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ASGN

asgn · NYSE Technology
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Ticker asgn
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Sector Technology
Industry Information Technology Services
Employees 1001-5000
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FY2011 Annual Report · ASGN
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technology  |  healthcare  |  life sciences

Our Core,
Our Future

2011 Annual Report

Financial 
Highlights

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Revenue by Segment for 2011

TECHNOLOGY SEGMENT*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $266,742,000

  Oxford Global Resources

LIFE SCIENCES SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $155,324,000

  Lab Support

  Valesta

  Engineering

  Sharpstream

HEALTHCARE SEGMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $94,598,000

  Nurse Travel

    Healthcare Staffing

  H.I.M.

  Allied Travel

PHYSICIAN SEGMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   $80,617,000 

  VISTA Staffing Solutions

Total Revenue           $597,281,000

*Technology Segment is referenced as the IT & Engineering Segment in the 2011 10-K.

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700

500

300

100

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Total 
Revenue

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0
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0
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6
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$

2008     2009    2010    2011

20,000

Total Number of
Contract Professionals

15,000

10,000

5,000

0

9
3
2
,
6
1

0
3
2
,
4
1

3
8
8
,
2
1

8
2
3
,
2
1

2008     2009    2010    2011

7,000

5,250

3,500

1,750

0

Total Number of 
Clients

3
1
3
,
6

7
4
3
,
5

4
6
8
,
4

7
0
8
,
4

2008     2009    2010    2011

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To Our
Valued Shareholders

Dear Shareholders:

In 2010, as the economic winds began to change, our company 
saw a slow and steady shift toward positive growth. With a winning 
strategy and secular factors in our favor, we firmly established our 
course for the future in 2011.

Our focus on higher-end math and science skills aligns with 
the economic recovery, where specialized knowledge is a key 
driver. Moreover, the verticals in which we operate – life sciences, 
healthcare, and technology – are among the most robust sectors in 
the economy and show encouraging professional staffing market 
opportunities.

Our core, our future

With our core offerings of in-demand professional disciplines and 
the structural changes in the U.S. labor market, our business will 
continue to achieve unparalleled success well into the future. Our 
strategy has shown its viability as On Assignment delivers some 
of the fastest revenue growth and highest profit margins of any 
publicly-traded staffing company. 

In 2011, we surpassed our revenue growth goals during the 
economic fluctuations of the recent past through organic growth 
and tactical acquisitions. The success of our internal growth 
initiatives are reflected in the following 2011 highlights:

•  Achieved full-year revenues of $597.3 million, compared to 

$438.1 million in 2010 – an increase of 36.3 percent.

•  Achieved full-year gross margin of 33.5 percent, compared to 

34.1 percent in 2010.

Positioned for unprecedented growth

With the right focus, strategy, and market conditions, we are 
confident that On Assignment will continue to deliver outstanding 
performance.

The shortage of skilled labor and our ability to meet this demand 
has allowed us to charge attractive, yet competitive, bill rates. 
The higher margin that this creates enables us to sustain a 
stronger profit profile than most staffing companies.

To capitalize on the incredible opportunities and strengthen our 
business, we are committed to building our sales and recruiting 
personnel, which is a vital feature to continue our strong organic 
growth. 

Central to our growth strategy has been our five-year plan, set 
forth in 2010, to reach $1 billion in revenues and $100 million in 
EBITDA. We will reach this goal three years ahead of schedule 
with the recent announcement regarding the acquisition of 
Apex Systems, Inc., a leading information technology staffing 
company. Privately-held Apex Systems was identified as the 
sixth largest and one of the fastest growing IT staffing firms in 
the United States in 2011. The transaction, when completed, will 
make On Assignment one of the largest professional staffing 
firms and the second largest IT staffing firm in the United States.   

The past year was an important chapter in our company’s history. 
With our record-setting revenues and earnings we are set to 
continue this growth trend in 2012. On Assignment is positioned 
to reach a whole new level of success, and I am thankful that you 
have chosen to come along with us on this exciting journey.

•  Achieved full-year net income of $24.3 million, compared to a net 

loss of $9.9 million in 2010.

•  Delivered results that made us ahead of plan to reach $1 billion in 

Sincerely,

revenues and $100 million in EBITDA by mid-2015.

•  Acquired Valesta, a clinical research staffing company in 

Western Europe, to more fully support our multinational contract 
research organizations (CROs) along with an expanded base of 
pharmaceutical and biotech research clients.

•  Acquired HealthCare Partners (HCP), a leading locum tenens and 
physician staffing firm headquartered in Atlanta, to supplement 
our subspecialties and geographic coverage in physician staffing.

Peter T. Dameris 
President and 
Chief Executive Officer

•  Acquired Add-A-Tech, a healthcare staffing agency based in 
Michigan that strengthens our overall position in the Midwest.

•  Increased sales and recruiting headcount by 23 percent year-

over-year.

1
1

 
Technology 
Segment*

Oxford Global Resources specializes in providing high-end IT and engineering consultants, project teams, and strategic 
outsourcing  services  for  mission-critical  projects.  Oxford  combines  international  reach  with  local  depth,  serving  clients 
across North America and Europe through four distinct divisions.

Clients

1,510

Placements

3,410

Revenue

$266.7
million

% Revenue

44.7%
of total
(rounded)

O 

XFORD 
associates  
&

A DIVISION OF OXFORD GLOBAL RESOURCES 

O 

XFORD 
International 

A DIVISION OF OXFORD GLOBAL RESOURCES 

Oxford & Associates provides local IT and engineering 
consultants to companies in major metropolitan 
markets throughout the United States, supported by 
the recruiting depth of Oxford International.

Oxford International delivers national and international 
IT and engineering consultants to clients through 
its 11 recruiting centers across North America and 
Europe, supported by the local presence of Oxford & 
Associates.

O 

XFORD 
Healthcare IT 

A DIVISION OF ON ASSIGNMENT 

Oxford Healthcare IT delivers seasoned professionals 
to healthcare organizations for all phases of IT 
development, implementation, and support projects, 
specializing in revenue cycle, clinical systems, and 
electronic medical records.

C A DIVISION OF OXFORD GLOBAL RESOURCES 
ENTERPOINT 

Centerpoint provides handpicked information 
technology and engineering talent to fulfill clients’ 
direct staffing needs.

*Technology Segment is referenced as the IT & Engineering Segment in the 2011 10-K.

2011 On Assignment Corporate Milestones

Acquisition of Valesta

MAR 01

On Assignment Technology Division receives 
2011 Cosgwell Award for Outstanding 
Industrial Security Achievement

On Assignment appoints  
Katie Hoffman-Abby as 
President of Nurse Travel Division

Jun 27

Jul 28

Life Sciences
Segment

On Assignment’s Life Sciences Segment provides staffing service offerings in scientific, clinical research, engineering, and 
executive search, with operations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The four Life Sciences divisions provide highly 
skilled professionals who are in demand for project-based, contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire placement.

In 2011, the Life Sciences Segment expanded with the acquisition of Valesta. This segment now offers contract, contract-
to-hire, direct hire, and retained search options, allowing current and prospective clients to have confidence that they will 
receive staffing services that meet their local, national, and international needs.

The  Life  Sciences  Segment  is  26.0  percent  of  On  Assignment’s  total  revenue.  Below  is  a  breakdown  of  revenue  for  each 
division within this segment.

Professionals placed include biochemists, chemists, 
biologists, molecular biologists, food scientists, 
environmental scientists, validation engineers, QA/QC 
techs, clinical research associates, microbiologists, 
food scientists, regulatory affairs specialists, lab 
assistants, and technicians.

Engineers of all disciplines are placed in a diverse 
range of industries, including biotech, pharmaceutical, 
automotive, medical device, chemical and plastics, 
environmental, electronics, entertainment, industrial, 
construction, defense, aerospace, and consumer goods.

Clients

Placements

Revenue

1,519

5,018

$115.1
million

% Revenue

74.1%
of segment
(rounded)

Clients

Placements

79

221

Revenue

$6.1
million

% Revenue

3.9%
of segment
(rounded)

Professionals placed include medical writers, clinical 
research associates, SAS programmers, drug safety 
specialists, regulatory affairs specialists, biostatisticians, 
project managers, and clinical scientists.

Provides global retained search services for mid- and 
senior-level management positions in the pharmaceutical, 
biotechnology, vaccines, and medical device industries, 
filling roles across the entire value chain.

Clients

109

Placements

362

Revenue

$291
million

% Revenue

18.7%
of segment
(rounded)

Clients
n/A

Placements
n/A

Revenue

$5.2
million

% Revenue

3.3%
of segment
(rounded)

1Includes On Assignment Clinical Research. Valesta acquired 3/2011.

Acquisition of 
HealthCare Partners

On Assignment Locum Tenens 
Division, VISTA Staffing Solutions, 
hires Christian Rutherford as President

Maine Hospital Association 
exclusively endorses  
On Assignment

On Assignment reports 
record quarterly revenue 
and earnings

Aug 01

Aug 10

Oct 27

Healthcare 
Segment

On Assignment’s Healthcare and Physician Segments offer comprehensive staffing for most disciplines within the healthcare industry, 
including physician, nursing, advanced practice, respiratory therapy, rehab therapy, pharmacy, office/administrative, dental, clinical 
lab, diagnostic imaging, and health information management. Healthcare professionals are placed in contract, contract-to-hire, direct 
hire, and travel positions at hospitals, physicians’ offices, clinics, reference laboratories, and managed healthcare organizations.

The Healthcare Segment is 15.8 percent of total revenue and includes the Nurse Travel, Healthcare Staffing, H.I.M, and Allied Travel 
divisions. The breakdown below reflects revenue for each division within this segment. The Physician Segment is identified separately 
below.

Professionals placed include nurse practitioners, 
physician assistants, and RNs in all specialties, 
including ICU, ER, OR, PEDS, NICU, and L&D.

Provides staffing solutions to meet the increased 
demand for allied healthcare professionals across the 
nation. Experienced travelers are placed in a variety of 
assignments ranging from 4 to 26 weeks.

Clients

373

Placements

Revenue

% Revenue

1,581

$49.7
million

52.5%
of segment
(rounded)

Clients

Placements

71

107

Revenue

$3.8
million

% Revenue

4%
of segment
(rounded)

Allied healthcare professionals are placed in the areas 
of nursing, clinical laboratory, therapy, diagnostic 
imaging, respiratory care, office/administrative, dental, 
and pharmacy.

Flexible coding and auditing staffing solutions are 
provided to acute care facilities, utilizing local, regional, 
and travel professionals.

Clients

960

Placements

Revenue

% Revenue

2,476

$28.8
million

30.5%
of segment
(rounded)

Clients

115

Placements

Revenue

214

$12.3
million

% Revenue

13%
of segment
(rounded)

Physician Segment

VISTA works with physicians from nearly every medical specialty, placing them in hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, 
community-based practices, and government facilities (VA).

Clients
*

611

Placements

Revenue

% Revenue

*

841

*

$80.6
million

*

13.5%
of total
(rounded)

*Includes Healthcare Partners acquired 8/2011.

UNITED STATES 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
Washington, DC 20549 
FORM 10-K 
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 

 ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 

 TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 

Commission File Number 0-20540 
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) 

Delaware 
(State or other jurisdiction of 
incorporation or organization) 

95-4023433 
(I.R.S. Employer 
Identification No.) 

26745 Malibu Hills Road 
Calabasas, California 91301 
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (818) 878-7900 

Title of each class 
Common Stock, $0.01 par value 

Name of each exchange on which registered 
The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes  No  

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: 
None 
(Title of Class) 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes  No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements of the past 90 days.  Yes  No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to 
be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to 
submit and post such files).    Yes    No  

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best 
of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this 
Form 10-K  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the 
definitions of “large accelerated filer,”  “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. 

Large accelerated filer   

Accelerated filer  

Non-accelerated filer  

Smaller reporting company   

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes  No  

As of June 30, 2011, the aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $308,131,042. 

As of March 9, 2012, the registrant had outstanding 37,400,313 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to be filed within 120 days of the close of the registrant’s fiscal year 
2011, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

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ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. 
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PART I 
Item 1. 
Item 1A.   
Item 1B.   
Item 2. 
Item 3. 
Item 4. 

Business 
Risk Factors 
Unresolved Staff Comments 
Properties 
Legal Proceedings 
   Mine Safety Disclosures 

4 
11 
17 
17 
17 
17 

PART II 
Item 5. 
Item 6. 
Item 7. 
Item 7A.   
Item 8. 
Item 9. 
Item 9A.   
Item 9B.   

Selected Financial Data 

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 

   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 18 
21 
22 
29 
31 
56 
56 
57 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 
Controls and Procedures 
Other Information 

PART III 
Item 10.   
Item 11.   
Item 12.   
Item 13.   
Item 14.   

PART IV 
Item 15.   

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 
Executive Compensation 
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence 
Principal Accounting Fees and Services 

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule 

SIGNATURES 

59 
59 
59 
59 
59 

60 

61 

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SPECIAL NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as 

amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are based upon current expectations, as well as 
management’s beliefs and assumptions, and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of 
historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Statements that include the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” 
“intends,” and similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements 
include statements regarding our anticipated financial and operating performance for future periods. Our actual results could differ materially from 
those discussed or suggested in the forward-looking statements herein. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences or prove our 
forward-looking statements, by hindsight, to be overly optimistic or unachievable include, but are not limited to actual demand for our services, our 
ability to attract, train, and retain qualified staffing consultants (which includes our sales and recruiting staff), our ability to remain competitive in 
obtaining and retaining temporary staffing clients, the availability of qualified temporary nurses and other qualified contract professionals, our ability 
to manage our growth efficiently and effectively, continued performance of our information systems and the factors described in Item 1A of this 
Annual Report on Form 10-K under the Section titled ”Risk Factors.” Other factors also may contribute to the differences between our forward-
looking statements and our actual results. In addition, as a result of these and other factors, our past financial performance should not be relied on as 
an indication of future performance. All forward-looking statements in this document are based on information available to us as of the date we file 
this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or the reasons why our actual results may 
differ. 

3 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Item 1. Business 

Overview and History 

PART I 

On  Assignment,  Inc.  (NASDAQ:  ASGN),  is  a  leading  global  provider  of  highly  skilled,  hard-to-find  professionals  in  the  growing  life 
sciences,  healthcare,  and  technology  sectors,  where  quality  people  are  the  key  to  success. The  Company goes  beyond  matching  résumés  with  job 
descriptions  to  match  people  they  know  into  positions  they  understand,  for  contract,  contract-to-hire,  and  direct  hire  assignments.  Our  business 
currently consists of four operating segments: Life Sciences, Healthcare, Physician, and IT and Engineering. 

We were incorporated on December 30, 1985, and thereafter commenced operation of our Lab Support line of business (now included in our 
Life Sciences operating segment), our first contract staffing line of business. Expansion within the Life Sciences segment and into other industries 
has  primarily  been  achieved  through  acquisitions,  and  utilizing  our  experience  and  unique  approach  in  servicing  our  clients  and  contract 
professionals. Since 1985, we have acquired 13 companies.  

On April 16, 2010,  we acquired The Cambridge Group Ltd., a Connecticut−based privately−held firm specializing in clinical research, IT, 
and physician staffing services and accordingly, is included in each of our Life Sciences, IT & Engineering  and Physician operating segments. On 
July 19, 2010, the Company acquired Sharpstream Holdings Limited, a London-based privately−owned provider of executive search services in the 
life sciences sector and is included in our Life Sciences segment. Sharpstream provides search services across Europe, Asia, and the United States.  

On February 28, 2011, we acquired Valesta, a privately-owned provider of specialized clinical research staffing headquartered in 

Belgium. Valesta is included in the Life Sciences operating segment. On July 31, 2011, we acquired HealthCare Partners (HCP), a privately-owned 
provider of physician staffing headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. HCP is included in our Physician segment. 

Financial information regarding our operating segments and our domestic and international revenues is included under “Financial Statements 

and Supplementary Data” in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

Our principal executive office is located at 26745 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas, California 91301 and our telephone number is (818) 878-

7900. We have approximately 76 branch offices in 24 states within the United States and in six foreign countries. 

Industry and Market Dynamics  

The U.S. employment projections published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of February 2012 estimates that total employment for 
the next decade will grow by 20.5 million jobs, or 14 percent, between 2010 and 2020. By comparison, under the previous estimate for the 2008 to 
2018 period, total employment  was projected to grow by 10 percent. The increase in projected growth from the prior period is largely due to the 
relatively  lower  starting  base  in  2010,  compared  to  employment  levels  in  2008.  Within  the  employment  industries,  the  U.S.  Bureau  of  Labor 
Statistics,  according  to  such  projections,  estimates  that  employment  growth  in  the  healthcare  and  social  assistance  sector  will  add  the  most  jobs, 
followed by the professional and business services sector. 

The Staffing Industry Analysts: Staffing Industry Insight (dated September 2011), an independent staffing industry publication, estimates that 
total staffing industry revenues were $114 billion in 2011 and are forecasted to be $122 billion in 2012, in each case, up from $103 billion in 2010. 
The  biggest  industry  segment,  contract  labor,  is  forecasted  to  grow  at  an  annual  rate  of  7  percent  in  2012  with  revenues  of  $94  billion,  while 
permanent placement is forecasted to grow by 12 percent in 2012 with revenues of $6 billion. Within the contract help segment, professional staffing 
is  expected  to  grow  at  an  annual  rate  of  10  percent  in  2012  to  revenues  of  $51  billion.  The  temporary  staffing  (or  contract  labor)  industry  is 
historically cyclical and typically has a strong correlation to employment and GDP growth. We anticipate that our healthcare, life sciences and IT 
clients will increase their use of outsourced labor through professional staffing firms to meet the need for increases in capacity of their workforce. By 
using outsourced labor, these end users will benefit from cost structure advantages, improved flexibility to fluctuating demand in business and access 
to greater expertise.  

