirement and pension plan assets and liabilities	2,033,000	1,550,000
Prepaid expenses	(6,566,000)	(6,499,000)
Other assets and liabilities, net	(9,441,000)	(923,000)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities	165,600,000	(155,273,000)
Cash flows - investing activities
Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment	1,753,000	898,000
Purchases of available-for-sale investments	(2,125,000)	(1,678,000)
Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale investments	61,395,000	113,000
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities	57,517,000	(2,463,000)
Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Financing Activities	(92,660,000)	(7,894,000)
Effect of Exchange Rate on Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents, Including Disposal Group and Discontinued Operations	(5,296,000)	130,000
Cash flows - financing activities
Proceeds from Lines of Credit	100,000,000	0
Cash dividends paid	(3,002,000)	(2,935,000)
Payment of employee tax withholdings on equity transactions	(1,550,000)	(4,552,000)
Payment for Contingent Consideration Liability, Financing Activities	(2,788,000)	(407,000)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents, Period Increase (Decrease), Including Exchange Rate Effect	(20,719,000)	(165,500,000)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	$ 251,000,000	$ 114,414,000

Basis of Presentation of Interi

Basis of Presentation of Interim Financial Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation of Interim Financial Information	The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include revenue recognition, income taxes, interim effective tax rate and the assessment of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment. Estimates are subject to a degree of uncertainty and actual results could differ from these estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary to fairly present the financial position of the Company at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 and its cash flow for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 have been included and are of a normal, recurring nature except as otherwise disclosed. These financial statements and notes are to be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 , as filed with the SEC on February 24, 2020 .

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	A complete listing of the Company’s significant accounting policies is discussed in Note 2 , Summary of Significant Accounting Policies , in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 . Revenue Recognition See Note 3 , Revenue . Marketable Securities The Company’s marketable securities consist of available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities exceeding three months. Restricted Cash Historically, the Company had lease agreements and business licenses 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 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash and cash equivalents between the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of March 31, 2020 and 2019 , and December 31, 2019 and 2018 : March 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 251,000 $ 114,414 $ 271,719 $ 279,906 Restricted cash included within other current assets — 106 — 108 Restricted cash included within other non-current assets — 242 — 248 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 251,000 $ 114,762 $ 271,719 $ 280,262 Earnings per Common Share Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income by weighted average common shares outstanding for the period. 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 per share: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Net income $ 8,666 $ 12,087 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 19,192 19,003 Effect of dilutive securities: Restricted stock units 418 319 Performance stock units 166 182 Diluted 19,776 19,504 Basic earnings per share $ 0.45 $ 0.64 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.44 $ 0.62 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 Condensed 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, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date 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. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components. For office leases, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. For equipment leases, such as vehicles and office equipment, we account for the lease and non-lease components separately. Recently Adopted Financial Accounting Standards On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("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 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Recently Issued Financial Accounting Standards In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2020-04, Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The ASU 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 beginning on March 12, 2020, and the Company may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. 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 Accounting Standards Codification ("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.

Revenue (Notes)

Revenue (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Unbilled Receivables, Contract Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements, Description [Policy Text Block]	Executive Search Revenue is recognized as we satisfy our performance obligations by transferring a good or service to a client. Generally, each of our executive search contracts 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 its clients for its 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 that 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 our executive search engagement performance obligation is recognized over time as our 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 our obligations under the executive search contract. Revenue is generally recognized over a period of approximately six months. Our 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 Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 460 - Guarantees. Heidrick Consulting Revenue is recognized as we satisfy our performance obligations 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. Our 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 Condensed 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 during the period: March 31, December 31, Change Contract assets Unbilled receivables, net $ 11,366 $ 7,585 $ 3,781 Contract assets 14,858 14,672 186 Total contract assets 26,224 22,257 3,967 Contract liabilities Deferred revenue $ 41,433 $ 41,267 $ 166 During the three months ended March 31, 2020 , we recognized revenue of $25.0 million that was included in the contract liabilities balance at the beginning of the period. The amount of revenue recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2020 , from performance obligations partially satisfied in previous periods as a result of changes in the estimates of variable consideration was $7.2 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.

Credit Losses

Credit Losses	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Receivables [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 novel coronavirus ("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: Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 5,140 Provision for credit losses 639 Write-offs (514 ) Foreign currency translation (56 ) Balance at March 31, 2020 $ 5,209 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 March 31, 2020 Fair Value Unrealized Loss Cash and Cash Equivalents Marketable Securities U.S. Treasury securities $ 151,750 $ 18 $ 151,750 $ — The unrealized losses on three investments in U.S. Treasury securities were 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.

Property and Equipment, net

Property and Equipment, net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]
Property and Equipment, net	The components of the Company’s property and equipment are as follows: March 31, December 31, Leasehold improvements $ 47,386 $ 47,269 Office furniture, fixtures and equipment 17,744 17,740 Computer equipment and software 27,821 27,531 Property and equipment, gross 92,951 92,540 Accumulated depreciation (64,501 ) (63,890 ) Property and equipment, net $ 28,450 $ 28,650 Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 was $2.1 million and $2.5 million , respectively.

