Business — Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and consolidated subsidiaries (“SYKES” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of multichannel demand generation and global customer engagement services. SYKES provides differentiated full lifecycle customer engagement solutions and services primarily to Global 2000 companies and their end customers, principally within the financial services, communications, technology, transportation & leisure, healthcare and other industries. SYKES primarily provides customer engagement solutions and services with an emphasis on inbound multichannel demand generation, customer service and technical support to its clients’ customers. Utilizing SYKES’ integrated onshore/offshore global delivery model, SYKES provides its services through multiple communication channels including phone, e-mail, social media, text messaging, chat and digital self-service. SYKES also provides various enterprise support services in the United States that include services for its clients’ internal support operations, from technical staffing services to outsourced corporate help desk services. In Europe, SYKES also provides fulfillment services, which include order processing, payment processing, inventory control, product delivery and product returns handling. Additionally, through the Company’s acquisition of robotic processing automation (“RPA”) provider Symphony Ventures Ltd (“Symphony”) coupled with our investment in artificial intelligence (“AI”) through XSell Technologies, Inc. (“XSell”), the Company also provides a suite of solutions such as consulting, implementation, hosting and managed services that optimizes its differentiated full lifecycle management services platform. The Company has operations in two reportable segments entitled (1) the Americas, 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, which includes the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim; and (2) EMEA, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

On December 20, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “2017 Tax Reform Act”) was approved by Congress and received presidential approval on December 22, 2017. In general, the 2017 Tax Reform Act reduced the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective in 2018. The 2017 Tax Reform Act moved from a worldwide business taxation approach to a participation exemption regime. The 2017 Tax Reform Act also imposed base-erosion prevention measures on non-U.S. earnings of U.S. entities, as well as a one-time mandatory deemed repatriation tax on accumulated non-U.S. earnings. The impact of the 2017 Tax Reform Act on the Company’s consolidated financial results began with the fourth quarter of 2017, the period of enactment. See Note 11, Income Taxes, for further information.

On October 18, 2018, the Company, as guarantor, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, SEI International Services S.a.r.l, a Luxembourg company, entered into the Symphony Purchase Agreement with Pascal Baker, Ian Barkin, David Brain, David Poole, FIS Nominee Limited, Baronsmead Venture Trust plc and Baronsmead Second Venture Trust plc (together, the “Symphony Sellers”) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Symphony.

Symphony, headquartered in London, England, provides RPA services, offering RPA consulting, implementation, hosting and managed services for front, middle and back-office processes. Symphony serves numerous industries globally, including financial services, healthcare, business services, manufacturing, consumer products, communications, media and entertainment.

The aggregate purchase price was GBP 52.5 million ($67.6 million), of which the Company paid GBP 44.6 million ($57.6 million) at the closing of the transaction on November 1, 2018 using cash on hand as well as $31.0 million of additional borrowings under the Company’s credit agreement. The acquisition date present value of the remaining GBP 7.9 million ($10.0 million) of purchase price has been deferred and will be paid in equal installments over three years, on or around November 1, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Symphony Purchase Agreement also provides for a three-year, retention based earnout payable in restricted stock units (“RSUs”) with a value of GBP 3.0 million.

Subsequent to the finalization of the working capital adjustments during the three months ended March 31, 2019, the purchase price was adjusted to GBP 52.4 million ($67.5 million). The acquisition resulted in $26.1 million of intangible assets, primarily customer relationships and trade names, $2.2 million of fixed assets and $36.2 million of goodwill.

The Symphony Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties, indemnification obligations and covenants.

The Company accounted for the Symphony acquisition in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”), whereby the purchase price paid was allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values as of the closing date. Certain amounts are provisional and are subject to change, including the tax analysis of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and goodwill. The Company expects to complete its analysis of the purchase price allocation during the fourth quarter of 2019 and any resulting adjustments will be recorded in accordance with ASC 805.

On July 9, 2018, the Company, as guarantor, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Sykes Australia Pty Ltd, an Australian company, and Clear Link Technologies, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, entered into and closed the WhistleOut Sale Agreement with WhistleOut Nominees Pty Ltd as trustee for the WhistleOut Holdings Unit Trust, CPC Investments USA Pty Ltd, JJZL Pty Ltd, Kenneth Wong as trustee for Wong Family Trust and C41 Pty Ltd as trustee for the Ottery Family Trust (together, the “WhistleOut Sellers”) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of WhistleOut.

The aggregate purchase price of AUD 30.2 million ($22.4 million) was paid at the closing of the transaction on July 9, 2018. Subsequent to the finalization of the working capital adjustments during the three months ended March 31, 2019, the purchase price was adjusted to AUD 30.3 million ($22.5 million). The acquisition resulted in $16.5 million of intangible assets, primarily indefinite-lived domain names, $2.4 million of fixed assets and $2.5 million of goodwill. The purchase price was funded through $22.0 million of additional borrowings under the Company’s credit agreement. The WhistleOut Sale Agreement provides for a three-year, retention based earnout of AUD 14.0 million.

The WhistleOut Sale Agreement contained customary representations and warranties, indemnification obligations and covenants.

The Company accounted for the WhistleOut acquisition in accordance with ASC 805, whereby the purchase price paid was allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values as of the closing date. Certain amounts are provisional and are subject to change, including the tax analysis of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and goodwill. The Company expects to complete its analysis of the purchase price allocation during the second quarter of 2019 and any resulting adjustments will be recorded in accordance with ASC 805.