 Sales and Fulfillment 

Our strategy is to serve the needs of our targeted industries by effectively understanding and matching client staffing needs with qualified 

contract professionals. In contrast to the mass market approach generally used for contract office/clerical and light industrial personnel, we believe 
effective assignments of contract healthcare, life science, physician and IT and engineering professionals require the people involved in making 
assignments to have significant knowledge of the client’s industry and the ability to assess the specific needs of the client as well as the contract 
professionals’ qualifications. We believe that face-to-face selling in many circumstances is significantly more effective than the telephonic 
solicitation of clients, a tactic favored by many of our competitors. We believe our strategy of using industry professionals to develop professional 
relationships provides us with a competitive advantage in our industry which is recognized by our clients. 

Our corporate offices are organized to perform many functions that allow staffing consultants and recruiters to focus more effectively on 

business development and the assignment of contract professionals. These functions include the recruiting and hiring of staffing consultants, 
recruiters and support staff, as well as ongoing training, coaching and administrative support. Our corporate offices also select, open and maintain 
branch offices. 

4 

 
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
 
Clients 

During the year ended December 31, 2011, we provided contract professionals to approximately 5,347 clients. In 2011, we had no single 

customer that represented two percent or more of our revenues. 

All contract assignments, regardless of their planned length, may be terminated with limited notice by the client or the contract professional. 

The Contract Professional 

Contract professionals often work with a number of staffing companies and develop relationships or loyalty based on a variety of factors, 
including competitive salaries and benefits, availability and diversity of assignments, quality and duration of assignments and responsiveness to 
requests for placement. Contract professionals seeking traveling positions are also interested in the quality of travel and housing accommodations as 
well as the quality of the clinical experience while on assignment. 

Hourly wage or contract rates for our contract professionals are established based on their specific skills and whether or not the assignment 

involves travel away from the professional’s primary residence. Our staffing consultants are our employees or are subcontracted from other affiliated 
corporate entities. For our consultant employees, we pay the related costs of employment including social security taxes, federal and state 
unemployment taxes, workers’ compensation insurance and other similar costs. After achieving minimum service periods and hours worked, we also 
provide our contract professional employees with paid holidays and allow participation in our 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan. 

Strategy  

We remain committed to growing our operations in the life science, healthcare, physician and IT and engineering markets that we currently 

serve, primarily through supporting our core service offerings and growing our newer service lines of business. We will also continue to look at 
acquisition opportunities which supplement our internal growth. In 2011 we acquired Valesta, a clinical staffing company headquartered in Belgium, 
and HealthCare Partners, a physician staffing company headquartered in Georgia. 

In 2011, we continued to focus on increasing market share in each of our segments, maintaining or increasing our gross margins, expanding 
our service offerings and controlling our operating costs. We have increased interaction between our segments so that each can learn best practices 
from the others. 

As part of our initiative to improve our sales capabilities, field operations, and back office processing efficiency, we continue to make 
strategic investments enhancing our primary business systems. Our front office system (RecruitMax) supports all domestic and European Lab 
Support locations along with our Allied Healthcare and Nurse Travel operations. Deployment for these platforms began in 2004 and was principally 
completed in 2008. Currently underway is our next major front-office development initiative supporting the IT and Engineering segment. The 
RecruitMax application interfaces with the existing enterprise-wide information system, PeopleSoft, used in our Life Sciences, Nurse Travel and 
Allied Healthcare, Physician and IT and Engineering lines of business and provides additional functionality, including applicant tracking and search 
tools, customer and candidate contact management and sales management tools. 

We continue to extend the use and capabilities of PeopleSoft in domestic and European operations. The Physician staffing segment was 

migrated to the PeopleSoft platform in 2011. Our ongoing plan is to deploy a common front-office system integrated with the PeopleSoft platform 
wherever efficiencies can be realized. 

We improved our pay-bill processing efficiencies and services by deploying an on-line time collection and customer approval system. This 

particular extension of PeopleSoft is fully operational in the IT and Engineering unit and the roll-out will continue by business segment. Life 
Sciences and Allied Healthcare are nearing completion of the on-line time collection and customer approval system deployment as well. 

Moderate investments are planned to keep our wide area network and computing platform running with high availability hardware. All 

primary business operates from a secure data center. 

We will continue to invest in leasehold improvements as we expand, relocate, and rationalize our branch facilities and leverage favorable 

commercial real estate terms for cost savings.    

We believe these improvements should continue to increase the productivity of our staffing consultants and streamline corporate operations. 

During 2011, we substantially added to the number of recruiters and sales personnel employed by the company. Over the course of the year, 

the average number of recruiters and sales personnel employed by the company increased 23.0 percent. In 2012, we anticipate that the markets we 
serve will improve with the economy. We have made small investments in enhancing our permanent placement capabilities and we will continue to 
invest in our existing businesses to support growth. In addition, we will continue to review acquisition opportunities that may enable us to leverage 
our current infrastructure and capabilities, increase our service offerings and expand our geographic reach. 

We will also continue to manage our capitalization over the next four years through the Company’s authorized stock repurchase plan. 

Competition 

Many of our competitors are larger than us and have substantially greater financial and marketing resources than we do. We also compete 
with privately-owned temporary staffing companies on a regional and local basis. Frequently, the strongest competition in a particular market is a 
privately-held local company with established relationships. These companies oftentimes are extremely competitive on pricing. While their pricing 
strategies are not necessarily sustainable, they can be problematic for us in the short-term. 

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The principal competitive factors in attracting qualified candidates for temporary employment or engagements are salaries, contract rates and 

benefits, availability and variety of assignments, quality and duration of assignments and responsiveness to requests for placement. We believe that 
many people seeking temporary employment or engagements through us are also pursuing employment through other means, including other 
temporary staffing. Therefore, the speed at which we place prospective contract professionals and the availability of appropriate assignments are 
important factors in our ability to complete assignments of qualified candidates. In addition to having high quality contract professionals to assign in 
a timely manner, the principal competitive factors in obtaining and retaining clients in the temporary staffing industry are properly assessing the 
clients’ specific job requirements, the appropriateness of the contract professional assigned to the client, the price of services and the monitoring of 
client satisfaction. Although we believe we compete favorably with respect to these factors, we expect competition to continue to increase. 

Operating Segments 

Life Sciences 

Our Life Sciences segment includes our domestic and international life science staffing businesses, which operate from local branch offices in 
the  United  States,  United  Kingdom,  Netherlands,  Belgium,  Canada,  Spain  and  China.  At  December 31,  2011,  we  had  45  Life  Sciences  segment 
branch  offices,  of  which  13  share  office  space  with  our  Healthcare  segment.  Life  Sciences  segment  revenues  for  2011  were  $155.3  million  and 
represented 26.0 percent of our total revenues. The Staffing Industry Analysts: Staffing Industry Insight (dated September 2011), states that the life 
sciences  professional  staffing  market  will  grow  by  10  percent  in  2012.  Demand  for  staffing  in  our  Life  Sciences  segment  is  driven  primarily  by 
clients with research and development projects across a wide array of industries. 

We provide locally-based, contract and permanent life science professionals to clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food and 

beverage, personal care, chemical, medical device, automotive, municipal, education and environmental industries.  

We have developed a tailored approach to the assignment-making process that utilizes staffing consultants. Unlike traditional approaches that 

tend to be focused on telephonic solicitation, our Life Sciences staffing consultants are experienced professionals who work in our branch office 
network to enable face-to-face meetings with clients and contract professionals. Most of our staffing consultants are either focused on sales and 
business development or on fulfillment. Sales and business development staffing consultants meet with clients’ managers to understand client needs, 
formulate position descriptions and assess workplace environments. Fulfillment staffing consultants meet with candidates to assess their 
qualifications and interests and place these contract professionals on quality assignments with clients. 

Our Life Sciences segment’s professionals include chemists, clinical research associates, clinical lab assistants, engineers, biologists, 

biochemists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, biostatisticians, drug safety specialists, SAS programmers, medical writers, food scientists, 
regulatory affairs specialists, lab assistants and other skilled scientific professionals. These contract professionals range from individuals with 
bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees and considerable experience to technicians with limited chemistry or biology backgrounds and lab experience. 
Contract professionals assigned to clients are generally our employees, although clients provide on-the-job supervisors for these professionals. 
Therefore, clients control and direct the work of contract professionals and approve hours worked, while we are responsible for many of the activities 
typically handled by the client’s human resources department. 

Our primary contacts with our clients are a mix of end users and process facilitators. End users consist of lab directors, managers and 
department heads. Facilitators consist of human resource managers, procurement departments and administrators. Facilitators are more price sensitive 
than end users who typically are more focused on technical capabilities. Assignments in our Life Sciences segment vary from three to 12 months. 

We believe our Life Sciences segment is one of the few nationwide temporary staffing providers specializing exclusively in the placement of 

life science professionals. Although other nationwide temporary staffing companies compete with us with respect to scientific, clinical laboratory, 
medical billing and collection personnel, many of these companies focus on office/clerical and light and heavy industrial personnel, which account 
for a significant portion of the overall contract staffing market. These competitors include Manpower, Inc., Kelly Services, Inc., Adecco SA, Yoh 
Company and the Allegis Group. 

 Healthcare 

Our  Healthcare  segment  includes  our  Nurse  Travel  and  Allied  Healthcare  lines  of  business.  Nurse  Travel  operates  from  our  locations  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Tupelo,  Mississippi  and  San  Diego,  California.  Allied  Healthcare  operates  from  various  locations  in  the  United  States.  At 
December 31, 2011, we had 24 Allied Healthcare branch offices in the United States, of which 13 share office space with the Life Sciences segment. 
Healthcare segment revenues for 2011 were $94.6 million and represented 15.8 percent of our total revenues. The Staffing Industry Analysts: Staffing 
Industry Insight (dated September 2011), estimates that the healthcare staffing market will grow by 9 percent in 2012. Within the healthcare staffing 
industry, Nurse Travel and Allied Healthcare are anticipated to grow the fastest with estimated 2012 revenue growth of 15 percent and 10 percent, 
respectively. 

In prior years, nursing employment levels were affected by cutbacks in the use of agency workers by hospitals and medical groups and their 
reluctance  to  pay  market  rates.  Today,  as  a  result  of  the  economy,  hospitals  are  seeing  fewer  admissions  and  procedures  and  are  attempting  to 
minimize  expenses,  which  in  turn  have  impacted  the  demand  for  our  services.  Looking  forward,  contract  nursing  employment  growth  could 
potentially be driven by various factors including a supply shortage of nurses, impacts of healthcare reform, more favorable  nurse-patient ratios and 
aging demographics. 

The combination of healthcare clients facing shortages of operations-critical staff that limit their ability to generate revenues and increased 
demand for health services and advances in life science and medical technology is expected to create significant demand for workers with specialized 
science  and  medical  skills.  Also  influencing  the  demand  for  these  workers  is  the  departure  of  mature  professionals  from  the  ranks  of  full-time 
employment as they retire, reduced hours worked and the pursuit of other career opportunities. This is evidenced by the continued increase in the 
average age of nurses in the workforce. 

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Our Healthcare segment provides locally-based and traveling contract professionals to healthcare clients, including hospitals, integrated 
delivery systems, imaging centers, clinics, physician offices, reference laboratories, universities, managed care organizations, rehabilitation facilities, 
long-term care facilities and third-party administrators. In doing so, we address occupations that require “high demand and highly-skilled” staff, such 
as operating room nurses and health information professionals who are essential to the hospital’s ability to care for patients and maintain business and 
revenues.  

Our Nurse Travel sales, account management, and recruiting functions are aligned with traditional nurse travel companies with an added 
emphasis on rapid response fulfillment. We employ regional sales directors and account managers to identify and sell a variety of nurse staffing 
solutions to healthcare clients nationally. Our recruiters seek the most experienced, highly skilled nurses and place them on assignments as contract 
professionals with healthcare providers. The critical nature of these occupations to drive revenue motivates clients to respond to our ability to rapidly 
fill open positions with experienced nurses.  

Our Allied Healthcare line of business has developed a tailored approach to the assignment-making process that utilizes staffing consultants. 
Staffing consultants are experienced professionals who work in our branch offices and personally meet with clients and contract professionals. Our 
staffing consultants are typically either focused primarily on sales and business development or on fulfillment. Sales and business development 
staffing consultants meet with clients to understand their staffing needs, formulate position descriptions and assess workplace environments. 
Fulfillment staffing consultants meet with candidates to assess their qualifications and interests and place these contract professionals on quality 
assignments with clients. 

Our Healthcare segment’s contract professionals include nurses, specialty nurses, health information management professionals, dialysis 

technicians, surgical technicians, imaging technicians, x-ray technicians, medical technologists, medical assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy 
technicians, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, coders, billers, claims processors and collections staff, and dental professionals - including dental 
assistants, hygienists and dentists and rehabilitation therapists. The nurses and contract professionals we assign to our clients are usually our 
employees, although clients provide on-the-job supervisors for these nurses and professionals. Therefore, clients control and direct the work of nurses 
and approve hours worked, while we are responsible for many of the activities typically handled by the client’s human resources department.  

In our Healthcare segment, we serve a diverse collection of healthcare clients, as mentioned above. Assignments in our Healthcare segment 

typically have a term of two to 13 weeks.  

In the Nurse Travel line of business, our competitors include AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., Cross Country, Inc. and several privately-held 
companies. In the Allied Healthcare line of business, our competitors include Cross Country, Inc., AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., Kforce Inc. and 
the Allegis Group. 

Physician 

Our Physician segment consists of VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc. (VISTA) and HealthCare Partners, Inc. (HCP), the leading providers of 
physician staffing, known as locum tenens coverage, and permanent physician search services. The majority of our recruiters for Vista are located in 
Salt Lake City, Utah and for HCP are located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Physician segment revenues for 2011 were $80.6 million and represented 13.5 
percent  of  our  total  revenues.  The  Staffing  Industry  Analysts:  Staffing  Industry  Insight  (dated  September  2011),  states  that  the  physician  staffing 
market will increase 9 percent in 2012. An ongoing shortage of physicians and potential impacts of healthcare reform could fuel future growth. 

Our Physician staffing business places physicians in a wide range of specialties throughout the United States, as well as Australia and New 
Zealand, under the brand VISTA, placing them in hospitals, community-based practices and federal, state and local facilities. We provide short and 
long-term locum tenens services and full-service physician search and consulting services. The physician staffing market requires a high degree of 
specialized knowledge about credentialing and qualifications, as well as unique insurance requirements that make it more difficult to replicate than 
certain other types of staffing markets. Our Physician segment operates out of two primary recruitment centers with several branch offices. 

The sales and fulfillment functions at our Physician segment are similar to those of our competitors. Our client sales specialists are organized 
by geographic territories so that a single individual can handle a client’s physician staffing needs for all disciplines. Our recruiters and schedulers are 
organized by physician specialty and identify physician candidates with the skills, experience and availability to meet our clients’ needs. In addition, 
we have four branch locations that also carry out recruiting functions. 

The physicians in our Physician segment come from 33 different specialties including emergency medicine, psychiatry, anesthesiology, 
radiology, family practice, surgical specialties, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. The physicians we place at clients are 
independent contractors. Clients assign shifts and approve hours worked, while we are responsible for issuing payments to the physicians for services 
rendered to our clients. 

Clients in our Physician segment include hospitals, doctors’ practice groups, large healthcare systems and government agencies. We are 

called on to supply temporary and permanent doctors because of the difficulty that healthcare providers have finding qualified practitioners. 
Assignments in our Physician segment typically have a term of six weeks. 

Like our Healthcare segment, our Physician segment competes in the healthcare market, serving hospitals, doctors’ practice groups and 
private healthcare systems and government administrated healthcare agencies. Our competitors include CHG Healthcare Services, TeamHealth, Inc., 
Cross Country, Inc. and AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., along with several other privately-held companies providing locum tenens services. 

IT and Engineering 

Our IT and Engineering segment consists of Oxford Global Resources, Inc. (Oxford), based in Beverly, Massachusetts where all of the 

segment’s back-office activities are located. Oxford combines international reach with local depth, serving clients through a network of recruiting 
centers in North America and Europe, and branch offices in major metropolitan markets across the United States. IT and Engineering segment 

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revenues for 2011 were $266.7 million and represented 44.7 percent of our total revenues. The Staffing Industry Analysts: Staffing Industry Insight 
(dated September 2011), estimates that the IT staffing market will increase 12 percent in 2012. Demand in our IT and Engineering business segment 
is driven by a shortage of IT professionals with specialized skills. Additionally, the demand for project-based work has created an ideal climate to 
boost the segment.  

Our IT and Engineering segment places highly qualified professionals in select IT and engineering technical disciplines. Our IT specialties 
include enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, customer relationship management, supply chain management, database administration, 
and healthcare applications. Our engineering specialties include hardware, software, mechanical, electrical, validation, network, and 
telecommunications. Assignments are highly diversified in that we average less than two contract placements per client.  

The segment serves the market in two separate operating formats. The first operating format, Oxford International, consists of eight sales and 

recruiting centers in the U.S. and one in Cork, Ireland that proactively recruit skilled IT and engineering professionals and fulfill client needs for 
temporary consultants and permanent employees across North America and Europe. The right candidates for these assignments often reside in 
locations that are remote from the client worksite and will travel away from their homes to perform the assignments. The second operating format, 
Oxford and Associates, consists of 14 branch offices across the United States that typically receive orders from clients in their local metropolitan 
market and fulfill those orders with professionals from that local market. In each of these formats, we employ both client-oriented sales people and 
recruiters. Because our IT and Engineering segment concentrates in select disciplines within the IT and engineering markets, our sales people and 
recruiters specialize in a given discipline. Our competitive advantage in this segment comes from our ability to respond very quickly with high 
quality candidates to a client’s request. 

Our IT and Engineering segment’s professionals are experts in specific information technology and engineering disciplines. Typically, they 

have a great deal of knowledge and experience in a fairly narrow field which makes them uniquely qualified to fill a given assignment. Contract 
professionals assigned to clients are generally our employees. Clients provide on-the-job supervisors for these professionals, control and direct their 
work, and approve all hours worked. We are responsible for many of the activities typically handled by the client’s human resources department. 