Leases (Notes)

Leases (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Leases of Lessee Disclosure [Text Block]	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 one year to 10.1 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. Equipment leases, which are comprised of vehicle and office equipment leases, have remaining terms that range from less than one year to 4.6 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 Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income were as follows for the three months ended March 31: 2020 2019 Operating lease cost $ 6,261 $ 6,573 Variable lease cost 2,073 1,857 Total lease cost $ 8,334 $ 8,430 Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company's operating leases is as follows for the three months ended March 31: 2020 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 7,812 $ 8,481 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations: Operating leases $ 1,641 $ 8,726 The weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of March 31, is as follows: 2020 2019 Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term Operating leases 4.6 years 4.9 years Weighted Average Discount Rate Operating leases 3.84 % 3.97 % The future maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2020 , for the years ended December 31 is as follows: Operating Lease Maturity 2020 $ 21,796 2021 28,043 2022 24,314 2023 21,409 2024 10,950 Thereafter 10,275 Total lease payments 116,787 Less: Interest (9,375 ) Present value of lease liabilities $ 107,412

Investments

Investments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Schedule of Investments [Abstract]
Investments	Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities The Company's investments in marketable debt securities, which consist of U.S. Treasury bills, 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 Condensed 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 March 31, 2020 Cash $ 94,243 $ — Level 1 (1) : U.S. Treasury securities 156,774 1 18 156,757 156,757 — Total Level 1 156,774 1 18 156,757 156,757 — Total $ 156,774 $ 1 $ 18 $ 156,757 $ 251,000 $ — 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 $19.3 million and $17.2 million as of March 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 Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans Investments Other Current Liabilities Retirement and Pension Plans Balance at March 31, 2020 Level 1 (1) : U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan $ 23,516 $ — $ — $ 23,516 $ — $ — Level 2 (2) : Retirement and pension plan assets 15,053 1,297 13,756 — — — Pension benefit obligation (20,586 ) — — — (1,297 ) (19,289 ) Total Level 2 (5,533 ) 1,297 13,756 — (1,297 ) (19,289 ) Total $ 17,983 $ 1,297 $ 13,756 $ 23,516 $ (1,297 ) $ (19,289 ) 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. Contingent Consideration The former owners of the Company's prior year 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. The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of Level 3 liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2020 : Acquisition Balance at December 31, 2019 $ (5,278 ) Earnout payments 5,051 Foreign currency translation 227 Balance at March 31, 2020 $ —

Goodwill and Other Intangible A

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets	Goodwill The Company's goodwill by segment is as follows: March 31, December 31, Executive Search Americas $ 91,338 $ 92,497 Europe 24,196 25,579 Asia Pacific 7,888 8,755 Total goodwill $ 123,422 $ 126,831 Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , are as follows: Executive Search Americas Europe Asia Pacific Total Goodwill at December 31, 2019 92,497 25,579 8,755 126,831 Foreign currency translation (1,159 ) (1,383 ) (867 ) (3,409 ) Goodwill at March 31, 2020 $ 91,338 $ 24,196 $ 7,888 $ 123,422 Other Intangible Assets, net The Company’s other intangible assets, net by segment, are as follows: March 31, December 31, Executive Search Americas $ 372 $ 557 Europe 1,130 1,314 Asia Pacific 52 64 Total other intangible assets, net $ 1,554 $ 1,935 The carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization are as follows: Weighted March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Client relationships 6.6 $ 15,816 $ (14,469 ) $ 1,347 $ 16,302 $ (14,683 ) $ 1,619 Trade name 5.0 279 (72 ) 207 362 (46 ) 316 Total intangible assets 6.4 $ 16,095 $ (14,541 ) $ 1,554 $ 16,664 $ (14,729 ) $ 1,935 Intangible asset amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 was $0.2 million and $0.2 million , respectively. The Company's estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets as of March 31, 2020 , for the years ended December 31 is as follows: Estimated Future Amortization 2020 $ 519 2021 458 2022 291 2023 172 2024 71 Thereafter 43 Total $ 1,554

Other Current Assets

Other Current Assets	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Other Liabilities Disclosure [Abstract]
Other Non-Current Liabilities	The components of other current assets are as follows: March 31, December 31, Contract assets $ 26,224 $ 22,257 Other 5,909 5,591 Total other current assets $ 32,133 $ 27,848

Line of Credit

Line of Credit	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 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 term of the agreement. During the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company borrowed $100 million under the 2018 Credit Agreement. The borrowings outstanding under the revolving line of credit currently bear interest at a rate of 1.77% per annum. 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. As of March 31, 2020 , the Company had $100 million of outstanding borrowings. As of December 31, 2019 , the Company had no outstanding borrowings. The Company was in compliance with the financial and other covenants under the 2018 Credit Agreement and no event of default existed.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]
Stock-based Compensation	The Company’s Second Amended and Restated 2012 Heidrick & Struggles GlobalShare Program (the “2012 Program”) provides for grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, and other stock-based 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 March 31, 2020 , 2,844,025 awards have been issued under the 2012 Program and 689,098 shares remain available for future awards, including 683,123 forfeited awards. The 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: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Salaries and benefits (1) $ 1,804 $ 1,671 Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income 479 441 (1) Includes $0.8 million of income and $0.3 million of expense related to cash settled restricted stock units for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 , respectively. Restricted Stock Units Restricted stock units are generally subject to ratable vesting over a three-year period. 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 three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Weighted- Outstanding on December 31, 2019 598,988 $ 32.25 Granted 186,737 23.43 Vested and converted to common stock (125,257 ) 30.64 Forfeited — — Outstanding on March 31, 2020 660,468 $ 30.06 As of March 31, 2020 , there was $12.2 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.6 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% and 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. During the three months ended March 31, 2020 , 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 stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Stock Units Weighted- 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 March 31, 2020 234,934 $ 29.80 As of March 31, 2020 , there was $5.1 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested performance stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.3 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 were granted to certain employees of the Company and 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 income of $0.8 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020 due to a decline in the Company's share price. The Company recorded phantom stock-based compensation expense of $0.3 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019 . Phantom stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Stock Units Outstanding on December 31, 2019 266,060 Granted — Vested — Forfeited — Outstanding on March 31, 2020 266,060 As of March 31, 2020 , there was $2.9 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested phantom stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 3.0 years .