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 months ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future quarters or the year ending December 31, 2019. 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, 2018, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 26, 2019.

Principles of Consolidation — The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SYKES and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and controlled majority-owned subsidiaries. Investments in less than majority-owned subsidiaries in which the Company does not have a controlling interest, but does have significant influence, are accounted for as equity method investments. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

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 or transactions have been evaluated through the date and time of issuance of the condensed consolidated financial statements. There were no material subsequent events that required recognition or disclosure in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted cash — Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and highly liquid short-term investments, primarily held in non-interest-bearing investments which have original maturities of less than 90 days. Restricted cash includes cash whereby the Company’s ability to use the funds at any time is contractually limited or is generally designated for specific purposes arising out of certain contractual or other obligations.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets that sum to the amounts reported in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):

	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018		March 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	148,242	$	128,697	$	172,590	$	343,734
Restricted cash included in "Other current assets"		1,960		149		154		154
Restricted cash included in "Deferred charges and other assets"		1,373		1,385		925		917
	$	151,575	$	130,231	$	173,669	$	344,805

Investments in Equity Method Investees — In July 2017, the Company made a strategic investment of $10.0 million in XSell for 32.8% of XSell’s preferred stock. The Company is incorporating XSell’s machine learning and AI algorithms into its business. The Company believes this will increase the sales performance of its agents to drive revenue for its clients, improve the experience of the Company’s clients’ end customers and enhance brand loyalty, reduce the cost of customer care and leverage analytics and machine learning to source the best agents and improve their performance.

The Company’s net investment in XSell of $9.0 million and $9.2 million was included in “Deferred charges and other assets” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. The Company’s investment was paid in two installments of $5.0 million, one in July 2017 and one in August 2018. The Company’s proportionate share of XSell’s net (loss) of $(0.2) million and $(0.1) million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, was included in “Other income (expense), net” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company did not identify any instances where the carrying values of its equity method investments were not recoverable.

Customer-Acquisition Advertising Costs — The Company’s advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Total advertising costs included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations were as follows (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Customer-acquisition advertising costs included in "Direct salaries and related costs"	$	12,104	$	9,967
Customer-acquisition advertising costs included in "General and administrative"		18		27

Reclassifications — Certain balances in the prior period have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) – Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”). These amendments remove, modify or add certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. These amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Certain of the amendments will be applied prospectively in the initial year of adoption while the remainder are required to be applied retrospectively to all periods presented upon their effective date. Early adoption is permitted. The Company does not expect its adoption of ASU 2018-13 to have a material impact on its disclosures and does not expect to early adopt the standard.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation – Retirement Benefits – Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715-20) – Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans (“ASU 2018-14”). These amendments remove, modify or add certain disclosure requirements for defined benefit plans. These amendments are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect its adoption of ASU 2018-14 to have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures and does not expect to early adopt the standard.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) – Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (“ASU 2018-15”). These amendments align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early application permitted in any interim period after issuance of this update. The amendments should be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. The Company does not expect its adoption of ASU 2018-15 to have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures and does not expect to early adopt the standard.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) – Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). These amendments require measurement and recognition of expected versus incurred credit losses for financial assets held. In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (“ASU 2018-19”). These amendments clarify that receivables arising from operating leases are accounted for using the lease guidance in ASC 842, Leases, and not as financial instruments. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company expects ASU 2016-13 to apply to its trade receivables but does not expect the adoption of the amendments to have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows because credit losses associated from trade receivables have historically been insignificant. Additionally, the Company does not anticipate early adopting ASU 2016-13.

Codification Improvements – Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Derivatives and Hedging, and Financial Instruments

In April 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-04, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments (“ASU 2019-04”). These amendments clarify new standards on credit losses, hedging and recognizing and measuring financial instruments and address implementation issues stakeholders have raised. The credit losses and hedging amendments have the same effective dates as the respective standards, unless an entity has already adopted the standards. The amendments related to recognizing and measuring financial instruments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is

evaluating the timing of its adoption of ASU 2019-04 but does not expect a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”) and subsequent amendments (together, “ASC 842”). These amendments require the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under ASC 840, Leases (“ASC 840”). These amendments also require qualitative disclosures along with specific quantitative disclosures. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early application is permitted. Entities have the option to either apply the amendments (1) at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements or (2) at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption without the need to restate prior periods. There are also certain optional practical expedients that an entity may elect to apply. The Company adopted ASC 842 as of January 1, 2019 using a modified retrospective transition, with the cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of the effective date. Periods prior to January 1, 2019 have not been restated.

See Note 3, Leases, for further details as well as the Company’s significant accounting policy for leases.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) – Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedge Activities (“ASU 2017-12”). These amendments help simplify certain aspects of hedge accounting and better align an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. For cash flow and net investment hedges as of the adoption date, the guidance requires a modified retrospective approach. The amended presentation and disclosure guidance is required only prospectively. These amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early application permitted in any interim period after issuance of this update. The adoption of ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2019 did not have a material impact on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or disclosures of the Company. No cumulative-effect adjustment was recorded to opening retained earnings on the date of adoption as there was no ineffectiveness previously recorded in retained earnings that would have been included in other comprehensive income if the new guidance had been applied since hedge inception. Upon adoption of ASU 2017-12, the Company elected the spot method for assessing the effectiveness of net investment hedges and will record the amortization of excluded components of net investment hedges in “Other income (expense), net” in its consolidated financial statements.