In our IT and Engineering segment, we supply services to clients in a wide range of industries. Our clients range from large companies that 

may, for example, be installing new enterprise-wide computer systems and have a need for a subject matter expert with a specific technical and 
industry-specific experience, to a mid-sized medical device manufacturer who needs specialized mechanical engineers. The IT disciplines in which 
we specialize include enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, application development, IT infrastructure, IT security, and healthcare IT. 
Our engineering specialties include software, hardware, mechanical, electrical, quality, validation, network, and telecommunication engineering. 
Assignments in our IT and Engineering segment typically have a term of approximately five months. 

Oxford’s competition ranges from local and regional specialty staffing companies to large IT consulting firms like Accenture, Inc. and 

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), and international staffing firms such as Aerotek and Robert Half International, Inc. 

Seasonality 

Demand for our staffing services historically has been lower during the first and fourth quarters due to fewer business days resulting from 

client shutdowns, adverse weather conditions and a decline in the number of contract professionals willing to work during the holidays. As is 
common in the staffing industry, we run special incentive programs to keep our contract professionals, particularly nurses, working through the 
holidays. Demand for our staffing services usually increases in the second and third quarters of the year. In addition, our cost of services typically 
increases in the first quarter primarily due to the reset of payroll taxes. 

Employees 

At December 31, 2011, we employed approximately 1,281 full-time regular employees, including staffing consultants, regional sales 
directors, account managers, recruiters and corporate office employees. During 2011, we employed approximately 13,389 contract professionals and 
841 locum tenens physicians. 

Government Regulation 

The healthcare industry is subject to extensive and complex federal and state laws and regulations related to professional licensure, 

certification, conduct of operations, payment for services, payment for referrals and insurance. Our operations are subject to additional state and local 
regulations that require temporary staffing companies placing healthcare personnel to be licensed or separately registered to an extent beyond that 
required by temporary staffing companies that only place non-healthcare personnel. To date, we have not experienced any material difficulties in 
complying with such regulations and obtaining required licensure. 

Some states require state licensure with associated fees for businesses that employ and/or assign certain healthcare personnel at hospitals and 

other healthcare facilities. We are currently licensed in all the states that require such licenses. In addition, many of the contract healthcare 
professionals that we employ are required to be individually licensed and/or certified under applicable state laws. We take reasonable steps to ensure 
that our contract professionals possess all current licenses and certifications required for each placement. We provide state mandated workers’ 
compensation insurance, unemployment insurance and professional liability insurance for our contract professionals who are employees and our 
regular employees. We provide medical malpractice insurance for the non-physician placements through On Assignment Healthcare Staffing. We 
provide separate medical malpractice insurance coverage for our locum tenens physicians placed through VISTA and HCP. These expenses have a 
direct effect on our cost of services, margins and likelihood of achieving or maintaining profitability. 

For a further discussion of government regulation associated with our business, see “Risk Factors” within Item 1A of Part I of this Form 10-

K. 

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Executive Officers of the Company 

The executive officers of On Assignment, Inc. are as follows: 

Name 
Peter T. Dameris 
James L. Brill 
Emmett B. McGrath 
Christian Rutherford 
Mark S. Brouse 
Michael J. McGowan 
Katie Hoffman-Abby 
Christina Gibson 

Age 
52 
60 
50 
38 
58 
58 
50 
41 

Position 
Chief Executive Officer and President 
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer 
President, Life Sciences and Allied Healthcare 
President, VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc. 
President, VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc. (until January 4, 2012) 
President, Oxford Global Resources, Inc. 
President, Nurse Travel 
Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller 

Peter T. Dameris joined the Company in November 2003 as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to 

President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2004. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Company in February 2005. From 
February 2001 through October 2002, Mr. Dameris served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: 
PWR), a leading provider of specialized contracting services for the electric and gas utility, cable and telecommunications industries. From 
December 1994 through September 2000, Mr. Dameris served in a number of different positions at Metamor Worldwide, Inc., an international, 
publicly-traded IT consulting/staffing company, including Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, 
General Counsel, Senior Vice President and Secretary. In June 2000, Mr. Dameris successfully negotiated the sale of Metamor for $1.9 billion. From 
November 2002 to January 2006, Mr. Dameris was a member of the Board of Directors of BindView Corporation (acquired by Symatec Corporation 
in January 2006).  Mr. Dameris holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas Law School and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from 
Southern Methodist University. 

James L. Brill joined the Company in January 2007 as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Brill was Vice 
President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Diagnostic Products Corporation, a manufacturer of immuno-diagnostic kits, from July 1999 until it 
was acquired by Siemens in July 2006. From August 1998 to June 1999, Mr. Brill served as Chief Financial Officer of Jafra Cosmetics International, 
a marketing and direct-selling company in the skin care and beauty industry, and as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief 
Financial Officer of Vertel Corporation, a provider of middleware for the telecommunications industry, from 1996 to 1998. Mr. Brill also served as 
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Merisel, Inc., a computer hardware and software distributor, from 1988 to 1996. Mr. 
Brill has been a member of the Board of Directors of Onvia Inc. since March 2004. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the United States 
Naval Academy and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of California Los Angeles. 

Emmett B. McGrath joined the Company in September 2004 as President, Life Sciences U.S., and in August 2005, Mr. McGrath was 

appointed as President of Life Sciences Europe. Mr. McGrath was appointed as President of Allied Healthcare in November 2007. From 
February 1985 through August 2004, Mr. McGrath worked at Yoh Company, a privately-held IT staffing firm. During his tenure at Yoh, 
Mr. McGrath held various staffing positions, including Technical Recruiter, Account Manager, Branch and District Management, Vice President and 
Regional President. As Regional President, Mr. McGrath was responsible for core lines of businesses, including Scientific, Information Technology, 
Engineering, Healthcare, Telecommunications and Vendor on Premise (VOP) programs. In addition, Mr. McGrath served on Yoh’s Executive 
Committee and the Chairman’s Board of the Day & Zimmermann Group, Yoh’s parent company. Mr. McGrath received a Bachelor’s of Science 
degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Human Resources, from California State University, Northridge in 1991. 

Christian Rutherford is President of VISTA Staffing Solutions, On Assignment’s physician staffing division. Mr. Rutherford is an 18-year 

veteran of the U.S. staffing industry. From January 2004 through December 2008, Mr. Rutherford held senior leadership roles at CompHealth, the 
largest locum tenens company in the nation, including President of Weatherby Locums and President of RN Network. In February 2009, Mr. 
Rutherford began working for Medfinders, a large, national healthcare staffing company. There, he served as President of Linde Healthcare, Kendall 
and Davis.In November 2009, Mr. Rutherford was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Board member of Medfinders and in the fourth quarter 
of 2010, Medfinders was sold to AMN Healthcare. Prior to joining as President of VISTA, Mr. Rutherford served as a consultant to On Assignment. 
Mr. Rutherford holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business from the University of Utah. 

Mark S. Brouse served as President of VISTA since January 2007, when Vista was acquired by On Assignment. From November 1, 2011 to 

January 4, 2012, Mr. Brouse transitioned responsibilities related to the position of President of VISTA to Mr. Rutherford. Mr. Brouse began his 
career in pharmaceutical sales in 1980, and in 1986 joined CompHealth, a locum tenens staffing company, where he led specialty teams serving 
psychiatry and internal medicine clients before co-founding VISTA in 1990. Mr. Brouse holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Chemistry from 
California State, Dominguez Hills, and is a member of the Boards of Directors of the YMCA of Greater Salt Lake and PEHR Technologies, an 
electronic medical records company.  

Michael J. McGowan is President of Oxford Global Resources, Inc., On Assignment’s IT and Engineering segment. He has held this 
position since 1998. He joined Oxford in May of 1997 as Chief Operating Officer. Formerly, Mr. McGowan was Senior Vice President and General 
Manager for Kelly Services’ Middle Markets Division, a provider of staffing solutions. Prior to that time he was Vice President & General Manager 
for The MEDSTAT Group, a healthcare information firm, and held increasingly senior positions for Automatic Data Processing (ADP), a provider of 
human resources, payroll and tax and benefits administration solutions, during a sixteen year tenure. Mr. McGowan holds a Bachelor’s of Science 
degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the Eli Broad Graduate 
School of Management, also at Michigan State University. Mr. McGowan joined On Assignment as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Oxford 
in January 2007. 

Katie Hoffman-Abby is President of Nurse Travel. She has over 25 years of experience in healthcare staffing and is one of the first VISTA 
executives tapped to lead other areas within the On Assignment family. Ms. Hoffman-Abby joined the Company in January 2007, as a result of the 

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Company’s acquisition of VISTA. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Hoffman-Abby worked as a physician recruiter for CompHealth, a large locum 
tenens staffing company for more than five years and then co-founded VISTA in 1990. She served as executive vice president for VISTA since 
March 2010 and in July of 2011 was appointed as President of the Nurse Travel Division. Ms. Hoffman-Abby is an experienced operations manager 
and contributes to division-wide training, mentoring, and management programs as well. She helped develop the standards for physician recruitment, 
credentials review, and matching with appropriate practices that shape the entire locum tenens industry to this day. Ms. Hoffman-Abby is on the 
Board of Directors for Utah Healthcare Institute/St. Mark’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education. Ms. Hoffman-Abby is past president of the 
National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO), an association she helped found to establish and enforce standards for ethics and 
sound business practices within the locum tenens industry. She is a member of the board of directors of International Volunteers in Urology, an 
organization that provides education and health care worldwide. Ms. Hoffman-Abby holds a Bachelors of Science degree in nutrition and food 
science from the University of Utah. 

Christina Gibson joined the Company in May 2007 as Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller. Ms. Gibson is responsible for the 

day-to-day accounting operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, managing Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, and external and internal financial 
reporting for the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Gibson was the Vice President and Controller for Digital Insight, an internet banking 
software company from April 2005 to May 2007. From May 2000 through April 2005, Ms. Gibson worked at Tekelec , a telecommunications 
equipment provider. During her tenure at Tekelec, Ms. Gibson served as the Director of Finance as well as the Assistant Vice President and 
Corporate Controller. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and is a Certified Public 
Accountant.  

 Available Information and Access to Reports 

We electronically file our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments 

to those reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). You may read and copy any of our reports that are filed with the SEC in the 
following manner: 

•   At the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the 

Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330; 

•   At the SEC’s website, http://www.sec.gov; 
•   At our website, http://www.onassignment.com; or 
•   By contacting our Investor Relations Department at (818) 878-7900. 

Our reports are available through any of the foregoing means and are available free of charge on our website as soon as practicable after such 
material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Also available on our website (http://www.onassignment.com), free of charge, are copies 
of our Code of Ethics for the Principal Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters for the 
committees of our Board of Directors. We intend to disclose any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our Code of Ethics for Principal 
Executive Officer and Senior Financial Officers on our website within five business days following the date of the amendment or waiver. 

10 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
Item 1A. Risk Factors 

Our business is subject to a number of risks including, but not limited to, the following: 

Global market and economic developments could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Demand for the contract staffing services that we provide is significantly impacted by global market and economic conditions. As economic 

activity slows, particularly any negative effect on healthcare, research and development and quality control and capital spending, many clients or 
potential clients reduce their use of and reliance upon contract professionals. During periods of reduced economic activity, we may also be subject to 
increased competition for market share and pricing pressure. As a result, a recession or periods of reduced economic activity could harm our business 
and results of operations. 

While we saw improvements in the economy during 2011, economic conditions remain uncertain. Concerns continue about the systemic 

impact of a double dip recession, energy costs, geopolitical issues, low consumer confidence, high unemployment and underemployment, and the 
global housing and mortgage markets. As a result of these market conditions, the cost and availability of credit has been and may continue to be 
adversely affected by illiquid credit markets and wider credit spreads. Continued turbulence in the U.S. and international markets and economies may 
adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, as well as the liquidity and financial condition of our lenders and clients. This could impact our 
ability to draw on all, or a substantial portion, of our credit facilities, refinance maturing liabilities and access the capital markets to meet liquidity 
needs, as well as expose us to risks in collecting our accounts receivable. 

If we are not able to remain competitive in obtaining and retaining temporary staffing clients, our future growth will suffer. 

The contract staffing industry is highly competitive and fragmented with limited barriers to entry. We compete in national, regional and local 

markets with full-service agencies, and in regional and local markets with specialized contract staffing agencies. Some of our competitors in the 
Nurse Travel line of business include AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., Cross Country, Inc. and several privately-held companies. Some of our 
competitors in the Life Sciences segment and Allied Healthcare line of business include Kelly Services, Inc., Kforce Inc., Manpower, Inc., Adecco 
SA, Yoh Company, and Allegis Group. Competitors for the Physician segment include CHG Healthcare Services, Cross Country, Inc., TeamHealth, 
Inc. and AMN Healthcare Services, Inc., along with several other privately-held companies specializing in locum tenens services. Competitors of our 
IT and Engineering segment include Robert Half International, Accenture, and Aerotek. Many of these companies have significantly greater 
marketing and financial resources than we do. Our ability to attract and retain clients is based on the value of the service we deliver, which in turn 
depends principally on the speed with which we fill assignments and the appropriateness of the match based on clients’ requirements and the skills 
and experience of our contract professionals. Our ability to attract and retain skilled, experienced contract professionals is based on our ability to pay 
competitive wages or contract rates, to provide competitive benefits and provide multiple, continuous assignments. To the extent that competitors 
seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices or increasing marketing expenditures, we could lose revenues and our margins could decline, 
which could seriously harm our operating results and cause the trading price of our stock to decline. As we expand into new geographic markets, our 
success will depend in part on our ability to gain market share from competitors. We expect competition for clients to increase in the future, and the 
success and growth of our business depends on our ability to remain competitive. 

We do not have long-term or exclusive agreements with our temporary staffing clients and growth of our business depends upon our ability to 
continually secure and fill new orders. 

We do not have long-term agreements or exclusive guaranteed order contracts with our temporary staffing clients. Assignments for our Life 

Sciences segment typically have a term of three to six months. Assignments for our Healthcare segment typically have a term of two to thirteen 
weeks. Assignments for our Physician segment typically have a term of six weeks. Assignments for our IT and Engineering segment typically have a 
term of approximately five months. The success of our business depends upon our ability to continually secure new orders from clients and to fill 
those orders with our contract professionals. Our agreements do not provide for exclusive use of our services, and clients are free to place orders with 
our competitors. As a result, it is imperative to our business that we maintain positive relationships with our clients. If we fail to maintain positive 
relationships with these clients, we may be unable to generate new contract staffing orders, and the growth of our business could be adversely 
affected. 

Agreements may be terminated by clients and contract professionals at will and the termination of a significant number of such agreements 
would adversely affect our revenues and results of operations. 

Each contract professional’s employment or independent contractor’s relationship with us is terminable at will. A locum tenens physician 

may generally terminate his or her contract for non-emergency reasons upon 30 or 60 days notice. The duration of agreements with clients are 
generally dictated by the contract. Usually, contracts with clients may be terminated with 30 days notice by us or by the clients and, oftentimes, 
assignments may be terminated with less than one week’s notice. We cannot assure that existing clients will continue to use our services at historical 
levels, if at all. In addition, we continue to participate in an increasing number of third party contracts as a subcontractor and that requires us to 
participate in vendor management contracts, which may subject us to greater risks or lower margins. If clients terminate a significant number of our 
staffing agreements or assignments and we are unable to generate new contract staffing orders to replace lost revenues or a significant number of our 
contract professionals terminate their employment with us and we are unable to find suitable replacements, our revenues and results of operations 
could be adversely affected. 

Fluctuation in patient occupancy rates at client facilities could adversely affect demand for services of our Healthcare and Physician segments 
and our results of operations. 

Client demand for our Healthcare and Physician segment services is significantly impacted by changes in patient occupancy rates at our 
hospital and healthcare clients’ facilities. Increases in occupancy often result in increased client need for contract professionals before full-time 
employees can be hired. During periods of decreased occupancy, however, hospitals and other healthcare facilities typically reduce their use of 
contract professionals before laying off their regular, full-time employees. During periods of decreased occupancy, we may experience increased 

11 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
competition to service clients, including pricing pressure. Occupancy at certain healthcare clients’ facilities also fluctuates due to the seasonality of 
some elective procedures and patients declining elective procedures. Periods of decreased occupancy at client healthcare facilities could materially 
adversely affect our results of operations. 

If we cannot attract, develop and retain qualified and skilled sales and recruiting staff, our business growth will suffer. 

A key component of our ability to grow our business is our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified and skilled sales and recruiting staff, 
particularly persons with industry experience. The available pool of qualified staffing consultant candidates is limited, and further constrained by the 
industry practice of entering into non-compete agreements with these employees, which may restrict their ability to accept employment with other 
staffing firms, including us. We cannot assure that we will be able to recruit, develop and retain qualified sales and recruiting staff in sufficient 
numbers, or that our staffing consultants will achieve productivity levels sufficient to enable growth of our business. Failure to attract and retain 
productive sales and recruiting staff could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified contract professionals for our Life Sciences, Healthcare, Physician and IT and Engineering 
segments, our business could be negatively impacted. 

Our business is substantially dependent upon our ability to attract and retain contract professionals who possess the skills, experience, and 
licenses, as required, to meet the specified requirements of our clients. We compete for such contract professionals with other temporary staffing 
companies and with our clients and potential clients. There can be no assurance that qualified healthcare, nursing, life sciences, physician, IT and 
engineering professionals will be available to us in adequate numbers to staff our operating segments. Moreover, our contract professionals are often 
hired to become regular employees of our clients. Attracting and retaining contract professionals depends on several factors, including our ability to 
provide contract professionals with desirable assignments and competitive benefits and wages. The cost of attracting and retaining contract 
professionals may be higher than we anticipate and, as a result, if we are unable to pass these costs on to our clients, our likelihood of achieving or 
maintaining profitability could decline. In periods of high unemployment, contract professionals frequently opt for full-time employment directly 
with clients and, due to a large pool of available candidates, clients are able to directly hire and recruit qualified candidates without the involvement 
of staffing agencies. If we are unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of contract professionals to meet client demand, we may be required to 
forgo staffing and revenue opportunities, which may hurt the growth of our business. 

Reclassification of our independent contractors by tax authorities could materially and adversely affect our business model and could require us 
to pay significant retroactive wages, taxes and penalties. 