Restructuring (Notes)

Restructuring (Notes)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]	During the three months ended September 30, 2019, the Company recorded restructuring charges of $4.1 million in connection with initiatives to integrate the Company's existing Brazil operations into the 2GET business operation. The Americas incurred $4.1 million in restructuring charges, while Global Operations Support incurred less than $0.1 million. The restructuring charges primarily consist of employee-related costs for the Company's existing Brazil operations. Changes to the accrual for restructuring charges for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , are as follows: Employee Related Outstanding on December 31, 2019 $ 3,245 Cash payments (94 ) Non cash write offs (28 ) Exchange rate fluctuations (735 ) Outstanding on March 31, 2020 $ 2,388

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	The Company reported income before taxes of $14.4 million and an income tax provision of $5.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 . The Company reported income before taxes of $18.8 million and an income tax provision of $6.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 . The effective tax rates for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 , were 39.8% and 35.9% , respectively. The effective tax rates for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 were each impacted by one-time items and the mix of income.

Changes in Accumulated Other Co

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Equity [Abstract]
Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income	The changes in Accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) by component for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is summarized below: Available- Foreign Pension AOCI Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 13 $ 6,102 $ (2,291 ) $ 3,824 Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax (30 ) (3,716 ) — (3,746 ) Balance at March 31, 2020 $ (17 ) $ 2,386 $ (2,291 ) $ 78

Segment Information

Segment Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 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, more appropriately reflect its core operations. The revenue and operating income (loss) by segment are as follows: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Revenue Executive Search Americas $ 100,301 $ 99,305 Europe 33,082 33,553 Asia Pacific 22,070 25,447 Total Executive Search 155,453 158,305 Heidrick Consulting 16,028 13,289 Revenue before reimbursements (net revenue) 171,481 171,594 Reimbursements 3,366 4,680 Total revenue $ 174,847 $ 176,274 Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating income (loss) Executive Search Americas $ 25,732 $ 22,449 Europe 3,049 2,165 Asia Pacific 2,502 4,906 Total Executive Search 31,283 29,520 Heidrick Consulting (4,092 ) (4,827 ) Total segment operating income 27,191 24,693 Global Operations Support (9,039 ) (8,302 ) Total operating income $ 18,152 $ 16,391

Guarantees

Guarantees	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Guarantees [Abstract]
Guarantees	The Company has utilized letters of credit to support certain obligations, primarily for its office lease agreements 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 2030 . For each letter of credit issued, the Company would have to use cash to fulfill the obligation if there is a default on a 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 $3.6 million as of March 31, 2020 . The Company has not accrued for these arrangements as no event of default exists or is expected to exist.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	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.

Subsequent Event

Subsequent Event	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	18 . Subsequent Event The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy increased significantly as the first quarter progressed. The pandemic has created significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. Certain governmental authorities have issued stay-at-home orders, proclamations and/or directives aimed at minimizing the spread of the pandemic. Additional, more restrictive proclamations and/or directives may be issued in the future. The Company has temporarily closed its offices and shifted its workforce to remote operations to ensure the safety of our employees. In addition, certain customers of the Company have closed or reduced their operations during this pandemic. While the Company has not incurred any significant disruptions to our business to date, the extent to which the pandemic impacts the Company's business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors that may not be able to be accurately predicted. The Company expects that all of its business segments, across all of its geographies, will be impacted to some degree by the pandemic and actions taken in response to the pandemic, but the significance of the impact of the pandemic on the Company and the duration for which it may have an impact cannot be determined at this time.

Summary of Significant Accoun_2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Restricted Cash Historically, the Company had lease agreements and business licenses 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 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash and cash equivalents between the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of March 31, 2020 and 2019 , and December 31, 2019 and 2018 : March 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 251,000 $ 114,414 $ 271,719 $ 279,906 Restricted cash included within other current assets — 106 — 108 Restricted cash included within other non-current assets — 242 — 248 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 251,000 $ 114,762 $ 271,719 $ 280,262
Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]	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 Condensed 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, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date 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. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Revenue Recognition See Note 3 , Revenue .
Marketable Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Marketable Securities The Company’s marketable securities consist of available-for-sale debt securities with original maturities exceeding three months.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Earnings per Common Share Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income by weighted average common shares outstanding for the period. 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 per share: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Net income $ 8,666 $ 12,087 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 19,192 19,003 Effect of dilutive securities: Restricted stock units 418 319 Performance stock units 166 182 Diluted 19,776 19,504 Basic earnings per share $ 0.45 $ 0.64 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.44 $ 0.62
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]	Recently Adopted Financial Accounting Standards On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update ("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 Condensed Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows and Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Summary of Significant Accoun_3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Restricted Cash (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Schedule of Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash [Table Text Block]	The following table provides a reconciliation of the cash and cash equivalents between the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows as of March 31, 2020 and 2019 , and December 31, 2019 and 2018 : March 31, December 31, 2020 2019 2019 2018 Cash and cash equivalents $ 251,000 $ 114,414 $ 271,719 $ 279,906 Restricted cash included within other current assets — 106 — 108 Restricted cash included within other non-current assets — 242 — 248 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 251,000 $ 114,762 $ 271,719 $ 280,262

