Overview and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Business

Business — Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and consolidated subsidiaries (“SYKES” or the “Company”) provides comprehensive outsourced customer contact management solutions and services in the business process outsourcing arena to companies, primarily within the communications, financial services, technology/consumer, transportation and leisure, and healthcare industries. SYKES provides flexible, high-quality outsourced customer contact management services (with an emphasis on inbound technical support and customer service), which includes customer assistance, healthcare and roadside assistance, technical support and product sales to its clients’ customers. Utilizing SYKES’ integrated onshore/offshore global delivery model, SYKES provides its services through multiple communication channels encompassing phone, e-mail, social media, text messaging and chat. SYKES complements its outsourced customer contact management services with various enterprise support services in the United States that encompass services for a company’s internal support operations, from technical staffing services to outsourced corporate help desk services. In Europe, SYKES also provides fulfillment services including order processing, payment processing, inventory control, product delivery and product returns handling. The Company has operations in two reportable segments entitled (1) the Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim, in which the client base is primarily companies in the United States that are using the Company’s services to support their customer management needs; and (2) EMEA, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation — The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“generally accepted accounting principles” or “U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future quarters or the year ending December 31, 2015. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 19, 2015.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation — The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SYKES and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and controlled majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates — The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events — Subsequent events or transactions have been evaluated through the date and time of issuance of the condensed consolidated financial statements. On July 2, 2015, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding capital stock of Qelp B.V. and Qelp Do Brasil Software E Conteudo Digital LTDA. See Note 20, Subsequent Event, for further information. There were no other material subsequent events that required recognition or disclosure in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2014-09”). The amendments in ASU 2014-09 outline a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and indicate that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve this, an entity should identify the contract(s) with a customer, identify the performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. The amendments are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period; early adoption is not permitted. An entity should apply the amendments using either the full retrospective approach or retrospectively with a cumulative effect of initially applying the amendments recognized at the date of initial application. On July 9, 2015, the FASB agreed to defer the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and the interim periods within that year. The Company is currently evaluating the methods of adoption and the impact that the adoption of ASU 2014-09 may have on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12 “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period” (“ASU 2014-12”). The amendments in ASU 2014-12 require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition. A reporting entity should apply existing guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 718, “Compensation — Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”), as it relates to awards with performance conditions that affect vesting to account for such awards. The amendments are effective for annual periods and interim periods within those annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015; early adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments either (1) prospective to all awards granted or modified after the effective date or (2) retrospectively to all awards with performance targets that are outstanding as of the beginning of the earliest annual period presented in the financial statements and to all new or modified awards thereafter. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2014-12 on January 1, 2016 to materially impact its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In January 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-01 “Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20) Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items” (“ASU 2015-01”). This amendment eliminates from U.S. GAAP the concept of extraordinary items as part of the FASB’s initiative to reduce complexity in accounting standards. These amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015; early adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments either prospectively or retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2015-01 on January 1, 2016 to materially impact its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02 “Consolidation (Topic 810) Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis)” (“ASU 2015-02”). These amendments are intended to improve targeted areas of the consolidation guidance for legal entities such as limited partnerships, limited liability corporations and securitization structures. These amendments affect the consolidation evaluation for reporting organizations. In addition, the amendments simplify and improve current U.S. GAAP by reducing the number of consolidation models. The amendments are effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015; early adoption is permitted. Entities may apply the amendments using either a modified retrospective approach or retrospectively. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2015-02 on January 1, 2016 to materially impact its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03 “Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” (“ASU 2015-03”). These amendments require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Entities should apply the amendments retrospectively. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2015-03 on January 1, 2016 to materially impact its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05 “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement” (“ASU 2015-05”). These amendments provide guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The new guidance does not change the accounting for a customer’s accounting for service contracts. These amendments are effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015; early adoption is permitted. Entities can adopt the amendments either (1) prospectively to all arrangements entered into or materially modified after the effective date or (2) retrospectively. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2015-05 on January 1, 2016 to materially impact its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

New Accounting Standards Recently Adopted

New Accounting Standards Recently Adopted

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2014-08 “Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360) – Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity” (“ASU 2014-08”). The amendments in ASU 2014-08 indicate that only those disposals of components of an entity that represent a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results will be reported as discontinued operations in the financial statements. Currently, a component of an entity that is a reportable segment, an operating segment, a reporting unit, a subsidiary, or an asset group is eligible for discontinued operations presentation. The amendments will be applied to all disposals (or classifications as held for sale) of components of an entity that occur within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within those years. The adoption of ASU 2014-08 on January 1, 2015 did not have a material impact on the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company.

Fair Value Measurements

ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” (“ASC 820”) requires disclosure about how fair value is determined for assets and liabilities and establishes a hierarchy for which these assets and liabilities must be grouped, based on significant levels of observable or unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s market assumptions. This hierarchy requires the use of observable market data when available. These two types of inputs have created the following fair value hierarchy:

• Level 1 — Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.

• Level 2 — Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.

• Level 3 — Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments — The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value:

• Cash, Short-Term and Other Investments, Investments Held in Rabbi Trust and Accounts Payable — The carrying values for cash, short-term and other investments, investments held in rabbi trust and accounts payable approximate their fair values.

• Foreign Currency Forward Contracts and Options — Foreign currency forward contracts and options, including premiums paid on options, are recognized at fair value based on quoted market prices of comparable instruments or, if none are available, on pricing models or formulas using current market and model assumptions, including adjustments for credit risk.

• Long-Term Debt — The carrying value of long-term debt approximates its estimated fair value as it re-prices at varying interest rates.

Fair Value Measurements — ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. ASC 820-10-20 clarifies that fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants.

Financial Instruments

ASC 825 “Financial Instruments” (“ASC 825”) permits an entity to measure certain financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings each period. The Company has not elected to use the fair value option permitted under ASC 825 for any of its financial assets and financial liabilities that are not already recorded at fair value.

Foreign Currency and Derivative Instruments

Cash Flow Hedges – The Company has derivative assets and liabilities relating to outstanding forward contracts and options, designated as cash flow hedges, as defined under ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”), consisting of Philippine Peso, Costa Rican Colon, Hungarian Forint and Romanian Leu contracts. These contracts are entered into to protect against the risk that the eventual cash flows resulting from such transactions will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates.

Income Taxes

Earnings associated with the investments in the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are considered to be indefinitely reinvested outside of the U.S. Therefore, a U.S. provision for income taxes on those earnings or translation adjustments has not been recorded, as permitted by criterion outlined in ASC 740 “Income Taxes.” Determination of any unrecognized deferred tax liability for temporary differences related to investments in foreign subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in duration is not practicable due to the inherent complexity of the multi-national tax environment in which the Company operates.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the periods. Diluted earnings per share includes the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the respective periods and the further dilutive effect, if any, from stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units and shares held in a rabbi trust using the treasury stock method.

Segments and Geographic Information

The Company operates within two regions, the Americas and EMEA. Each region represents a reportable segment comprised of aggregated regional operating segments, which portray similar economic characteristics. The Company aligns its business into two segments to effectively manage the business and support the customer care needs of every client and to respond to the demands of the Company’s global customers.