We consider our locum tenens physicians to be independent contractors rather than employees. As such, we do not withhold or pay income or 
other employment related taxes, or provide workers’ compensation insurance for them. Our classification of locum tenens physicians as independent 
contractors is consistent with general industry standard, but can nonetheless be challenged by the contractors themselves or by, relevant taxing 
authorities. If federal or state taxing authorities determine that locums tenens physicians engaged as independent contractors are employees, our 
business model for that segment would be materially and adversely affected. Although we believe we would qualify for safe harbor under the 
provisions of Section 530 of the Revenue Act of 1978, Pub. L. No. 95−600, and any similar applicable state laws, we could incur significant liability 
for past wages, taxes, penalties and other employment benefits if we could not so qualify. In addition, many states have laws that prohibit 
non−physician owned companies from employing physicians. If our independent contractor physicians are classified as employees, we could be 
found in violation of such state laws, which could subject us to liability in those states and thereby negatively impact our profitability. 

Our costs of providing travel and housing for traveling contract professionals may be higher than we anticipate and, as a result, our margins 
could decline. 

If our travel and housing costs, including the costs of airline tickets, rental cars, apartments and rental furniture for our traveling contract 

professionals exceed the levels we anticipate, and we are unable to pass such increases on to our clients, our margins may decline. To the extent the 
length of our apartment leases exceed the terms of our staffing contracts, we bear the risk that we will be obligated to pay rent for housing we do not 
use. If we cannot source a sufficient number of appropriate short-term leases in regional markets, or if, for any reason, we are unable to efficiently 
utilize the apartments we do lease, we may be required to pay rent for unutilized or underutilized housing. Effective management of travel costs will 
be necessary to prevent a decrease in gross profit and gross and operating margins. 

Future changes in reimbursement trends could hamper our Healthcare and Physician segments clients’ ability to pay us, which would harm our 
financial results. 

Many of our Healthcare and Physician segments’ clients are reimbursed under the federal Medicare program and state Medicaid programs for 

the services they provide. In recent years, federal and state governments have made significant changes in these programs that have reduced 
reimbursement rates. In addition, insurance companies and managed care organizations seek to control costs by requiring that healthcare providers, 
such as hospitals, discount their services in exchange for exclusive or preferred participation in their benefit plans. Future federal and state legislation 
or evolving commercial reimbursement trends may further reduce, or change conditions for, our clients’ reimbursement. Limitations on 
reimbursement could reduce our clients’ cash flows, thereby hampering their ability to pay us. 

If our insurance costs increase significantly, these incremental costs could negatively affect our financial results. 

The costs related to obtaining and maintaining workers’ compensation insurance, medical malpractice insurance, professional and general 

liability insurance and health insurance for our contract professionals have been increasing. If the cost of carrying this insurance continues to increase 
significantly, this may reduce our gross and operating margins and affect our financial results. 

We may be subject to increases in payroll-related costs and unemployment insurance taxes, resulting in lower margins. 

We currently pay federal, state and local payroll costs and taxes for our corporate employees and contract professional employees. If we are 

12 

 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
subject to significant increases in costs associated with payroll and unemployment taxes, we may not be able to increase client bill rates to cover the 
additional expense and this may reduce our gross and operating margins and affect our financial results. 

Improper activities of our contract professionals could result in damage to our business reputation, discontinuation of our client relationships 
and exposure to liability. 

We may be subject to possible claims by our clients related to errors and omissions, misuse of proprietary information, breach of 

confidentiality, discrimination and harassment, theft and other criminal activity, malpractice and other claims stemming from the improper activities 
or alleged activities of our contract professionals. We cannot assure that our current liability insurance coverage will be adequate or will continue to 
be available in sufficient amounts to cover damages or other costs associated with such claims. Claims raised by clients stemming from the improper 
actions of our contract professionals, even if without merit, could cause us to incur significant expense associated with the costs or damages related to 
such claims. Further, such claims by clients could damage our business reputation and result in the discontinuation of client relationships. 

Claims against us by our contract professionals for damages resulting from the negligence or mistreatment by our clients could result in 
significant costs and adversely affect our recruitment and retention efforts. 

We may be subject to possible claims by our contract professionals alleging discrimination, sexual harassment, negligence and other similar 
activities. Our physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals may also be subject to medical malpractice claims. We cannot assure that our current 
liability insurance coverage will be adequate or will continue to be available in sufficient amounts to cover damages or other costs associated with 
such claims. Claims raised by our contract professionals, even if without merit, could cause us to incur significant expense associated with the costs 
or damages related to such claims. Further, any associated negative publicity could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain qualified contract 
professionals in the future. 

If we are subject to material uninsured liabilities under our partially self-insured workers’ compensation program and medical malpractice 
coverage, our financial results could be adversely affected. 

We maintain a partially self-insured workers’ compensation program and medical malpractice coverage. In connection with these programs, 
we pay a base premium plus actual losses incurred up to certain levels. We are insured for losses greater than certain levels, both per occurrence and 
in the aggregate. There can be no assurance that our loss reserves and insurance coverage will be adequate in amount to cover all workers’ 
compensation or medical malpractice claims. If we become subject to substantial uninsured workers’ compensation or medical malpractice liabilities 
or there is a significant change in the circumstances related to claims, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. 

Significant legal actions could subject us to substantial uninsured liabilities. 

In recent years, we have been subject to an increasing number of legal actions alleging malpractice, vicarious liability, intentional torts, 
negligent hiring, discrimination or related legal theories. We may be subject to liability in such cases even if the contribution to the alleged injury was 
minimal. Many of these actions involve large claims and significant defense costs. In addition, we may be subject to claims related to torts or crimes 
committed by our corporate employees or contract professionals. In most instances, we are required to indemnify clients against some or all of these 
risks. A failure of any of our corporate employees or contract professionals to observe our policies and guidelines intended to reduce these risks; 
relevant client policies and guidelines or applicable federal, state or local laws, rules and regulations could result in negative publicity, payment of 
fines or other damages. 

To protect ourselves from the cost of these types of claims, we maintain workers’ compensation, medical malpractice, errors and omissions, 

employment practices and general liability insurance coverage in amounts and with deductibles that we believe are appropriate for our operations. 
Our coverage is, in part, self-insured and our insurance coverage may not cover all claims against us or continue to be available to us at a reasonable 
cost. If we are unable to maintain adequate insurance coverage, we may be exposed to substantial liabilities. 

We operate in a regulated industry and changes in regulations or violations of regulations may result in increased costs or sanctions that could 
reduce our revenues and profitability. 

Our organization is subject to extensive and complex federal and state laws and regulations including but not limited to laws and regulations 

related to professional licensure, payroll tax, conduct of operations, payment for services and payment for referrals. If we fail to comply with the laws 
and regulations that are directly applicable to our business, we could suffer civil and/or criminal penalties or be subject to injunctions or cease and 
desist orders. 

Extensive and complex laws that apply to our hospital and healthcare facility clients, including laws related to Medicare, Medicaid and other 
federal and state healthcare programs, could indirectly affect the demand or the prices paid for our services. For example, our hospital and healthcare 
facility clients could suffer civil and/or criminal penalties and/or be excluded from participating in Medicare, Medicaid and other healthcare 
programs if they fail to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to their businesses. In addition, our hospital and healthcare facility clients 
could receive reduced reimbursements or be excluded from coverage because of a change in the rates or conditions set by federal or state 
governments. In turn, violations of or changes to these laws and regulations that adversely affect our hospital and healthcare facility clients could also 
adversely affect the prices that these clients are willing or able to pay for our services. 

Recent U.S. healthcare legislation could negatively impact our results of operations. 

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, 

the Acts) were signed into U.S. law. The Acts represent comprehensive healthcare reform legislation that, in addition to other provisions, will require 
that we provide healthcare coverage to our temporary employees in the United States or incur penalties. Although our intent is to bill these costs to 
our customers, there can be no assurance that we will be able to increase client bill rates in a sufficient amount to cover the increased costs. This may 
reduce our gross and operating margins and negatively impact our financial results. Additionally, since significant provisions of the Acts will not 

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become effective until 2014, possible future changes to the Acts could significantly impact any estimates we develop during that period. While we 
are unable at this time to estimate the net impact of the Acts, we believe the net financial impact on our results of operations could be significant. 

We may not successfully make or integrate acquisitions, which could harm our business and growth. 

As part of our growth strategy, we intend to opportunistically pursue selected acquisitions. We compete with other companies in the 
professional staffing and consulting industries for acquisition opportunities, and we cannot assure that we will be able to affect future acquisitions on 
commercially reasonable terms or at all. To the extent we enter into acquisition transactions in the future, we may experience: 

•   delays in realizing or a failure to realize the benefits, cost savings and synergies that we anticipate; 
•   difficulties or higher-than-anticipated costs associated with integrating any acquired companies into our businesses; 
•   attrition of key personnel from acquired businesses; 
•   diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; 
•   inability to maintain the business relationships and reputation of the acquired companies; 
•   difficulties in integrating the acquired companies into our information systems, controls, policies and procedures; 
•   additional risks relating to the businesses or industry of the acquired companies that are different from ours; 
•   unexpected liabilities, costs or charges; 
•   unforeseen  operating  difficulties  that  require  significant  financial  and  managerial  resources  that  would  otherwise  be 

available for the ongoing development or expansion of our existing operations; and 

•  impairment related to goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets acquired 

To undertake more transactions, additional financing may be necessary and, if used, would result in additional debt, dilution of outstanding 

equity, or both. We may face unexpected contingent liabilities arising from these or future acquisitions that could harm our business.  

Impairment of goodwill could materially impact future results of operations. 

We have approximately $229.2 million in goodwill at December 31, 2011. As part of the analysis of goodwill impairment, Accounting 
Standards Codification Topic 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other, requires the Company’s management to estimate the fair value of the reporting 
units on at least an annual basis and more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. 
We determine the fair value based upon discounted cash flows prepared for each reporting unit. Cash flows are developed for each reporting unit 
based on assumptions including revenue growth expectations, gross margins, operating expense projections, working capital, capital expense 
requirements and tax rates. The multi-year financial forecasts for each reporting unit used in the cash flow models considered several key business 
drivers such as new product lines, historical performance and industry and economic trends, among other considerations. There are inherent 
uncertainties related to the factors, and management’s judgment in applying these factors. At December 31, 2011, we performed our annual goodwill 
impairment test and concluded that there was no impairment. Future declines in our market capitalization or any other impairment indicators 
subsequent to the balance sheet date could be an early indication that remaining goodwill may become impaired in the future. Although a future 
impairment of goodwill and indefinite lived identifiable intangible assets would not affect our cash flow, it would negatively impact our operating 
results. 

We are subject to business risks associated with international operations, which could make our international operations significantly more 
costly. 

During 2011, we had international sales in all countries in the European Union, in Canada, the Virgin Islands, New Zealand and Australia. In 
2011, our international operations comprised approximately 11.4 percent of total sales compared with 7.0 percent and 5.5 percent in 2010 and 2009, 
respectively. We have limited experience in marketing, selling and supporting our services outside of North America. 

Operations in certain markets are subject to risks inherent in international business activities, including: 

•   fluctuations in currency exchange rates; 

•   complicated work permit requirements; 
•   varying economic and political conditions; 
•   seasonal reductions in business activity during the summer months in Europe and Asia; 
•   overlapping or differing tax structures; 

•   difficulties collecting accounts receivable; and 
•   regulations concerning pay rates, benefits, vacation, union membership, redundancy payments and the termination of employment. 

Our inability to effectively manage our international operations could result in increased costs and adversely affect our results of operations. 

Adverse results in tax examinations could subject us to unforeseen liabilities and impact our financial results.  

We are subject to periodic tax audits. Adverse findings or assessments made by taxing authorities as the result of an audit could have an 

adverse effect on our financial results, if we are unable to sustain our position with the relevant jurisdiction.  

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If our information systems do not function in a cost effective manner, our business will be harmed. 

The operation of our business is dependent on the proper functioning of our information systems. In 2011, we continued to upgrade our 
information technology systems, including our PeopleSoft and Recruitmax Technology enterprise-wide information systems used in daily operations 
to identify and match staffing resources and client assignments, track regulatory credentialing, manage scheduling, and perform billing and accounts 
receivable functions. If the systems fail to perform reliably or otherwise do not meet our expectations, or if we fail to successfully complete the 
implementation of other modules of the systems, we could experience business interruptions that could result in deferred or lost sales. Our 
information systems are vulnerable to fire, storm, flood, power loss, telecommunications failures, physical or software break-ins and similar events. 
Our network infrastructure is currently located at our facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a result, any system failure or service outage at this primary 
facility could result in a loss of service for the duration of the failure of the outage. Our location in Southern California is susceptible to earthquakes 
and has experienced power shortages and outages in the past, which could result in system failures or outages. If our information systems fail or are 
otherwise unavailable, these functions would have to be accomplished manually, which could impact our ability to respond to business opportunities 
quickly, to pay our staff in a timely fashion and to bill for services efficiently. 

The loss of key members of our senior management team could adversely affect the execution of our business strategy and our financial results. 

We believe that the successful execution of our business strategy and our ability to build upon the significant recent investments in our 
business and acquisitions of new businesses depends on the continued employment of key members of our senior management team. If any members 
of our senior management team become unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our financial results and our business could be 
materially adversely affected. 

Failure of internal controls may leave us susceptible to errors and fraud. 

Our management, including our CEO and CFO, does not expect that our disclosure controls and internal controls will prevent all errors and 

all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance that the objectives of the control 
system are met. Furthermore, because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that 
all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, would be detected. 

Failure to comply with restrictive covenants under our debt instruments could trigger prepayment obligations or additional costs. 

Our failure to comply with restrictive covenants under our credit facilities and other debt instruments could result in an event of default, 

which, if not cured or waived, could result in the requirement to repay such borrowings before their due date. Some covenants are tied to our 
operating results and thus may be breached if we do not perform as expected. The lenders may require fees and expenses to be paid or other changes 
to terms in connection with waivers or amendments. If we are forced to refinance these borrowings on less favorable terms, our results of operations 
and financial condition could be adversely affected by increased costs and/or rates. 

The trading price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations, which could make it difficult for us to access the public markets 
for financing or use our common stock as consideration in a strategic transaction. 

In 2011, the trading price of our common stock experienced significant fluctuations, ranging from a high of $11.94 to a low of $6.27. The 

closing price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $13.55 on March 9, 2012. Our common stock may continue to 
fluctuate widely as a result of a large number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including: 

•   period to period fluctuations in our financial results or those of our competitors; 
•   failure to meet previously announced guidance or analysts’ expectations of our quarterly results; 
•   announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, significant contracts, commercial relationships or capital commitments; 
•   commencement of, or involvement in, litigation; 
•   any major change in our board or management; 
•   changes in government regulations, including those related to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies; 
•   recommendations by securities analysts or changes in earnings estimates; 
•   announcements about our earnings that are not in line with analyst expectations; 
•   the volume of shares of common stock available for public sale; 
•   announcements by our competitors of their earnings that are not in line with analyst expectations; 
•   sales of stock by us or by our shareholders; 
•   short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions in shares of our common stock; and 
•    general economic conditions, slow or negative growth of unrelated markets and other external factors. 

The stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected the trading prices of the common stock of many 
companies involved in the temporary staffing industry. As a result of these fluctuations, we may encounter difficulty should we determine to access 
the public markets for financing or use our common stock as consideration in a strategic transaction. 

Our results of operations may vary from quarter to quarter as a result of a number of factors, which may make it difficult to evaluate our 
business and could cause instability in the trading price of our common stock. 

Factors that may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate include: 

•   the  level  of  demand  for  our  temporary  staffing  services  and  the  efficiency  with  which  we  source  and  assign  our  contract 

professionals and support our staffing consultants in the execution of their duties; 

•   changes in our pricing policies or those of our competitors; and 

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•   our ability to control costs and manage our accounts receivable balances. 

Most temporary staffing companies experience seasonal declines in demand during the first and fourth quarters, as a result of fewer business 

days and the reduced number of contract professionals willing to work during the holidays. Historically, we have experienced variability in the 
duration and depth of these seasonal declines, which in turn have materially affected our quarterly results of operations and made period-to-period 
comparisons of our financial and operating performance difficult. 

If our operating results are below the expectations of public market analysts or investors in a given quarter, the trading price of our common 

stock could decline. 

Future sales of our common stock and the future exercise of options may cause the market price of our common stock to decline and may result 
in substantial dilution. 

We cannot predict what effect, if any, future sales of our common stock, or the availability of our common stock for sale will have on the 

market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market by management or us, or the perception 
that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and may make it more difficult for you to sell your common 
stock at a time and price which you may deem appropriate. 

We have adopted anti-takeover measures that could prevent a change in our control. 

In June 2003, we adopted a shareholder rights plan that has certain anti-takeover effects and will cause substantial dilution to a person or 

group that attempts to acquire us in a manner or on terms that have not been approved by our board of directors. This plan could delay or impede the 
removal of incumbent directors and could make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us, even if such events could be 
beneficial, in the short-term, to the interests of our shareholders. In addition, such provisions could limit the price that some investors might be 
willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that limit liability and 
provide for indemnification of our directors and officers, and provide that our stockholders can take action only at a duly called meeting of 
stockholders. These provisions and others also may have the affect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management. 

Provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware law may delay or prevent a change in control that our stockholders consider favorable. 

Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our 

management. These provisions include the following: 

•   Our  board  of  directors  has  the  right  to  elect  directors  to  fill  a  vacancy  created  by  the  expansion  of  the  board  of  directors  or  the 
resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors. 
•   Our stockholders may not act by written consent. In addition, a holder or holders controlling a majority of our capital stock would not 
be able to take certain actions without holding a stockholder’s meeting, and only stockholders owning at least 50 percent of our entire 
voting stock must request in writing in order to call a special meeting of stockholders (which is in addition to the authority held by our 
board of directors to call a special stockholder meeting). 

•   Stockholders must provide advance notice to nominate individuals for election to the board of directors or to propose matters that can 
be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation 
of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company. 

•   Our board of directors may issue, without stockholder approval, up to 1 million shares of undesignated or “blank check” preferred 
stock. The ability to issue undesignated or “blank check” preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred 
stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt or make it more difficult for a third party 
to acquire us. 