Summary of Significant Accoun_4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Net income $ 8,666 $ 12,087 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 19,192 19,003 Effect of dilutive securities: Restricted stock units 418 319 Performance stock units 166 182 Diluted 19,776 19,504 Basic earnings per share $ 0.45 $ 0.64 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.44 $ 0.62

Revenue (Tables)

Revenue (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Unbilled Receivables, Contract Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Unbilled Receivables, Contract Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]	The following table outlines the changes in our contract asset and liability balances during the period: March 31, December 31, Change Contract assets Unbilled receivables, net $ 11,366 $ 7,585 $ 3,781 Contract assets 14,858 14,672 186 Total contract assets 26,224 22,257 3,967 Contract liabilities Deferred revenue $ 41,433 $ 41,267 $ 166

Credit Losses (Tables)

Credit Losses (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Table Text Block]	The activity in the allowance for credit losses on the Company's trade receivables is as follows: Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 5,140 Provision for credit losses 639 Write-offs (514 ) Foreign currency translation (56 ) Balance at March 31, 2020 $ 5,209
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale [Table Text Block]	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 March 31, 2020 Fair Value Unrealized Loss Cash and Cash Equivalents Marketable Securities U.S. Treasury securities $ 151,750 $ 18 $ 151,750 $ — The unrealized losses on three investments in U.S. Treasury securities were 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.

Property and Equipment, net (Ta

Property and Equipment, net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 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: March 31, December 31, Leasehold improvements $ 47,386 $ 47,269 Office furniture, fixtures and equipment 17,744 17,740 Computer equipment and software 27,821 27,531 Property and equipment, gross 92,951 92,540 Accumulated depreciation (64,501 ) (63,890 ) Property and equipment, net $ 28,450 $ 28,650

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
Lease, Cost [Table Text Block]	Lease cost components included within General and Administrative Expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income were as follows for the three months ended March 31: 2020 2019 Operating lease cost $ 6,261 $ 6,573 Variable lease cost 2,073 1,857 Total lease cost $ 8,334 $ 8,430
Lessee Operating Leases Supplemental Cash Flow Information and Noncash Activity[Table Text Block]	Supplemental cash flow information related to the Company's operating leases is as follows for the three months ended March 31: 2020 2019 Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: Operating cash flows from operating leases $ 7,812 $ 8,481 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations: Operating leases $ 1,641 $ 8,726
Lessee Operating Lease Weighted Averages [Table Text Block]	The weighted average remaining lease term and weighted average discount rate for our operating leases as of March 31, is as follows: 2020 2019 Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term Operating leases 4.6 years 4.9 years Weighted Average Discount Rate Operating leases 3.84 % 3.97 %
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity [Table Text Block]	The future maturities of the Company's operating lease liabilities as of March 31, 2020 , for the years ended December 31 is as follows: Operating Lease Maturity 2020 $ 21,796 2021 28,043 2022 24,314 2023 21,409 2024 10,950 Thereafter 10,275 Total lease payments 116,787 Less: Interest (9,375 ) Present value of lease liabilities $ 107,412

Investments (Tables)

Investments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Schedule of Investments [Abstract]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Table Text Block]	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 Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans Investments Other Current Liabilities Retirement and Pension Plans Balance at March 31, 2020 Level 1 (1) : U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan $ 23,516 $ — $ — $ 23,516 $ — $ — Level 2 (2) : Retirement and pension plan assets 15,053 1,297 13,756 — — — Pension benefit obligation (20,586 ) — — — (1,297 ) (19,289 ) Total Level 2 (5,533 ) 1,297 13,756 — (1,297 ) (19,289 ) Total $ 17,983 $ 1,297 $ 13,756 $ 23,516 $ (1,297 ) $ (19,289 ) 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.
Cash and Available-for-sale Securities by Significant Investment Category [Table Text Block]	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 March 31, 2020 Cash $ 94,243 $ — Level 1 (1) : U.S. Treasury securities 156,774 1 18 156,757 156,757 — Total Level 1 156,774 1 18 156,757 156,757 — Total $ 156,774 $ 1 $ 18 $ 156,757 $ 251,000 $ — 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.