As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to certain Delaware anti-takeover provisions, including Section 203 of the Delaware General 
Corporation Law. Under these provisions, a corporation may not engage in a business combination with any large stockholders who hold 15 percent 
or more of our outstanding voting capital stock in a merger or business combination unless the holder has held the stock for 3 years, the board of 
directors has expressly approved the merger or business transaction or at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting capital stock not owned by such 
large stockholder approve the merger or the transaction. These provisions of Delaware law may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a 
change of control, and may discourage bids for our common stock at a premium over its market price. In addition, our board of directors could rely 
on these provisions of Delaware law to discourage, prevent or delay an acquisition of us. 

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 

Not applicable. 

Item 2. Properties  

As of December 31, 2011, we leased approximately 37,200 square feet of office space through November 2021 for our field support and 
corporate headquarters in Calabasas, California. Additionally, we leased 16,600 square feet of office space through February 2016 for our field 
support offices in Blue Ash, Ohio. As of December 31, 2011, we leased approximately 56,000 square feet of office space through December 2016 at 
our VISTA headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, and 48,300 square feet of office space through December 2015 at our Oxford headquarters in 
Beverly, Massachusetts. 

In addition, as of December 31, 2011, we lease approximately 225,300 square feet of total office space in approximately 76 branch office 

locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, China and Canada. A branch office typically occupies space 
ranging from approximately 1,000 to 5,000 square feet with lease terms that typically range from six months to five years. 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 

We are involved in various legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. However, based on the facts 

currently available, we do not believe that the disposition of matters that are pending or asserted will have a material effect on our financial 
position, results of operations or cash flows. 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 

Not applicable.

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PART II 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 

Price Range of Common Stock 

Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol ASGN. The following table sets forth the range of high 

and low sales prices as reported on The NASDAQ Global Select Market for each quarterly period within the two most recent fiscal years. At 
March 9, 2012, we had approximately 40 holders of record, approximately 4,600 beneficial owners of our common stock and 37,400,313 shares 
outstanding. 

Price Range of 
Common Stock 

High 

Low 

Year Ended December 31, 2011 
   $ 
First Quarter                         
Second Quarter                                    
   $ 
Third Quarter                                                  $ 
   $ 
Fourth Quarter                                   

Year Ended December 31, 2010 

   $ 
First Quarter                                     
   $ 
Second Quarter                     
Third Quarter                                                  $ 
   $ 
Fourth Quarter                   

10.87   
11.67   
11.25   
11.94   

7.89   
7.75   
5.75   
8.85   

   $ 
   $ 
   $ 
   $ 

   $ 
   $ 
   $ 
   $ 

7.77 
8.06 
6.27 
6.68 

6.47 
4.17 
4.18 
5.06 

Since inception, we have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we currently plan to retain all earnings to support 

the development and expansion of our business and we have no present intention of paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable 
future. However, the board of directors periodically reviews our dividend policy to determine whether the declaration of dividends is appropriate. 
Terms of our senior credit facility restrict our ability to pay dividends of more than $2.0 million per year. 

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Stock Performance Graph 

The following graph compares the performance of On Assignment’s common stock price during the period from December 31, 2006 to 

December 31, 2011 with the composite prices of companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and of companies included in the SIC Code No. 
736—Personnel Supply Services Companies Index. The companies listed in the SIC Code No. 736 include peer companies in the same industry or 
line of business as On Assignment. 

The graph depicts the results of investing $100 in On Assignment’s common stock, the NASDAQ Stock Market composite index and an 

index of the companies listed in the SIC Code No. 736 on December 31, 2006 and assumes that dividends were reinvested during the period. 

The comparisons shown in the graph below are based upon historical data, and we caution stockholders that the stock price performance 

shown in the graph below is not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, potential future performance. 

On Assignment, Inc. 

SIC Code No. 736 Index—Personnel 
Supply Services Company Index 
NASDAQ Stock Market Index 

2011 
 $     95.13  

2010 
 $     69.35  

2009 
 $     60.85  

2008 
 $     48.25  

2007 
 $     59.66  

2006 
 $   100.00  

Year Ended December 31, 

 $     57.79  
 $   113.16  

 $     80.50  
 $   114.06  

 $     63.86  
 $     96.54  

 $     43.80  
 $     66.41  

 $     74.51  
 $   110.66  

 $   100.00  
 $   100.00  

19 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
Common Stock Repurchases 

On Assignment purchases of equity securities during the quarter ended December 31, 2011 were as follows: 

Total Number of 
Shares Purchased 

Average Price Paid per 
Share 

Total Number of Shares 
Purchased as Part of 
Publically Announced Plans 
or Programs 

Maximum Number of Shares (or 
Approximated Dollar Value) of 
Shares That May Yet be Purchased 
Under the Plans or Programs 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

 $                                18,000,000  

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

$                                18,000,000 

Period 

January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

                    10,300  

 $                     6.99  

                            10,300  

$                                17,900,000 

September 

                  283,853  

 $                     6.86  

                          283,853  

 $                                16,000,000  

October 

                    29,208  

 $                     6.97  

                            29,208  

 $                                15,800,000  

November 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

 $                                15,800,000  

December 

                               -    

                               -    

                                       -    

 $                                15,800,000  

Total 

                  323,361  

 $                     6.87  

                          323,361  

 $                                15,800,000  

On June 15, 2001, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to 2,940,939 shares of common stock. As of 
December 31, 2009, the Company had repurchased and retired the entire amount of the authorized repurchase shares of its common stock at a total 
cost of $25.0 million for such 2,940,939 shares.  

On October 25, 2010, the Board of Directors authorized additional corporate stock repurchases subject to an overall repurchase cost limitation 
of $20.0 million. Under this program, the Company, through a third party, may repurchase shares in open market purchases or in privately negotiated 
transactions over a four year period. In 2010, the Company repurchased and retired 291,212 shares of its common stock at a total cost of $2.0 million. 
In 2011, the Company repurchased and retired 323,361 shares of its common stock at a total cost of $2.2 million. The Company’s remaining 
authorized cost limitation to repurchase its common stock was $15.8 million as of December 31, 2011. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Item 6. Selected Financial Data 

The following table presents selected financial data of On Assignment. This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with the 

consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included under “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in Part II, Item 8 of this report. 

Revenues 

Cost of services 

Gross profit 

Selling, general and administrative expenses 
Impairment of goodwill 

Operating income 
Interest expense 
Interest income 

Income (loss) before income taxes 

Provision for income taxes 

Net income (loss) 

Earnings (loss) per share: 

Basic 

Diluted 

Number of shares and share equivalents used to calculate 

earnings (loss) per share: 
Basic 

Diluted 

Balance Sheet Data (at end of period): 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Working capital 
Total assets 
Long-term liabilities 
Stockholders' equity 

2011 

$      597,281 
397,176 
200,105 
155,706 
           - 
44,399 
(2,975) 
39 
41,463 
17,166 
$        24,297 

2010 

Year Ended December 31, 
2009 
(in thousands, except per share data) 

2008 

 $    438,065  
       288,609  
       149,456  
       130,830  
         15,399  
           3,227  
 (8,309) 
              141  
     (4,941) 
           4,956  
 $     (9,897) 

$    416,613  
       280,245  
       136,368  
       121,141  
                 -  
         15,227  
       (6,612) 
              170  
           8,785  
           4,078  
 $        4,707  

$     618,058  
        418,602  
        199,456  
        155,942  
                   -  
          43,514  
          (9,998) 
               715  
          34,231  
          15,261  
 $       18,970  

2007 

$    567,180  
      387,643  
     179,537  
     151,942  
                -  
 27,595  
     (12,174) 
         1,394  
     16,815  
       7,493  
$        9,322  

$           0.66 

$      (0.27) 

 $         0.13  

$           0.53  

$        0.27  

$           0.64 

$      (0.27) 

 $         0.13  

 $           0.53  

$        0.26  

36,876 

37,758 

36,429 

36,429 

36,011 

36,335 

35,487 

35,858 

35,138 

35,771 

$        17,739 
74,705 
410,665 
107,513 
246,743 

 $      18,409  
         50,596  
       341,116  
         76,579  
      219,487  

$       25,974    
         62,238    
       343,462    
         84,847    
       226,661    

 $       46,271  
          91,192  
        401,850  
        129,805  
 218,514  

$      37,764 
79,009 
384,680 
    140,803 
    193,034 

21 

 
 
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the other sections of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Special Note on 
Forward-looking Statements and Part I, "Item 1A — Risk Factors". 

OVERVIEW 

On  Assignment,  Inc.  is  a  leading  global  provider  of  highly  skilled,  hard-to-find  professionals  in  the  growing  life  sciences,  healthcare,  and 
technology sectors, where quality people are the key to success. The Company goes beyond matching résumés with job descriptions to match people 
they know into positions they understand, for contract, contract-to-hire, and direct hire assignments. Our business currently consists of four operating 
segments: Life Sciences, Healthcare, Physician, and IT and Engineering. 

 The Life Sciences segment provides contract and permanent life science professionals to clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food 
and beverage, personal care, chemical, medical device, automotive, municipal, education and environmental industries. Our contract professionals 
include chemists, clinical research associates, clinical lab assistants, engineers, biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, 
biostatisticians, drug safety specialists, SAS programmers, medical writers, food scientists, regulatory affairs specialists, lab assistants and other 
skilled scientific professionals. 

 The Healthcare segment, comprised of our Nurse Travel and Allied Healthcare lines of business provides contract professionals, both locally-

based and traveling, from a number of healthcare and allied healthcare occupations. Our contract professionals include nurses, specialty nurses, 
health information management professionals, dialysis technicians, surgical technicians, imaging technicians, x-ray technicians, medical 
technologists, medical assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, coders, billers, claims processors and 
collections staff, and dental professionals - including dental assistants, hygienists and dentists and rehabilitation therapists. 

 Our Physician segment includes our physician staffing and permanent physician search services, which provides short and long-term locum 
tenens coverage and full-service physician search and consulting in the United States with capabilities in Australia and New Zealand. We work with 
physicians from nearly all medical specialties, placing them in hospitals, community-based practices, and federal, state and local facilities. 

 Our IT and Engineering segment includes our IT and Engineering line of business, which provides high-end consultants with expertise in 
specialized information technology and engineering fields. We combine international reach with local depth, serving clients through a network of 
recruiting centers in North America and Europe, and branch offices in major metropolitan markets across the United States.  

Results of Operations 

The following table summarizes selected statement of operations data expressed as a percentage of revenues: 

Revenues  
Cost of services  
Gross profit  

Selling, general and administrative expenses 
Impairment of goodwill 
Operating income 

Interest expense 
Interest income 

Income (loss) before income taxes  

Provision for income taxes  

Net income (loss) 
* Columns may not foot due to rounding. 

2011 
    100.0   % 
66.5 
33.5 
26.1 
- 
7.4 
(0.5) 
- 
6.9 
2.9 
4.1  % 

Year Ended December 31, 

2010 

100.0   % 
65.9  
34.1  
29.9  
3.5  
0.7  
(1.9) 
- 
(1.2) 
1.1  
(2.3) % 

2009 
   100.0   % 

          67.3  
          32.7  
          29.1  
              - 
            3.7  
          (1.6) 
              - 
            2.1  
            1.0  
            1.1   % 

22 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011 COMPARED WITH THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 
2010 

Revenues 

Revenues by segment (in thousands): 
Life Sciences 
Healthcare 
Physician 
IT and Engineering 
Total 

Year Ended December 31, 
2011 

2010 

Change 

$ 

% 

$       155,324 
94,598 
80,617 
266,742 
$      597,281 

 $        109,495  
            76,287  
            73,595  
          178,688  
 $       438,065  

 $           45,829  
18,311  
                7,022  
88,054  
 $        159,216  

        41.9   % 
        24.0   % 
         9.5   % 
        49.3   % 
% 

36.3                   

Revenues increased $159.2 million, or 36.3 percent, mainly due to growth in all four segments which was partially due to our acquisitions of 

Cambridge, Sharpstream, Valesta and HCP. Cambridge and Sharpstream were acquired in 2010, Valesta was acquired during the first quarter of 2011 
and HCP was acquired on July 31, 2011. Cambridge is reported under the Life Sciences, IT and Engineering and Physician segments; Sharpstream 
and Valesta are reported under the Life Sciences segment and HCP is reported under the Physician segment. Consolidated revenues for the 
year ended December 31, 2011 included $48.1 million related to our Cambridge, Sharpstream, Valesta and HCP acquisitions compared with $9.9 
million related to the Cambridge and Sharpstream acquisitions in 2010. 

Life Sciences segment revenues increased $45.8 million, or 41.9 percent, comprised of a $42.4 million increase in staffing revenues and a 

$3.4 million, or 46.7 percent increase in direct hire and conversion fees. The increase in staffing revenues resulted from a 29.1 percent increase in the 
average number of contract professionals on assignment and a 7.8 percent increase in average bill rate. The year-over-year increase in revenues was 
primarily attributable to increased demand for our service offerings as our clients’ end markets have improved in 2011 with the progressing economic 
recovery and an increase in revenues of $24.8 million from the business acquired in 2010 and 2011. 

Revenues for our Healthcare segment (comprised of our Nurse Travel and Allied Healthcare lines of business) increased $18.3 million, or 

24.0 percent. The increase in revenues in the Healthcare segment was attributable to improved economic trends in the healthcare sector, which 
contributed to the increase in the number of contract professionals on assignment, open orders and average bill rates and supporting customers who 
were undergoing system conversions. Although the Healthcare segment remains soft, we continue to see signs of improvement in demand. Nurse 
Travel revenues increased $12.9 million, or 35.1 percent, to $49.6 million, comprised of a 29.5 percent increase in the average number of nurses on 
assignment and a 2.0 percent increase in the average bill rate. Revenues related to staffing resulting from labor disruptions at customer sites included 
$7.1 million in 2011 and $5.0 million in 2010. Allied Healthcare revenues increased $5.4 million, or 13.7 percent, to $45.0 million, comprised of a 
5.9 percent increase in average number of contract professionals on assignment and a 2.5 percent increase in the average bill rate. The Allied 
Healthcare operating environment continued to demonstrate signs of improvement as economic trends in our end markets showed signs of 
stabilization and growth as evidenced by year-over-year growth in the number of contractors and clients on billing, average bill rate, permanent 
placement activity and billable hours.  

Physician segment revenues increased $7.0 million, or 9.5 percent, comprised of a 16.5 percent increase in the average number of physicians 

on assignment, a 1.9 percent decrease in average bill rate and a $0.3 million, or 8.5 percent decrease in direct hire and conversion fees revenue 
Physician segment revenues for year ended December 31, 2011 included $11.4 million related to our HCP and Cambridge acquisitions. The legacy 
physician staffing business decreased year over year. We attribute this to continued uncertainty related to healthcare reform, fewer physicians 
deciding to retire, current economic conditions and high unemployment which have reduced the number of elective procedures and lowered patient 
census at client facilities. 

IT and Engineering segment revenues increased $88.1 million, or 49.3 percent, comprised of a 41.0 percent increase in the average number of 

contract professionals on assignment and a 5.8 percent increase in average bill rate. The increase in revenue was also due to a $0.9 million, or 46.4 
percent increase in direct hire and conversion fee revenues. IT and Engineering segment revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011 included 
$4.3 million in revenue from our Cambridge acquisition in April 2010, compared with $2.2 million in 2010. Because many of our placements involve 
capital projects, we believe that one of the reasons the demand for our services has increased with the progressing economic recovery is that more 
companies have increased their capital spending. 

23 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
  
Gross Profit and Gross Margins 

Gross Profit by segment (in thousands): 

Life Sciences 
Healthcare 
Physician 
IT and Engineering 

Total 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

Gross Profit 

  Gross Margin 

Gross Profit 

  Gross Margin 

$     52,643 
26,637 
25,858 
94,967 
$   200,105 

33.9  % 
28.2  % 
32.1  % 
35.6  % 
33.5  % 

 $    37,776  
       23,058  
       23,847  
       64,775  
 $  149,456  

34.5  % 
30.2  % 
32.4  % 
36.3  % 
34.1  % 

The year-over-year gross profit increase was primarily due to higher revenues, which was partially offset by a 62 basis point contraction in 

consolidated gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was primarily due to margin contraction in the Healthcare and IT and Engineering 
segments.  

Life Sciences segment gross profit increased $14.9 million, or 39.4 percent. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to a 41.9 percent 

increase in revenues, offset by a 61 basis point contraction in gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was mainly due to a benefit in 2010 from 
employment tax credits related to the HIRE Act, which expired on December 31, 2010, higher European payroll tax rates and holiday pay related to 
Valesta employees and an increase in unemployment insurance expenses. This contraction was partially offset by a $3.4 million increase in direct 
hire and conversion fee revenues mainly from our Sharpstream acquisition and an 11.4 percent increase in bill/pay spread. 

 Healthcare segment gross profit increased $3.6 million, or 15.5 percent. The increase in gross profit was due to a 24.0 percent increase in 
revenues, partially offset by a 207 basis point contraction in gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was mainly due to an abnormally high 
gross margin in Nurse Travel in 2010, related to supporting a customer with labor disruptions when we did not have to have nurses travel and thus 
the related costs, a $1.8 million increase in travel related expenses, a $1.9 million increase in other employee expenses, and a $0.7 million increase in 
unemployment insurance expense. The contraction in gross margin was partially offset by an 8.1 percent increase in bill/pay spread. Within this 
segment, Allied Healthcare gross profit increased 11.0 percent while gross margin decreased 77 basis points and Nurse Travel gross profit increased 
21.3 percent while gross margin decreased 283 basis points. 

Physician segment gross profit increased $2.0 million, or 8.4 percent. The increase in gross profit was due to a $7.0 million, or 9.5 percent, 

increase in revenues, partially offset by a 32 basis point contraction in gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was primarily due to a 7.0 
percent decrease in bill/pay spread, in part a result of the acquisition of HCP which has a higher concentration of lower gross margin government 
business, and a $0.3 million, or 8.5 percent decrease in direct hire revenue and conversion fee revenues, partially offset by a $1.5 million decrease in 
medical malpractice insurance expense primarily due to favorable claims development. 