Goodwill and Other Intangible_2

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Goodwill by Segment [Line Items]
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 March 31, 2020 , for the years ended December 31 is as follows: Estimated Future Amortization 2020 $ 519 2021 458 2022 291 2023 172 2024 71 Thereafter 43 Total $ 1,554
Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill by Segment	Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , are as follows: Executive Search Americas Europe Asia Pacific Total Goodwill at December 31, 2019 92,497 25,579 8,755 126,831 Foreign currency translation (1,159 ) (1,383 ) (867 ) (3,409 ) Goodwill at March 31, 2020 $ 91,338 $ 24,196 $ 7,888 $ 123,422
Summary of Other Intangible Assets Net by Segment	The Company’s other intangible assets, net by segment, are as follows: March 31, December 31, Executive Search Americas $ 372 $ 557 Europe 1,130 1,314 Asia Pacific 52 64 Total other intangible assets, net $ 1,554 $ 1,935
Carrying Amount of Amortizable Intangible Assets and Related Accumulated Amortization	The carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization are as follows: Weighted March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Gross Carrying Amount Accumulated Amortization Net Carrying Amount Client relationships 6.6 $ 15,816 $ (14,469 ) $ 1,347 $ 16,302 $ (14,683 ) $ 1,619 Trade name 5.0 279 (72 ) 207 362 (46 ) 316 Total intangible assets 6.4 $ 16,095 $ (14,541 ) $ 1,554 $ 16,664 $ (14,729 ) $ 1,935

Goodwill and Other Intangible_3

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Goodwill by Segment (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Goodwill by Segment [Line Items]
Goodwill by Segment [Table Text Block]	The Company's goodwill by segment is as follows: March 31, December 31, Executive Search Americas $ 91,338 $ 92,497 Europe 24,196 25,579 Asia Pacific 7,888 8,755 Total goodwill $ 123,422 $ 126,831

Other Current Assets Other Curr

Other Current Assets Other Current Assets (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Other current assets [Line Items]
Schedule of Other Current Assets [Table Text Block]	The components of other current assets are as follows: March 31, December 31, Contract assets $ 26,224 $ 22,257 Other 5,909 5,591 Total other current assets $ 32,133 $ 27,848

Stock-based Compensation (Table

Stock-based Compensation (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-Based Compensation, Phantom Shares Award Outstanding Activity [Table Text Block]	Phantom stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Stock Units Outstanding on December 31, 2019 266,060 Granted — Vested — Forfeited — Outstanding on March 31, 2020 266,060
Summary of Information with Respect to Stock-based Compensation	A summary of information with respect to stock-based compensation is as follows: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Salaries and benefits (1) $ 1,804 $ 1,671 Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income 479 441
Restricted Stock Unit Activity	Restricted stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Weighted- Outstanding on December 31, 2019 598,988 $ 32.25 Granted 186,737 23.43 Vested and converted to common stock (125,257 ) 30.64 Forfeited — — Outstanding on March 31, 2020 660,468 $ 30.06
Performance Stock Unit Activity	Performance stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is as follows: Number of Stock Units Weighted- 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 March 31, 2020 234,934 $ 29.80

Restructuring (Tables)

Restructuring (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring and Related Activities Disclosure [Text Block]	Changes to the accrual for restructuring charges for the three months ended March 31, 2020 , are as follows: Employee Related Outstanding on December 31, 2019 $ 3,245 Cash payments (94 ) Non cash write offs (28 ) Exchange rate fluctuations (735 ) Outstanding on March 31, 2020 $ 2,388

Changes in Accumulated Other _2

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 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 three months ended March 31, 2020 is summarized below: Available- Foreign Pension AOCI Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 13 $ 6,102 $ (2,291 ) $ 3,824 Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax (30 ) (3,716 ) — (3,746 ) Balance at March 31, 2020 $ (17 ) $ 2,386 $ (2,291 ) $ 78

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue and Operating Income (Loss), by Segment	The revenue and operating income (loss) by segment are as follows: Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Revenue Executive Search Americas $ 100,301 $ 99,305 Europe 33,082 33,553 Asia Pacific 22,070 25,447 Total Executive Search 155,453 158,305 Heidrick Consulting 16,028 13,289 Revenue before reimbursements (net revenue) 171,481 171,594 Reimbursements 3,366 4,680 Total revenue $ 174,847 $ 176,274 Three Months Ended 2020 2019 Operating income (loss) Executive Search Americas $ 25,732 $ 22,449 Europe 3,049 2,165 Asia Pacific 2,502 4,906 Total Executive Search 31,283 29,520 Heidrick Consulting (4,092 ) (4,827 ) Total segment operating income 27,191 24,693 Global Operations Support (9,039 ) (8,302 ) Total operating income $ 18,152 $ 16,391

Summary of Significant Accoun_5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 251,000,000	$ 271,719,000	$ 114,414,000	$ 279,906,000
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	251,000,000	271,719,000	114,762,000	280,262,000
Other Current Assets [Member]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted Cash	0	0	106,000	108,000
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted Cash	$ 0	$ 0	$ 242,000	$ 248,000

Summary of Significant Accoun_6

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Diluted	19,776	19,504
Earnings Per Share, Basic	$ 0.45	$ 0.64
Earnings Per Share, Diluted	$ 0.44	$ 0.62
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 251,000,000	$ 114,414,000	$ 271,719,000	$ 279,906,000
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Parent	$ 8,666,000	$ 12,087,000
Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic	19,192	19,003
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	$ 251,000,000	$ 114,762,000	271,719,000	280,262,000
Other Current Assets [Member]
Restricted Cash	0	106,000	0	108,000
Other Noncurrent Assets [Member]
Restricted Cash	$ 0	$ 242,000	$ 0	$ 248,000
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	418	319
Performance Shares [Member]
Incremental Common Shares Attributable to Dilutive Effect of Share-based Payment Arrangements	166	182