IT and Engineering segment gross profit increased $30.2 million, or 46.6 percent, primarily due to an $88.1 million, or 49.3 percent, increase 
in revenues, partially offset by a 65 basis point contraction in gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was in part due to a $4.7 million, or 35.2 
percent, increase in other employee expenses, and a benefit in 2010 from employment tax credits related to the HIRE Act, which expired on 
December 31, 2010, partially offset by a $0.9 million increase in direct hire and conversion fee revenues and a 5.0 percent increase in bill/pay spread. 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses include field operating expenses, such 

as costs associated with our network of staffing consultants and branch offices for each of our four segments, including staffing consultant 
compensation, rent, other office expenses, marketing and recruiting expenses for our contract professionals. SG&A expenses also include our 
corporate and branch office support expenses, such as the salaries of corporate operations and support personnel, recruiting and training expenses for 
field staff, marketing staff expenses, expenses related to being a publicly-traded company and other general and administrative expenses. 

For the year ended December 31, 2011, SG&A expenses increased $24.9 million, or 19.0 percent, to $155.7 million in 2011. The increase in 

SG&A expenses was primarily due to a $20.1 million, or 21.1 percent, increase in compensation and benefits. The increase in compensation and 
benefits was due to (i) an $11.7 million increase in compensation expenses primarily as a result of increased headcount related to the Cambridge, 
Sharpstream, Valesta and HCP acquisitions and headcount additions to support anticipated high growth in certain segments, (ii) an $8.4 million 
increase in bonuses and commissions as a result of increased revenue and the anticipated attainment of incentive compensation targets, and (iii) a 
$0.5 million increase in acquisition costs primarily related to the recent acquisitions. Additionally, non-compensation and benefits related SG&A 
expenses increased $2.9 million as a result of the Valesta and HCP acquisitions which were both completed in 2011. This increase in SG&A 
expenses was partially offset by a $1.9 million gain related to the settlements of the Cambridge earn-out and Sharpstream earn-out. Total SG&A 
expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased to 26.1 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared with 29.9 percent in the same period 
in 2010. 

Impairment of Goodwill. We recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $15.4 million related to Nurse Travel during 2010. The goodwill 

impairment charge for Nurse Travel was a result of the decreased fair value of the reporting unit due to lowered growth expectations in the later years 
because of uncertainty regarding the timing of the recovery of the Nurse Travel industry. 

Interest Expense. Interest expense was $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared with $8.3 million in 2010. This 
decrease was related to the $2.8 million write-off of unamortized capitalized loan costs in 2010, related to the old borrowing facility that was paid in 
full in December 2010, as well as lower interest rates in 2011. 

Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes was $17.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared with $5.0 

million in 2010. The annual effective tax rate was 41.4 percent for the year ended December 31, 2011 and 47.4 percent in 2010 excluding the impact 
of the goodwill impairment charge. The decrease in the tax rate in 2011 was primarily related to the year-over-year increase in income before income 
24 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
 
   
taxes for 2011 while permanent differences increased, but not as much as the increase to the income before income taxes, which lowered the annual 
effective rate. Refer to Note 8 for detailed information reconciling the statutory tax rate to the effective tax rate. 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2010 COMPARED WITH THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 
2009 

Revenues 

Revenues by segment (in thousands) 

Life Sciences 
Healthcare 
Physician 
IT and Engineering 

Total 

   Year Ended December 31, 

Change 

2010 

2009 

 $ 

% 

   $ 

   $ 

109,495     $ 
76,287       
73,595       
178,688       
438,065     $ 

93,664   
97,137   
87,719   
138,093   
416,613   

  $ 

  $ 

15,831       
(20,850 )    
(14,124 )     
40,595       
21,452       

  16.9  % 
  (21.5)  % 
  (16.1)  % 
  29.4  % 
5.1  % 

Revenues increased $21.5 million, or 5.1 percent, as a result of improved operating environments in our IT and Engineering and Life Sciences 

segments and our acquisitions of Cambridge and Sharpstream, offset by continued weak demand for our services in our Healthcare and Physician 
segments. Consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2010 include $7.3 million related to our Cambridge acquisition in the second 
quarter of 2010 and $2.6 million related to the Sharpstream acquisition in the third quarter of 2010. 

Life Sciences segment revenues increased $15.8 million, or 16.9 percent, primarily due to an 11.3 percent increase in contract professionals 

on assignment and a $4.4 million, or 156.2 percent increase in direct hire and conversion fees. The increase in revenues was primarily due to the 
increase in demand for Life Sciences service offerings as our clients’ end markets have improved with the economic recovery beginning in the 
second quarter of 2010 and the Cambridge and Sharpstream acquisitions. 

Healthcare segment revenues (comprised of our Nurse Travel and Allied Healthcare lines of business) decreased $20.9 million, or 21.5 
percent. Nurse Travel revenues decreased $18.9 million, or 34.0 percent, to $36.7 million, which included $5.0 million of revenue in 2010 generated 
from supporting customers that experienced labor disruptions. The decrease was primarily due to a 40.6 percent decrease in the average number of 
nurses on assignment and a 3.6 percent decrease in the average bill rate. Allied Healthcare revenues decreased $2.0 million, or 4.7 percent, to $39.5 
million due to an 11.6 percent decrease in the average number of contract professionals on assignment and a $0.5 million decrease in direct hire and 
conversion fee revenues. These decreases were partially offset by a 2.8 percent increase in the average bill rate. Based on our research and client 
feedback, we believe the decrease in revenues was attributable to continued adverse economic trends in the healthcare sector, which contributed to 
the decrease in number of travelers on assignment, open orders, and average bill rates. While the Allied Healthcare operating environment continued 
to demonstrate signs of improvement, growth was constrained by (i) a continued reduction in demand for elective procedures, (ii) a greater number of 
patients choosing more cost effective forms of treatment such as self-medication, (iii) hospitals reduced usage of contract professionals in response to 
declining cash balances and patient admissions and (iv) reduced demand for less critical allied skill modalities and a dramatic decline in demand for 
flu vaccine as compared to the H1N1 pandemic we faced the prior year. 

Physician segment revenues decreased $14.1 million, or 16.1 percent. The decrease in revenues was primarily attributable to a 16.9 percent 

decrease in the average number of physicians on assignment. These decreases were partially offset by a $0.6 million, or 32.5 percent increase in 
direct hire revenues. The average bill rate for the Physician segment was flat. Based on industry research and client feedback, we believe the decrease 
in revenues was primarily due to the economic conditions and high unemployment which have reduced the number of elective procedures and 
lowered patient census at client facilities. 

IT and Engineering segment revenues increased $40.6 million, or 29.4 percent. The increase in revenues was primarily due to a 34.1 percent 
increase in the average number of contract professionals on assignment and a $1.2 million increase in direct hire and conversion fee revenues. These 
increases were partially offset by a 4.4 percent decrease in the average bill rate. Because many of our placements involve capital projects, we believe 
that one of the reasons the demand for our IT and Engineering services has increased with the economic recovery is that more companies have 
increased their capital spending. 

Gross Profit and Gross Margins 

Gross Profit by segment (in thousands): 

Life Sciences 
Healthcare 
Physician 
IT and Engineering 

Total 

Year Ended December 31, 

2010 
   Gross Profit      Gross Margin 

2009 

 Gross Profit   

Gross Margin 

   $ 

   $ 

37,776       
23,058       
23,847       
64,775       
149,456       

34.5 % 
30.2 % 
32.4 % 
36.3 % 
34.1 % 

   $ 

   $ 

30,470       
27,329       
28,545       
50,024       
136,368       

32.5 % 
28.1 % 
32.5 % 
36.2 % 
32.7 % 

The year-over-year gross profit increase was primarily due to a 139 basis point expansion in consolidated gross margin and a 5.1 percent 

improvement in total revenue. The increase in gross margin was primarily attributable to an increase in the percent of revenues related to the IT and 
Engineering reporting unit, which has highest gross margin of all the segments and margin expansion in the Healthcare and Life Sciences segments. 

25 

 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
      
   
 
 
      
  
  
     
 
 
 
     
    
     
    
     
    
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   
      
  
 
 
      
  
     
  
  
     
  
  
     
  
  
  
  
Life Sciences segment gross profit increased $7.3 million, or 24.0 percent. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to a 16.9 percent 

increase in the segment revenues and a 197 basis point expansion in gross margin. The expansion in gross margin was due to a $4.4 million, or 156.2 
percent, increase in direct hire and conversion fee revenues, partially offset by a 2.4 percent decrease in bill/pay spread. 

Healthcare segment gross profit decreased $4.3 million, or 15.6 percent. The decrease in gross profit was due to a 21.5 percent decrease in the 
segment revenues, partially offset by a 210 basis point expansion in gross margin. The expansion in gross margin was primarily due to Nurse Travel 
revenues of $5.0 million at gross margins of 53.5 percent related to supporting customers with labor disruptions in 2010. The expansion in gross 
margin was partially offset by a 7.6 percent decrease in the bill/pay spread and an increase in billable expenses and workers’ compensation insurance 
expense. Within this segment, Allied Healthcare gross profit decreased 5.8 percent while gross margin decreased 39 basis points and Nurse Travel 
gross profit decreased 25.5 percent while gross margin increased 312 basis points which was primarily due to the high gross margins on supporting 
customers with labor disruptions in 2010 described above. 

Physician segment gross profit decreased $4.7 million, or 16.5 percent. The decrease in gross profit was due to a $14.1 million, or 16.1 
percent, decrease in the segment revenues as well as a 14 basis point contraction in gross margin. The contraction in gross margin was primarily due 
to a 3.2 percent decrease in bill/pay spread, partially offset by a $0.6 million increase in direct hire revenues. 

IT and Engineering segment gross profit increased $14.8 million, or 29.5 percent. The increase in gross profit was primarily due to a $40.6 

million, or 29.4 percent increase in revenues. 

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses include field operating expenses, such 

as costs associated with our network of staffing consultants and branch offices for each of our four segments, including staffing consultant 
compensation, rent, other office expenses, marketing and recruiting expenses for our contract professionals. SG&A expenses also include our 
corporate and branch office support expenses, such as the salaries of corporate operations and support personnel, recruiting and training expenses for 
field staff, marketing staff expenses, expenses related to being a publicly-traded company and other general and administrative expenses. 

For the year ended December 31, 2010, SG&A expenses increased $9.7 million, or 8.0 percent, to $130.8 million from $121.1 million for the 

same period in 2009. The increase in SG&A expenses was primarily due to a $12.9 million increase in compensation and benefits. The increase in 
compensation and benefits was due to a $9.4 million increase in bonuses, commissions and stock-based compensation as a result of increased 
revenue and the attainment of incentive compensation targets as well as a $3.2 million increase in compensation expenses as a result of increased 
headcount related to the Cambridge and Sharpstream acquisitions. The increase in SG&A expenses was also due to a $0.9 million increase in travel 
expenses for acquisition-related activities in 2010. The increase in SG&A expenses was partially offset by a $4.0 million decrease in amortization 
expense as certain intangible assets became fully amortized in the first quarter of 2010. Total SG&A expenses as a percentage of revenues increased 
to 29.9 percent for the year ended December 31, 2010 from 29.1 percent in the same period in 2009. 

Impairment of Goodwill. We recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $15.4 million related to Nurse Travel during 2010. The goodwill 

impairment charge for Nurse Travel was a result of the decreased fair value of the reporting unit due to lowered growth expectations in the later years 
because of uncertainty regarding the timing of the recovery of the Nurse Travel industry. 

Interest Expense and Interest Income. Interest expense was $8.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with $6.6 million 

in 2009. This increase was primarily due to the write-off of unamortized capitalized loan costs of $2.8 million related to the old borrowing facility 
that was paid in full in December 2010 as well as a $1.3 million gain in 2009 for the mark-to-market adjustment on our interest rate swap, which 
expired on June 30, 2009, partially offset by lower average debt balances in 2010. 

 Interest income decreased to $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with $0.2 million in 2009 due to lower account 

balances invested in interest-bearing accounts and lower average interest rates. 

Provision for Income Taxes. The provision for income taxes was $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2010 compared with $4.1 

million in 2009. Excluding the impact of the goodwill impairment charge, the effective tax rate was 47.4 percent in 2010 compared with 46.4 percent 
in 2009. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources 

Our working capital at December 31, 2011 was $74.7 million and our cash and cash equivalents were $17.7 million, of which $6.8 million 

was held in foreign countries. Cash held in foreign countries are not available to fund domestic operations unless repatriated, which would require the 
accrual and payment of taxes. We do not intend to repatriate cash held in foreign countries. Our operating cash flows have been our primary source 
of liquidity and historically have been sufficient to fund our working capital and capital expenditure needs. Our working capital requirements consist 
primarily of the financing of accounts receivable, payroll expenses and the periodic payments of principal and interest on our loans. 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $23.4 million for 2011 compared with $26.9 million for 2010. Cash provided by operating 

activities in 2011 were primarily driven by income from operations, an increase in accrued payroll and contract professional pay, offset by an 
increase in accounts receivable. Cash provided by operating activities in 2010 were primarily driven by income from operations, a decrease in 
prepaid income taxes and an increase in accrued payroll and contract professional pay, offset by an increase in accounts receivable.  

Net cash used in investing activities was $41.1 million during 2011 compared with $16.6 million during 2010. Cash paid for acquisitions was 

approximately $32.8 million and capital expenditures for information technology projects, leasehold improvements and various property and 
equipment purchases increased $2.1 million to $8.4 million in 2011. We estimate that capital expenditures for 2012 will be approximately $8 million. 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $17.5 million for 2011, compared with $16.6 million used in financing activities in 
2010. During 2011, principal payments of long-term debt were $20.5 million, versus $79.2 million paid down during 2010. Proceeds from new 
borrowings on the term loan and line of credit were $40.5 million and $68.0 million in 2011 and 2010, respectively. 

26 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 Under terms of the credit facility, the term loan facility is repayable at the minimum rate of $1.3 million per quarter and we are required to 

reduce the term loan by up to 50 percent of our excess cash flow based on leverage ratios, as defined by the agreement for each year end over the 
next five years. We are required to maintain certain financial covenants, including a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum fixed charge coverage 
ratio. As of December 31, 2011, we were in compliance with all such covenants. Additionally, the agreement, which is secured by substantially all of 
our assets, provides for certain limitations on our ability to, among other things, incur additional debt, offer loans, declare dividends and incur capital 
expenditures. 

We continue to make progress on enhancements to our front-office and back-office information systems. These enhancements include the 

consolidation of back-office systems across all corporate functions, as well as enhancements to and broader application of our front-office software 
across all lines of business. 

We believe that our working capital as of December 31, 2011, our credit facility and positive operating cash flows expected from future 

activities will be sufficient to fund future requirements of our debt repayment obligations, accounts payable and related payroll expenses, as well as 
capital expenditure initiatives for the next twelve months. 

Commitments and Contingencies 

We lease space for our corporate and branch offices. Rent expense was $8.6 million in 2011, $8.4 million in 2010 and $8.2 million in 2009. 

The following table sets forth, on an aggregate basis, at December 31, 2011, the amounts of specified contractual cash obligations required to 

be paid in the periods shown (in thousands): 

Contractual Obligations 
Long-term debt obligations 
Operating lease obligations 
   Total 

2012 
   $  5,000     $ 
7,028       
   $  12,028     $ 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

     Thereafter      

Total 

5,000     $ 
6,079       
11,079     $ 

5,000     $ 
5,558       
10,558     $ 

71,750     $ 
4,955       
76,705     $ 

―     $ 
3,203       
3,203     $ 

―     $ 
5,954       
5,954     $ 

86,750 
32,777 
119,527 

For additional information about these contractual cash obligations, see Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements appearing in Part II, 

Item 8 of this report. Interest payments related to our bank debt are not set forth in the table above. 

We are partially self-insured for our workers' compensation liability related to the Life Sciences, Healthcare and IT and Engineering segments 

as well as the medical malpractice liability related to the Physician segment. In connection with this program, we pay a base premium plus actual 
losses incurred up to certain levels and are insured for losses greater than certain levels per occurrence and in the aggregate. The self-insurance claim 
liability is determined based on claims filed and claims incurred but not yet reported. We account for claims incurred but not yet reported based on 
estimates derived from historical claims experience and current trends of industry data. Changes in estimates, differences in estimates and actual 
payments for claims are recognized in the period that the estimates changed or payments were made. The self-insurance claim liability was 
approximately $10.4 million and $10.2 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Additionally, we have unused stand-by letters of credit 
outstanding to secure obligations for workers’ compensation claims with various insurance carriers. The unused stand-by letters of credit at 
December 31, 2011 and 2010 were $2.4 million and $2.8 million, respectively. 

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, we have an income tax reserve in other long-term liabilities related to our uncertain tax positions of $0.3 

million. 

We are involved in various other legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. However, based on the 

facts currently available, we do not believe that the disposition of matters that are pending or asserted will have a material effect on our consolidated 
financial statements. 

We are subject to earn-out obligations entered into in connection with acquisitions. If the acquired businesses meet predetermined targets, we 
are obligated to make additional cash payments in accordance with the terms of such earn-out obligations. At December 31, 2011, the Company has 
potential future earn-out obligations of approximately $10.2 million through 2013. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had no significant off-balance sheet arrangements other than operating leases and unused stand-by 

letters of credit outstanding. 

Accounting Standards Updates 

See Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report for a 

discussion of new accounting pronouncements. 

27 

 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
     
  
     
        
        
        
        
        
        
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Critical Accounting Policies 

Our accounting policies are described in Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report. We prepare 

our financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which require us to make estimates and 
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial 
statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the year. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We consider the 
following policies to be most critical in understanding the judgments that are involved in preparing our financial statements and the uncertainties that 
could impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Billing Adjustments. We estimate an allowance for doubtful accounts as well as an allowance for billing 

adjustments related to trade receivables based on our analysis of historical collection and adjustment experience. We apply actual collection and 
adjustment percentages to the outstanding accounts receivable balances at the end of the period. Impaired receivables, or portions thereof, are 
charged off when deemed uncollectible. If we experience a significant change in collections or billing adjustment experience, our estimates of the 
recoverability of accounts receivable could change by a material amount. 