Revenue (Details)

Revenue (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Contract Assets and Liabilities [Line Items]
Deferred Revenue, Revenue Recognized	$ 25,000
Unbilled Contracts Receivable	11,366	$ 7,585
Increase (Decrease) in Unbilled Contracts Receivable	3,781
Contract with Customer, Asset, Net	14,858	14,672
Increase (Decrease) in Contract Assets	186
Contract Assets	26,224	22,257
Total Contract Asset Increase Decrease	3,967
Deferred Revenue, Current	41,433	$ 41,267
Increase (Decrease) in Contract Liabilities	166
Revenue Recognition, Multiple-deliverable Arrangements, Allocation to Specific Unit of Accounting, Effect of Changes, Selling Price	$ 7,200

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts - Summary of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	$ 151,750,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	156,757,000	$ 139,718,000
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable	5,209,000	$ 5,140,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Unrealized Gain (Loss)	18,000
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Roll Forward]
Provision charged to income	639,000
Write-offs	(514,000)
Currency	(56,000)
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Member]
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	151,750,000
Investments [Domain]
Schedule of Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	$ 0

Property and Equipment, Net - C

Property and Equipment, Net - Components of Company's Property and Equipment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation	$ 2,100	$ 2,500
Property and equipment, gross	92,951		$ 92,540
Accumulated depreciation	(64,501)		(63,890)
Property and equipment, net	28,450		28,650
Leasehold Improvements [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	47,386		47,269
Office Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	17,744		17,740
Computer Equipment and Software [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Property and equipment, gross	$ 27,821		$ 27,531

Property and Equipment, Net - A

Property and Equipment, Net - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation expense	$ 2.1	$ 2.5

Leases (Details)

Leases (Details)	Mar. 31, 2020
Minimum [Member] | Office Leases [Member]
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Minimum [Member] | Equipment Leases [Member]
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	1 year
Maximum [Member] | Office Leases [Member]
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	10 years 1 month
Maximum [Member] | Equipment Leases [Member]
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lessee, Operating Lease, Term of Contract	4 years 7 months

Leases Lease, Cost (Details)

Leases Lease, Cost (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Lease, Cost [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Expense	$ 6,261	$ 6,573
Variable Lease, Cost	2,073	1,857
Lease, Cost	$ 8,334	$ 8,430

Leases Operating Lease, Supplem

Leases Operating Lease, Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Operating Leases, Supplemental Cash Flow Information [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Payments	$ 7,812	$ 8,481
Right-of-Use Asset Obtained in Exchange for Operating Lease Liability	$ 1,641	$ 8,726

Leases Lessee, Operating Lease,

Leases Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Maturity [Abstract]
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due, Next Twelve Months	$ 21,796
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Four Years	21,409
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Two Years	28,043
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Three Years	24,314
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Five Years	10,950
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due Thereafter	10,275
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Due	116,787
Lessee, Operating Lease, Liability, Undiscounted Excess Amount	(9,375)
Operating Lease, Liability	$ 107,412

Leases Operating Lease, Weighte

Leases Operating Lease, Weighted Averages (Details)	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Operating Lease Weighted Averages [Abstract]
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term	4 years 7 months	4 years 11 months
Operating Lease, Weighted Average Discount Rate, Percent	3.84%	3.97%

Investments - Components of Com

Investments - Components of Company's Investments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	$ 94,243	$ 177,493
Marketable Securities	0	0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value		15,661
Marketable Securities		0
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member] | US Treasury Securities [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	156,774	139,705
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	1	13
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	18	0
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	156,757	139,718
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	156,757	78,565
Marketable Securities	$ 0	$ 61,153

Investments - Additional Inform

Investments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	$ 18,000	$ 0
Marketable Securities	0	61,153,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	156,774,000	139,705,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	1,000	13,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	156,757,000	139,718,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	251,000,000	271,719,000	$ 114,414,000	$ 279,906,000
Long-term Investments	23,516,000	25,409,000
Aggregate cost basis for investments	19,300,000	17,200,000
Available-for-sale Securities	151,750,000
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	17,983,000	19,787,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Loss, before Tax	18,000	0
Marketable Securities	0	61,153,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Amortized Cost	156,774,000	139,705,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale, Accumulated Gross Unrealized Gain, before Tax	1,000	13,000
Debt Securities, Available-for-sale	156,757,000	139,718,000
Cash and Cash Equivalents, at Carrying Value	156,757,000	94,226,000
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan assets	23,516,000	25,409,000
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	15,053,000	15,296,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(20,586,000)	(20,918,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(5,533,000)	(5,622,000)
Other Current Liabilities [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(1,297,000)	(1,318,000)
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	0	0
Other Current Liabilities [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	0	0
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(1,297,000)	(1,318,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(1,297,000)	(1,318,000)
Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	13,756,000	13,978,000
Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan assets	0	0
Assets Designated for Retirement and Pension Plans [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	13,756,000	13,978,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	0	0
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	13,756,000	13,978,000
Investments [Domain]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	0
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	23,516,000	25,409,000
Investments [Domain] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan assets	23,516,000	25,409,000
Investments [Domain] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	0	0
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	0	0
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	0	0
Other Pension Plan [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(19,289,000)	(19,600,000)
Other Pension Plan [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Available-for-sale Securities	0	0
Other Pension Plan [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	0	0
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(19,289,000)	(19,600,000)
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	(19,289,000)	(19,600,000)
Other Current Assets [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	1,297,000	1,318,000
Other Current Assets [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan assets	0	0
Other Current Assets [Member] | Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]
Schedule of Fair Value of Separate Accounts by Major Category of Investment [Line Items]
Defined Benefit Plan, Plan Assets, Amount	1,297,000	1,318,000
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	0	0
Fair Value, Net Asset (Liability)	$ 1,297,000	$ 1,318,000

Fair Value Measurements - Level

Fair Value Measurements - Levels of Inputs Used to Measure Fair Value of Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available for sale securities	$ 151,750
Total fair value of assets	17,983	$ 19,787
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Assets designated for retirement and pension plans	15,053	15,296
Defined Benefit Plan, Benefit Obligation	(20,586)	(20,918)
Total fair value of assets	$ (5,533)	$ (5,622)

Fair Value Measurements - Recon

Fair Value Measurements - Reconciliation of Beginning and Ending Balance of Level 3 Assets and Liabilities (Detail) - Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member] - Acquisition Earnout Accruals [Member] $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)
Fair Value, Asset and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis, Level 3 [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance, acquisition earnout accruals	$ (5,278)
Earnout Payments Fair Value Disclosure	5,051
Foreign currency translation	227
Ending balance, acquisition earnout accruals	$ 0

Goodwill and Other Intangible_4

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Changes in Carrying Amount of Goodwill by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Foreign currency translation	$ (3,409,000)
Goodwill	123,422,000	$ 126,831,000
Executive Search [Member] | Americas [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	91,338,000	92,497,000
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Foreign currency translation	(1,159,000)
Goodwill	91,338,000	92,497,000
Executive Search [Member] | Europe [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	24,196,000	25,579,000
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Foreign currency translation	(1,383,000)
Goodwill	24,196,000	25,579,000
Executive Search [Member] | Asia Pacific [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	7,888,000	8,755,000
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Foreign currency translation	(867,000)
Goodwill	$ 7,888,000	$ 8,755,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible_5

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Summary of Other Intangible Assets Net by Segment (Detail) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,554,000	$ 1,935,000
Goodwill	123,422,000	126,831,000
Executive Search [Member] | Americas [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	372,000	557,000
Goodwill	91,338,000	92,497,000
Executive Search [Member] | Europe [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	1,130,000	1,314,000
Goodwill	24,196,000	25,579,000
Executive Search [Member] | Asia Pacific [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Net Carrying Amount	52,000	64,000
Goodwill	$ 7,888,000	$ 8,755,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible_6

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Carrying Amount of Amortizable Intangible Assets and Related Accumulated Amortization (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$ 200,000	$ 200,000
Weighted Average Life (Years)	6 years 5 months
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 16,095,000		$ 16,664,000
Accumulated Amortization	14,541,000		14,729,000
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,554,000		1,935,000
Client Relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (Years)	6 years 7 months
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 15,816,000		16,302,000
Accumulated Amortization	14,469,000		14,683,000
Net Carrying Amount	$ 1,347,000		1,619,000
Trade Name [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted Average Life (Years)	5 years
Gross Carrying Amount	$ 279,000		362,000
Accumulated Amortization	72,000		46,000
Net Carrying Amount	$ 207,000		$ 316,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible_7

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Remainder of Fiscal Year	$ 519,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Two	458,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Three	291,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Four	172,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, Year Five	71,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Amortization Expense, after Year Five	43,000
Intangible asset amortization expense, excluding impairment charge	200,000	$ 200,000
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net	$ 1,554,000		$ 1,935,000

Goodwill and Other Intangible_8

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Goodwill by Segment (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 123,422,000	$ 126,831,000
Americas [Member] | Executive Search [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	91,338,000	92,497,000
Goodwill	91,338,000	92,497,000
Europe [Member] | Executive Search [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	24,196,000	25,579,000
Goodwill	24,196,000	25,579,000
Asia Pacific [Member] | Executive Search [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill, Gross	7,888,000	8,755,000
Goodwill	$ 7,888,000	$ 8,755,000

Other Current Assets Other Cu_2

Other Current Assets Other Current Assets - Components of Other Current Assets (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Other Current Assets - Components of Other Current Assets [Line Items]
Unbilled Receivables, Current	$ 26,224,000	$ 22,257,000
Other Assets, Miscellaneous, Current	5,909,000	5,591,000
Other Assets, Current	$ 32,133,000	$ 27,848,000

Line of Credit - Additional Inf

Line of Credit - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit	$ 100,000	$ 0
Long-term debt, gross	100,000		$ 0
2018 Credit Agreement [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Senior unsecured revolving line of credit aggregate commitment	175,000
Sublimit for letters of credit	25,000
Line of credit facility expansion feature	75,000
Swingline Loan Sublimit	10,000
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	1,000
Senior Unsecured Revolving Line Of Credit Member [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Proceeds from Lines of Credit	$ 100,000