Workers’ Compensation and Medical Malpractice Loss Reserves. We are partially self-insured for our workers’ compensation liability related 

to the Life Sciences, Healthcare and IT and Engineering segments as well as our medical malpractice liability related to the Physician segment. In 
connection with these programs, we pay a base premium plus actual losses incurred, not to exceed certain stop-loss limits. We are insured for losses 
above these limits, both per occurrence and in the aggregate. The self-insurance claim liability is determined based on claims filed and claims 
incurred but not reported. We account for claims incurred but not yet reported based on estimates derived from historical claims experience and 
current trends of industry data. Changes in estimates and differences in estimates and actual payments for claims are recognized in the period that the 
estimates changed or the payments were made. 

Contingencies. We record an estimated loss from a loss contingency when information available prior to issuance of our financial statements 

indicates it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements, and the amount of the 
loss can be reasonably estimated. Accounting for contingencies, such as legal settlements, workers’ compensation matters and medical malpractice 
insurance matters, requires us to use our judgment. While we believe that our accruals for these matters are adequate, if the actual loss from a loss 
contingency is significantly different than the estimated loss, results of operations may be over or understated. 

Income taxes. We account for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the 

future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their 
respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which 
those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is 
recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than 
not that a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. 

We make a comprehensive review of our uncertain tax positions regularly. In this regard, an uncertain tax position represents our expected 

treatment of a tax position taken in a filed return, or planned to be taken in a future tax return or claim that has not been reflected in measuring 
income tax expense for financial reporting purposes. In general, until these positions are sustained by the taxing authorities or statutes expire for the 
year that the position was taken, we do not recognize the tax benefits resulting from such positions and report the tax effects as a liability for 
uncertain tax positions in our consolidated balance sheets. 

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets having an indefinite useful life are not amortized for 
financial statement purposes. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis as of December 31, 
and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. 

Intangible assets with indefinite lives consist of trademarks. In order to test the trademarks for impairment, we determine the fair value of the 

trademarks and compare such amount to its carrying value. We determine the fair value of the trademarks using a projected discounted cash flow 
analysis based on the relief-from-royalty approach. The principal factors used in the discounted cash flow analysis requiring judgment are projected 
net sales, discount rate, royalty rate and terminal value assumption. The royalty rate used in the analysis is based on transactions that have occurred in 
our industry. Intangible assets having finite lives are amortized over their useful lives and are reviewed to ensure that no conditions exist indicating 
the recorded amount is not recoverable from future undiscounted cash flows. We did not have any impairment of indefinite-lived intangibles in 2011, 
2010, or 2009. 

Goodwill is tested for impairment using a two-step process that begins with an estimation of the fair value of a reporting unit, which is 
generally an operating segment or one level below the operating segment level for which discrete financial information is available and reviewed by 
segment management. This first step is a screen for impairment and compares the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. We determine 
the fair value of each reporting unit based upon a weighted average calculation using the fair value derived from a discounted cash flow analysis and 
a market approach analysis. Discounted cash flows are developed for each reporting unit based on assumptions including revenue growth 
expectations, gross margins, operating expense projections, working capital, capital expense requirements and tax rates. The multi-year financial 
forecasts for each reporting unit used in the cash flow models considered several key business drivers such as new product lines, historical 
performance and industry and economic trends, among other considerations. The market approach considers multiples of financial metrics, primarily 
EBITDA, based on trading multiples of a group of guideline public companies in the staffing industry, which multiples are then applied to the 
corresponding financial metrics of our reporting units to derive an indication of fair value.  

If after performing the first step of the impairment test, the fair value of the reporting unit does not exceed its carrying value, we perform a 

second step for that reporting unit. The second step measures the amount of goodwill impairment by comparing the implied fair value of the impacted 
reporting unit goodwill with the carrying value of that goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined under the same approach utilized to 
estimate the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. This approach requires we allocate the fair value of the impacted reporting 
unit as calculated in the first step of the goodwill impairment test to the reporting unit assets, including identifiable intangible assets, which typically 
28 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
includes tradenames, staffing databases and customer relationships, and liabilities, based on the estimated fair values of such assets and liabilities, 
with any excess reporting unit fair value representing the implied fair value of goodwill for that reporting unit. The reporting unit goodwill 
impairment loss, if any, is measured as the amount by which the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of goodwill calculated in 
the second step of the goodwill impairment test. 

The principal factors used in the discounted cash flow analysis requiring judgment are the projected results of operations, discount rate, and 
terminal value assumptions. The discount rate is determined using the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The WACC takes into account the 
relative weights of each component of an average market participant’s capital structure (equity and debt). It also considers our risk-free rate of return, 
equity market risk premium, beta and size premium adjustment. A single discount rate is utilized across each reporting unit since we do not believe 
that there would be significant differences by reporting unit. Additionally, the selection of the discount rate accounts for any uncertainties in the 
forecasts. The terminal value assumptions are applied subsequent to the tenth year of the discounted cash flow model. 

We performed the step one analyses for each reporting unit as of December 31, 2011 as this is our annual impairment test date. No 

impairment was noted for any of the reporting units as of December 31, 2011. The fair value of all reporting units exceeded their respective carrying 
values by approximately 30 percent or more. The discount rate used in the cash flow analysis was 14.6 percent.   

We recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $15.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Goodwill for the Company’s impaired reporting 

unit, Nurse Travel, with a carrying amount of $15.4 million was written down to the implied fair value of $0 resulting in an impairment charge of 
$15.4 million. There was no goodwill impairment as of December 31, 2009, based upon the analysis as of that date. 

The discounted cash flows and the resulting fair value estimates of our reporting units are sensitive to changes in other assumptions which 

includes an increase of less than 10 percent in the discount rate of a reporting unit. Such change could cause the fair value of certain significant 
reporting units to be below their carrying value. Additionally, we have assumed that there will be an economic recovery at the beginning of 2012 for 
the Physician reporting unit. Changes in the timing of the recovery and the impact on our operations and costs may also affect the sensitivity of the 
projections including achieving future cost savings resulting from initiatives which contemplate further synergies from system and operational 
improvements in infrastructure and field support which were included in our forecasts. Ultimately, future changes in these assumptions may impact 
the estimated fair value of a reporting unit and cause the fair value of the reporting unit to be below its carrying value, which would require a step 
two analysis and may result in impairment of goodwill.  

Due to the many variables inherent in the estimation of a business’s fair value and the relative size of recorded goodwill, changes in 

assumptions may have a material effect on the results of our impairment analysis. Downward revisions of our forecasts, extended delays in the 
economic recovery, or a sustained decline of our stock price resulting in market capitalization significantly below book value could lead to an 
impairment of goodwill or intangible assets with indefinite lives in future periods. 

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. We evaluate long-lived assets, other than goodwill and identifiable intangible assets with 
indefinite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. An 
impairment loss is recognized when the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, in which case a 
write-down is recorded to reduce the related asset to its estimated fair value. There was no impairment of long-lived assets as of December 31, 2011, 
2010 or 2009. 

Business Combinations. The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the underlying assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon 

their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. To the extent the purchase price exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable tangible and 
intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, such excess is allocated to goodwill. We determine the estimated fair values after review and 
consideration of relevant information including discounted cash flows, quoted market prices and estimates made by management. Accordingly, these 
can be affected by contract performance and other factors over time, which may cause final amounts to differ materially from original estimates. We 
adjust the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, up to one year after the acquisition closing date if we obtain more information 
regarding asset valuations and liabilities assumed. 

Goodwill acquired in business combinations is assigned to the reporting unit(s) expected to benefit from the combination as of the acquisition 

date. Acquisition related costs are recognized separately from the acquisition and are expensed as incurred. 

Stock-Based Compensation. We record compensation expense for restricted stock awards and stock units based on the fair market value of the 

awards on the date of grant. Market-based awards, which are based on achievement of targets indexed to our share price, are valued using a Monte 
Carlo simulation model. Compensation expense for performance-based awards is measured based on the amount of shares ultimately expected to 
vest, estimated at each reporting date based on management’s expectations regarding the relevant performance criteria. We account for stock options 
granted and ESPP shares based on an estimated fair market value using a Black-Scholes option valuation model. This methodology requires the use 
of subjective assumptions, including expected stock price volatility and the estimated life of each award. The fair value of equity-based compensation 
awards less the estimated forfeitures is amortized over the service period of the award. 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 

We are exposed to certain market risks arising from transactions in the normal course of business, principally risks associated with foreign 

currency fluctuations and interest rates. We are exposed to foreign currency risk from the translation of foreign operations into U.S. dollars. Based on 
the relative size and nature of our foreign operations, we do not believe that a ten percent change in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. 
dollar would have a material impact on our financial statements. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate risk associated with our debt 
instruments. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for further description of our 
debt instruments.  

On May 2, 2007, we entered into an interest rate swap with a financial institution, which expired on June 30, 2009 in accordance with the 

terms of the agreement. Prior to the expiration of the interest rate swap on June 30, 2009, the Company entered into a one-year interest rate cap 

29 

 
 
  
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
contract effective July 1, 2009, in order to mitigate the interest rate risk as required by the prior credit facility agreement. The interest rate cap 
contract was for a notional amount of $51.0 million with a one-month LIBOR cap of 3.0 percent. The interest rate cap agreement expired on July 1, 
2010. Prior to its expiration, the interest rate cap contract had the effect of capping the effective one month LIBOR rate at 3.0 percent. Following the 
expiration of the interest rate cap agreement, the fair value of the long-term debt effectively became subject to market interest rate volatility until 
such time that the credit facility was replaced with a new senior secured credit agreement on December 3, 2010. 

On February 18, 2011, we entered into another interest rate swap agreement to hedge a portion of our interest rate exposure on our senior secured 

credit agreement. The swap has a notional amount of $25.0 million and fixes a portion of our base borrowing rate, which is a floating rate based on a LIBOR 
swap rate that resets periodically.  

As of December 31, 2011, we had $86.8 million of principal outstanding under the senior secured credit agreement, $61.8 million of which 
bears interest at variable-rates. We have the option to determine the variable interest rate as the Eurodollar rate or the base rate (which is the highest 
of the bank’s prime rate, one-half of 1.0 percent in excess of the overnight federal funds rate, and 1.0 percent in excess of the one-month Eurodollar 
rate), plus in each case, an applicable margin. 

Excluding the effect of our interest rate swap agreement, a hypothetical 1.0 percent change in interest rates on variable rate debt would have 

resulted in interest expense fluctuating approximately $0.9 million based on $86.8 million of debt outstanding for any twelve month period. Including 
the effect of our interest rate swap agreement, a 1.0 percent change in interest rates on variable debt would have resulted in interest expense 
fluctuating approximately $0.6 million based on $86.8 million of debt outstanding for any twelve month period. 

We have not entered into any market risk sensitive instruments for trading purposes. 

30 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of On Assignment, Inc. 
Calabasas, California 

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of On Assignment, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2011 
and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the 
three years in the period ended December 31, 2011. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15. These 
financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion 
on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits. 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards 
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. 
An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes 
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement 
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of On Assignment, Inc. and 
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended 
December 31, 2011, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such financial 
statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly, in all material 
respects, the information set forth therein. 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the Company's internal 
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the 
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 14, 2012 expressed an unqualified opinion on the 
Company's internal control over financial reporting. 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP 

Los Angeles, California 
March 14, 2012 

31 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 
 (In thousands, except share and per share data) 

ASSETS 
Current Assets: 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts and billing adjustments of $2,777 and 

  $ 

17,739   

  $ 

18,409 

December 31, 

2011 

2010 

   $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

93,925   
218   
3,718   
2,927   
9,271   
3,316   
131,114   

18,057   
229,234   
30,206   
2,054   
410,665   

5,000   
4,112   
24,948   
1,896   
10,401   
—   
3,488  
6,564   
56,409   

14,856   
81,750   
6,368   
4,539   
163,922   

62,518 
480 
3,555 
494 
8,784 
1,406 
95,646 

15,818 
199,720 
25,170 
4,762 
341,116 

5,000 
5,392 
15,727 
2,198 
10,244 
1,496 
800 
4,193 
45,050 

10,156 
61,750 
2,900 
1,773 
121,629 

—   

— 

370   
229,377   
19,034  
(2,038 ) 
246,743   
410,665   

  $ 

365 
224,139 
(5,021 ) 
4 
219,487 
341,116 

   $ 

$2,175, respectively 
Advances and deposits 
Prepaid expenses 
Prepaid income taxes 
Deferred income tax assets 
Other 

            Total current assets 

Property and equipment, net 
Goodwill 
Identifiable intangible assets, net 
Other long-term assets 
Total Assets 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 
Current Liabilities: 

Current portion of long-term debt 
Accounts payable 
Accrued payroll and contract professional pay 
Deferred compensation 
Workers’ compensation and medical malpractice loss reserves 
Income taxes payable 
Current portion of accrued earn-outs 
Other 

            Total current liabilities 

Deferred income tax liabilities 
Long-term debt 
Accrued earn-outs 
Other long-term liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Commitments and Contingencies  
Stockholders’ Equity: 

Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued 
Common Stock, $0.01 par value, 75,000,000 shares authorized, 37,012,250 and 36,398,811 issued 

and outstanding,  respectively 

Paid-in capital 
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) 
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 

            Total stockholders’ equity 
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity 

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

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ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) 
(In thousands, except per share data) 

Revenues 

Cost of services 

Gross profit 

Selling, general and administrative expenses 
Impairment of goodwill 

Operating income 
Interest expense 
Interest income 

Income (loss) before income taxes 

Provision for income taxes 

Net income (loss) 

Earnings (loss) per share: 
    Basic 
    Diluted 
Number of shares and share equivalents used to calculate earnings 

(loss) per share: 
    Basic 
    Diluted 

$ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

Reconciliation of net income (loss) to comprehensive income (loss):   
Net income (loss) 
Changes in fair value of derivative, net of income tax of $227  
Foreign currency translation adjustment 
Comprehensive income (loss) 

$ 

$ 

2011 

Year Ended December 31, 
2010 

2009 

597,281   
397,176   
200,105   
155,706   
-   
44,399   
(2,975 ) 
39   
41,463  
17,166   
24,297  

0.66  
0.64  

36,876   
37,758   

24,297  
(380 ) 
(1,662 ) 
22,255  

$ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

438,065   
288,609   
149,456   
130,830   
15,399   
3,227   
(8,309 ) 
141   
(4,941 ) 
4,956   
(9,897 ) 

(0.27 ) 
(0.27 ) 

36,429   
36,429   

(9,897 ) 
-  
(1,122 ) 
(11,019 ) 

$ 

$ 

416,613   
280,245   
136,368   
121,141   
-   
15,227   
(6,612 ) 
170   
8,785   
4,078   
4,707   

0.13   
0.13   

36,011   
36,335   

4,707   
-  
326  
5,033   

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

33 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 
(In thousands, except share data) 

Balance at December 31, 2009 

  36,262,810  

Balance at January 1, 2009 

Exercise of common stock options 

Employee stock purchase plan 

Stock-based compensation expense 

Vesting of restricted stock units and 

restricted stock awards 

Tax deficiency from stock-based 

compensation 

Retirement of treasury stock 

Translation adjustments 

Net income 

Exercise of common stock options 

Stock repurchase and retirement of shares 

Stock-based compensation expense 

Vesting of restricted stock units and 

restricted stock awards 

Tax deficiency from stock-based 

compensation 

Translation adjustments 

Net loss 

Balance at December 31, 2010 

Exercise of common stock options 

Employee stock purchase plan 

Stock repurchase and retirement of shares 

        (323,361) 

Stock-based compensation expense 

 —  

Vesting of restricted stock units and 

restricted stock awards 

Tax benefit from stock-based compensation 

Fair value adjustment of derivatives, net of 

income tax 

Translation adjustments 

Net income 

  455,871  
 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

Common Stock 

Paid-in Capital 

Shares 

38,816,844  

          17,925  

       227,784  

 —  

Amount 

$    388  

 —  

      2  

 —  

$ 227,522  

     98  

             455  

         5,015  

297,621  

      3  

         (1,073) 

 —  

 —  

          (1,386) 

(3,097,364) 

      (30) 

 (10,549)  

359,013  

      4  

       (1,309) 

 —  

 —  

 68,200  

(291,212) 

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

36,398,811  

293,893  

   187,036  

 —  

 —  

  363  

         1  

        (3) 

 —  

 —  

 —  

220,082  

          332  

       (1,783) 

           7,151  

 —  

 —  

 —  

  365  

         2  

           2  

          (3) 

 —  

      4  
 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

            (334) 

 —  

 —  

224,139  

     1,722  

        975  

 (1,985) 

 5,868  

 (2,223) 
        881  

 —  

 —  

 —  

Retained 
Earnings 
(Accumulated 
Deficit) 

Accumulated 
Other 
Comprehensive
 Income 

Treasury Stock 

Total 

Shares 

Amount 

 $     16,215  

 $            800  

 (3,097,364) 

 $(26,411)   

 $218,514  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

(15,832)  

 —  

          4,707  

            5,090  

 —  

(214) 

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

   (9,897) 

    (5,021) 

 —  

 —  

(242) 

 —  

 —  
 —  

 —  

 —  

  24,297  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

  326  

 —  

1,126  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

   (1,122) 

 —  

                4  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  
 —  

        (380) 

    (1,662) 

—  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

         98  

        457  

      5,015  

 —  

           (1,070) 

—  

             (1,386) 

3,097,364  

     26,411    

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  
 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

      326  

  4,707  

    226,661  

                   333  

           (2,000) 

                7,151  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

           (1,305) 

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  
 —  

 —  

 —  

 —  

             (334) 

 (1,122) 

    (9,897) 

     219,487  

      1,724  

        977  

(2,230) 

   5,868  

           (2,219) 
           881  

       (380) 

 (1,662) 

24,297  

$         —  

$  246,743  

Balance at December 31, 2011 

37,012,250  

$       370  

$   229,377  

$      19,034  

$       (2,038) 

See notes to consolidated financial statements.
34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 
(In thousands) 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities: 