Stock-based Compensation - Addi

Stock-based Compensation - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ 800,000	$ (300,000)
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit from Compensation Expense	$ 479,000	441,000
Phantom Share Units (PSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	266,060		266,060
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense	$ 2,900,000
Expected time to be recognized	3 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	0
Restricted Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	660,468		598,988
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense	$ 12,200,000
Expected time to be recognized	2 years 7 months
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	186,737
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	125,257
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	0
Performance Stock Units [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	234,934		179,559
Pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense	$ 5,100,000
Expected time to be recognized	2 years 3 months
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	105,847
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	50,472
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	0
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 [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%
2012 Program [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Number of stock awards issued under 2012 Program	2,844,025
Shares available for future awards	689,098
Number of forfeited awards under 2012 Program	683,123
Labor and Related Expenses [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Compensation Cost	$ 1,804,000	$ 1,671,000

Stock-based Compensation - Summ

Stock-based Compensation - Summary of Information with Respect to Stock-Based Compensation (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
General and administrative expenses	$ (800,000)	$ 300,000
Income tax benefit related to stock-based compensation included in net income	$ 479,000	$ 441,000
Two Thousand Twelve Program [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Shares Issued in Period	2,844,025
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant	689,098
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Nonvested Options Forfeited, Number of Shares	683,123

Stock-based Compensation - Rest

Stock-based Compensation - Restricted Stock Unit Activity (Detail) - Restricted Stock Units [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized | $	$ 12.2
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 | shares	598,988
Number of stock units, granted | shares	186,737
Number of stock units, vested and converted to common stock | shares	(125,257)
Number of stock units, forfeited | shares	0
Number of stock units, ending balance | shares	660,468
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, beginning balance | $ / shares	$ 32.25
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, granted | $ / shares	23.43
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, vested and converted to common stock | $ / shares	30.64
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, forfeited | $ / shares	0
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, ending balance | $ / shares	$ 30.06
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 7 months

Stock-based Compensation - Perf

Stock-based Compensation - Performance Stock Unit Activity (Detail) - Performance Stock Units [Member] $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)$ / sharesshares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized | $	$ 5.1
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 | shares	179,559
Number of stock units, granted | shares	105,847
Number of stock units, vested and converted to common stock | shares	(50,472)
Number of stock units, forfeited | shares	0
Number of stock units, ending balance | shares	234,934
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, beginning balance | $ / shares	$ 32.63
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, granted | $ / shares	23.52
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, vested and converted to common stock | $ / shares	26.69
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, forfeited | $ / shares	0
Weighted-average grant-date fair value, ending balance | $ / shares	$ 29.80
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	2 years 3 months
Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period	3 years
Minimum [Member] | Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	0.00%
Maximum [Member] | Executive Officer [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number of Shares [Roll Forward]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Rights, Percentage	200.00%

Stock-based Compensation Stock-

Stock-based Compensation Stock-based Compensation - Phantom Unit Activity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense	$ (0.8)	$ 0.3
Phantom Share Units (PSUs) [Member]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized	$ 2.9
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number	266,060		266,060
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Grants in Period	0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period	0
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Forfeited in Period	0
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition	3 years

Restructuring (Details)

Restructuring (Details) - Employee Severance [Member] - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring Reserve	$ 2,388	$ 3,245
Payments for Restructuring	(94)
Restructuring Charges, Non-cash Write-offs	(28)
Restructuring Reserve, Foreign Currency Translation Gain (Loss)	$ (735)

Income Taxes - Additional Infor

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Results of Operations, Income before Income Taxes [Abstract]
Income before income taxes	$ 14,396	$ 18,842
Provision for income taxes	$ (5,730)	$ (6,755)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent	39.80%	35.90%

Changes in Accumulated Other _3

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income ("AOCI") by Component (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	$ 78		$ 3,824
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Effect of Adoption, Quantification	(332)
Net current period other comprehensive income	(3,746)	$ 320
Stockholders' equity attributable to parent	311,765	273,419	309,115	$ 267,156
Available-for-Sale Securities Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(17)		13
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax	(30)
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	2,386		6,102
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax	(3,716)
Pension Adjustment [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax	(2,291)		(2,291)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax	0
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Other comprehensive income before classification, net of tax	(3,746)
Net current period other comprehensive income	(3,746)	320
Stockholders' equity attributable to parent	$ 78	$ 4,382	$ 3,824	$ 4,062

Segment Information - Revenue a

Segment Information - Revenue and Operating Income (Loss), by Segment (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020	Mar. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	$ 171,481	$ 171,594
Revenue
Reimbursements Revenue	3,366	4,680
Total revenue	174,847	176,274
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	18,152	16,391
Operating Segments [Member]
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	27,191	24,693
Global Operations Support [Member]
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(9,039)	(8,302)
Executive Search [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	155,453	158,305
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	31,283	29,520
Heidrick Consulting [Domain] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	16,028	13,289
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	(4,092)	(4,827)
Executive Search and Leadership Consulting Americas Segment [Member] | Executive Search [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	100,301	99,305
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	25,732	22,449
Executive Search and Leadership Consulting Europe Segment [Member] | Executive Search [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	33,082	33,553
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	3,049	2,165
Executive Search and Leadership Consulting Asia Pacific Segment [Member] | Executive Search [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenue, Net of Reimbursements	22,070	25,447
Operating income (loss)
Operating (loss) income	$ 2,502	$ 4,906

Guarantees - Additional Informa

Guarantees - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2020USD ($)
Guarantees [Abstract]
Maximum undiscounted payments under outstanding guarantees	$ 3.6
Extend termination dates of the leases	extend through 2030