Net income (loss) 
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities: 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

$    24,297  

 $    (9,897) 

$      4,707  

Depreciation 
Amortization of intangible assets 
Provision for doubtful accounts and billing adjustments 
Deferred income tax provision 
Stock-based compensation 
Amortization of deferred loan costs 
Write-down of deferred loan costs 
Change in fair value of interest rate swap 
(Gain) loss on officers’ life insurance policies 
Gross excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 
Impairment of goodwill 
(Gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment 
Change in accrued earn-outs 
Workers’ compensation and medical malpractice provision 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisitions: 
    Accounts receivable 
    Prepaid expenses 
    Prepaid income taxes 
    Accounts payable 
    Accrued payroll and contract professional pay 
    Income taxes payable 
    Deferred compensation 
    Workers’ compensation and medical malpractice loss reserves 

Tenant improvement allowances 

    Other 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Cash Flows from Investing Activities: 
Cash paid for property and equipment 
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired 
Proceeds from insurance settlements 
Other 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities: 
Principal payments of long-term debt 
Proceeds from term debt 
Proceeds from stock transactions 
Payment of employment taxes related to release of restricted stock awards 
Gross excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation 
Repurchase of Common Stock 
Debt issuance or amendment costs 
Payments of other long-term liabilities 
Other 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 

6,505  
2,346  
1,127  
3,748  
6,927  
460  
— 
— 
183  
(1,113) 
— 
61  
(2,009) 
3,196  

(25,079) 
(1,633) 
(1,292) 
(1,812) 
6,400  
(1,231) 
(303) 
(1,467) 
1,308  
2,800  

23,419  

(8,411) 
(32,818) 
— 
109  

(41,120) 

(20,500) 
40,500  
2,701  
(2,214) 
1,113  
(2,230) 
(87) 
(1,731) 
(43) 

17,509  

5,881  
2,115  
644  
2,274  
7,749  
961  
2,208  
— 
(212) 
(205) 
15,399  
(3) 
— 
4,310  

(10,532) 
(501) 
4,223  
1,032  
3,880  
856  
128  
(3,948) 
— 
499  

26,861  

(6,302) 
(10,458) 
42  
137  

(16,581) 

(79,163) 
68,000  
333  
(1,955) 
205  
(2,000) 
(1,938) 
(52) 
(44) 

(16,614) 

5,731  
6,075  
296  
4,287  
5,007  
894  
— 
(1,345) 
(478) 
(34) 
— 
(246) 
— 
4,283  

28,024  
1,076  
(958) 
(695) 
(9,017) 
— 
460  
(3,688) 
— 
(2,366) 

42,013  

(4,673) 
(10,239) 
512  
572  

(13,828) 

(48,000) 
— 
555  
(325) 
34  
— 
(1,065) 
(156) 
— 

(48,957) 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 

(478) 

(1,231) 

475  

Net Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents 
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year 

Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Year 

(670) 
18,409  

(7,565) 
25,974  

$    17,739  

$    18,409  

(20,297) 
46,271  

$    25,974  
 (continued) 

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (continued) 

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information 

Cash paid (refunds received) for: 

Income taxes 

Interest 

Acquisitions: 

Goodwill 
Identifiable intangible assets acquired 
Net tangible assets acquired 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

$ 

$ 

$ 

    16,163    

$ 

(2,578) 

      2,659    

$ 

5,478  

     30,504    
7,726    
4,934    

$ 

   10,458  
1,761    
—   

$ 

$ 

$ 

 1,230  

 8,564  

—  
170  
44  

Fair value of assets acquired, net of cash received 

$ 

   43,164    

$ 

12,219  

$ 

    214  

Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities: 

Payable for employment taxes withheld related to release of restricted stock awards 

Accrued earn-out payments  

Acquisition through notes payable 

Acquisition of property and equipment through accounts payable 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

         —   

     10,346    

         —    

        324    

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

          96  
      3,700    
         —    
         383    

$ 

$ 

$ 

745  

      —  

    143  

$ 

    555  
  (concluded) 

See notes to consolidated financial statements. 

36 

 
 
  
    
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
      
 
 
       
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
           
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
          
 
 
 
 
  
  
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
 NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. 

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. 

All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. 

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

Revenue Recognition. Revenues from contract assignments, net of sales adjustments and discounts, are recognized when earned, based on 

hours worked by the Company’s contract professionals on a weekly basis. Conversion and direct hire fees are recognized when earned, upon 
conversion or direct hire of a contract professional to a client’s regular employee. In addition, the Company records a sales allowance against 
consolidated revenues, which is an estimate based on historical billing adjustment experience. The sales allowance is recorded as a reduction to 
revenues and an increase to the allowance for billing adjustments. The billing adjustment reserve includes an allowance for fallouts. Fallouts are 
direct hire and conversion fees that do not complete the contingency period. The contingency period is typically 90 days or less. The Company 
includes reimbursed expenses, including those related to travel and out-of-pocket expenses, in revenues and the associated amounts of reimbursable 
expenses in cost of services. 

The Company generally records revenue on a gross basis as a principal versus on a net basis as an agent in the consolidated statements of 

operations. The key indicators supporting the Company’s conclusion that it acts as a principal in substantially all of its transactions are that the 
Company (i) has the direct contractual relationships with its customers, (ii) bears the risks and rewards of the transactions, and (iii) has the discretion 
to select the contract professionals and establish their price. To the extent that the Company concludes that it does not act as the principal in the 
arrangement, revenues are recorded on a net basis. 

Income Taxes. Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the 

future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their 
respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which 
those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is 
recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than 
not that a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. 

 The Company makes a comprehensive review of its uncertain tax positions regularly. In this regard, an uncertain tax position represents the 

Company’s expected treatment of a tax position taken in a filed return, or planned to be taken in a future tax return or claim that has not been 
reflected in measuring income tax expense for financial reporting purposes. In general, until these positions are sustained by the taxing authorities or 
statutes expire for the year that the position was taken, the Company does not recognize the tax benefits resulting from such positions and reports the 
tax effects as a liability for uncertain tax positions in its consolidated balance sheets. 

Foreign Currency Translation. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign operations is their local currency, and as such, their assets 

and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rate of exchange in effect on the balance sheet date. Revenue and expenses are translated at the 
average rates of exchange prevailing during each monthly period. The related translation adjustments are recorded as cumulative foreign currency 
translation adjustments in accumulated other comprehensive income as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. Gains and losses resulting from 
foreign currency transactions, which are not material, are included in SG&A expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and 
Comprehensive Income (Loss). 

Cash and Cash Equivalents. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less on the date of 

purchase to be cash equivalents. 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts and Billing Adjustments. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts and an allowance for 
billing adjustments related to trade receivables based on an analysis of historical collection and billing adjustment experience. The Company applies 
actual historical collection and adjustment percentages to the outstanding accounts receivable balances at the end of the period. Impaired receivables, 
or portions thereof, are written-off when deemed uncollectible.  

Property and Equipment. Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation and amortization are provided using the straight-line 
method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, generally three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of 
the life of the related asset or the remaining term of the lease. Costs associated with customized internal-use software systems that have reached the 
application stage and meet recoverability tests are capitalized. Such capitalized costs include external direct costs utilized in developing or obtaining 
the applications and payroll and payroll-related expenses for employees who are directly associated with the applications. 

Goodwill and Identifiable Intangible Assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets having an indefinite useful life are not amortized for 
financial statement purposes. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis as of December 31, 
and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. 

Intangible assets with indefinite lives consist of trademarks. In order to test the trademarks for impairment, the Company determines the fair 

value of the trademarks and compares such amount to its carrying value. Intangible assets having finite lives are amortized over their useful lives and 
are reviewed to ensure that no conditions exist indicating the recorded amount is not recoverable from future undiscounted cash flows.  

37 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
Goodwill is tested for impairment using a two-step process that begins with an estimation of the fair value of a reporting unit, which is 
generally an operating segment or one level below the operating segment level, for which discrete financial information is available and reviewed by 
segment management. This first step is a screen for impairment and compares the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value. The second step 
measures the amount of impairment by comparing the implied fair value of the impacted reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying value of that 
goodwill.  The impairment loss is measured by the amount the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of goodwill. 

The Company performed the step one analyses for each reporting unit as of December 31, 2011 as this is the annual impairment test date. The 

Company noted no impairment for any of the reporting units as of December 31, 2011.  

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets. The Company evaluates long-lived assets, other than goodwill and identifiable intangible 
assets with indefinite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be 
recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when the sum of the undiscounted future cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, in 
which case a write-down is recorded to reduce the related asset to its estimated fair value.  

Workers’ Compensation and Medical Malpractice Loss Reserves. The Company partially self-insures its workers’ compensation liability and 

medical malpractice liability exposure. In connection with these programs, the Company pays a base premium plus actual losses incurred, not to 
exceed certain stop-loss limits. The Company is insured for losses above these limits, both per occurrence and in the aggregate. The self-insurance 
claim liability is determined based on claims filed and claims incurred but not reported. The Company accounts for claims incurred but not yet 
reported based on estimates derived from historical claims experience and current trends of industry data. Changes in estimates and differences in 
estimates and actual payments for claims are recognized in the period that the estimates changed or the payments were made. 

Contingencies. The Company records an estimated loss from a loss contingency when information available prior to issuance of its financial 

statements indicates it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements, and the 
amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Accounting for contingencies, such as legal settlements, workers’ compensation matters and medical 
malpractice insurance matters, requires the Company to use judgment.  

 Business Combinations. The purchase price of an acquisition is allocated to the underlying assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon 

their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. To the extent the purchase price exceeds the fair value of the net identifiable tangible and 
intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, such excess is allocated to goodwill. The Company determines the estimated fair values after 
review and consideration of relevant information including discounted cash flows, quoted market prices and estimates made by 
management. Accordingly, these can be affected by contract performance and other factors over time, which may cause final amounts to differ 
materially from original estimates. The Company adjusts the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, up to one year after the acquisition 
closing date if it obtains more information regarding asset valuations and liabilities assumed. 

 Goodwill acquired in business combinations is assigned to the reporting unit(s) expected to benefit from the combination as of the acquisition 

date. Acquisition related costs are recognized separately from the acquisition and are expensed as incurred. 

Stock-Based Compensation. The Company records compensation expense for restricted stock awards and stock units based on the fair market 
value of the awards on the date of grant. Market-based awards, which are based on achievement of targets indexed to the Company’s share price, are 
valued using a Monte Carlo simulation model. Compensation expense for performance-based awards is measured based on the amount of shares 
ultimately expected to vest, estimated at each reporting date based on management’s expectations regarding the relevant performance criteria. The 
Company accounts for stock options granted and ESPP shares based on an estimated fair market value using a Black-Scholes option valuation 
model. This methodology requires the use of subjective assumptions including expected stock price volatility and the estimated life of each 
award. The fair value of equity-based compensation awards less the estimated forfeitures is amortized over the vesting period of the award. 

Concentration of Credit Risk. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risks consist primarily of cash, cash 
equivalents and trade receivables. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents in low risk investments with quality credit institutions and limits 
the amount of credit exposure with any single institution above FDIC insured limits. For the Life Sciences, Physician, IT and Engineering segments, 
and the Nurse Travel and the Allied Healthcare lines of businesses, concentration of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable is limited because 
of the large number of geographically dispersed customers, thus spreading the trade credit risk. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations to 
identify risks and maintains an allowance to address these risks. 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments. The recorded values of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued 
expenses approximate their fair value based on their short-term nature. Long-term debt recorded in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets at 
December 31, 2011 was $86.8 million. The fair value of the long-term debt, based on Level 2 inputs including the yields of comparable companies 
with similar credit characteristics, was $86.0 million. The fair value of the interest rate swap is based upon market interest rates, using a discounted 
cash flow model and an adjustment for counterparty risk. See Note 13 for further information. 

Derivative Instruments. The Company utilizes derivative financial instruments to manage interest rate risk. The Company does not use 

derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes, nor does it use leveraged financial instruments. 

Advertising Costs. Advertising costs, which are expensed as incurred, were $3.2 million in 2011, $3.1 million in 2010, and $3.5 million in 

2009. 

Accounting Standards Updates. In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued FASB Accounting Standards 

Update (ASU) No. 2011-11, Balance Sheet (Topic 210)—Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. ASU 2011-11 requires an entity to 
disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of its financial statements to understand the effect of those 
arrangements on its financial position. Entities are required to disclose both gross and net information about these instruments. ASU 2011-11 is 
effective for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. The adoption of this 

38 

 
 
  
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
ASU is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial statements. 

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-08, Testing Goodwill for Impairment (Topic 350) — Intangibles—Goodwill and Other 

(ASU 2011-08), to allow entities to use a qualitative approach to test goodwill for impairment. ASU 2011-08 permits an entity to first perform a 
qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If so, it is 
necessary to perform the currently prescribed two-step goodwill impairment test. Otherwise, the two step goodwill impairment test is not required. 
ASU 2011-08 is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 and earlier adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU 2011-08 will not 
have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.  

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) — Comprehensive Income (ASU 2011-05), to 
require an entity to present the total of comprehensive income, the components of net income, and the components of other comprehensive income either in a 
single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. ASU 2011-05 eliminates the option to present the 
components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of equity. ASU 2011-05 is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 
and should be applied retrospectively. In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-12, Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the 
Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05, which 
defers certain aspects of ASU 2011-05 related to the presentation of reclassification adjustments. The adoption of ASU 2011-05 will not have an 
impact on the consolidated financial statements. 

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements 

in U.S.GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (Topic 820) — Fair Value Measurement (ASU 2011-04), to provide a consistent 
definition of fair value and ensure that the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements are similar between U.S. Generally Accepted 
Accounting Principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. ASU 2011-04 changes certain fair value measurement principles and 
enhances the disclosure requirements particularly for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU 2011-04 is effective for the Company in the first quarter 
of fiscal 2012 and should be applied prospectively. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 will result in expanded fair value disclosures. 

2. Property and Equipment. 

Property and equipment at December 31, 2011 and 2010 consisted of the following (in thousands): 

Furniture and fixtures 

Computers and related equipment 

Computer software 

Machinery and equipment 

Leasehold improvements 

Work-in-progress 

2011 

2010 

$      4,304         

$       3,551  

5,414 

27,306 

1,472 

4,633 

4,751 

47,880 

4,950 

24,649 

1,062 

3,463 

4,412 

42,087 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization 

(29,823) 

    (26,269) 

Total 

 $    18,057       

$     15,818  

Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was $6.5 million in 2011, $5.9 million in 2010 and $5.7 million in 

2009. 

The Company has capitalized costs related to its various technology initiatives. The net book value of the property and equipment related to 

software development was $8.5 million as of December 31, 2011 and $7.9 million as of December 31, 2010, which includes work-in-progress of $3.9 
million and $3.0 million, respectively. 

3. Acquisitions. 

On April 16, 2010, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of The Cambridge Group Ltd. and Cambridge Contract Staffing 
Group, Inc. (Cambridge), a Connecticut-based privately-held provider of specialized staffing services. The primary reasons for the Cambridge 
acquisition were to expand our Life Sciences, IT and Engineering, and Physician business operations and to leverage the Company’s infrastructure. 
The purchase price totaled $7.6 million, comprised of $5.3 million in cash paid at closing, plus potential future earn-out consideration of up to $2.3 
million. Acquisition costs of $0.1 million related to the purchase were expensed in 2010. Goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The results of 
operations for the acquisition have been combined with those of the Company since the acquisition date. Cambridge’s revenues and net income 
included in the Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2010 were $7.3 million and $186,000, respectively. 

On July 19, 2010, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of Sharpstream Holdings Limited (Sharpstream), a privately-owned 

provider of search services for executives to middle managers in the life sciences sector. The primary reasons for the Sharpstream acquisition were to 
expand our Life Sciences business operations, further expand our global presence and to leverage the Company’s infrastructure. The purchase price 
totaled $8.6 million, comprised of $7.2 million in cash paid at closing, plus potential future earn-out consideration of up to $1.4 million. Acquisition 
costs of $0.1 million related to the purchase were expensed in 2010. Goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations for the 
acquisition have been combined with those of the Company since the acquisition date. Sharpstream’s revenues and net income included in the 
Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2010 were $2.6 million and $500,000, respectively. 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
On February 28, 2011, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of Valesta, a privately-owned provider of specialized clinical 
research staffing headquartered in Belgium. The primary reasons for the acquisition were to expand the Life Sciences business operations and to 
leverage the Company’s infrastructure. The purchase price for Valesta totaled $23.7 million comprised of $16.8 million in cash paid at closing, plus 
potential future earn-out consideration of $6.9 million (the maximum earn-out is capped at a Euro value of 5.0 million or approximately $6.5 million 
at December 31, 2011 exchange rates) based on estimated financial performance of Valesta through 2013. Acquisition costs related to this transaction 
totaled approximately $0.4 million and were expensed in 2011. Goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations for the 
acquisition have been combined with those of the Company since the acquisition date. Valesta’s revenues and net income included in the Statement 
of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 were $20.4 million and $744,000, respectively. 

On July 31, 2011, the Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of HealthCare Partners (HCP), a privately-owned provider of physician 

staffing headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The primary reasons for the acquisition were to expand the Physician segment business operations 
geographic coverage and to leverage the Company’s infrastructure. The estimated purchase price for HCP was approximately $19.1 million 
comprised of $15.7 million in cash paid at closing, plus potential future earn-out consideration of $3.4 million (the maximum earn-out is capped at 
$3.7 million) based on estimated financial performance of HCP through 2013. Acquisition costs related to this transaction totaled approximately 
$57,000 and were expensed in 2011. Goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. The results of operations for the acquisition have been combined with 
those of the Company since the acquisition date. HCP’s revenues and net income included in the Statement of Operations for the year ended 
December 31, 2011 were $11.2 million and $116,000, respectively. 

Assets and liabilities of the acquired companies have been recorded at their estimated fair values at the dates of acquisition. The excess 
purchase price over the fair value of net tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets acquired has been allocated to goodwill. The fair value 
assigned to identifiable intangible assets was determined primarily by using a discounted cash flow method. The Company intends to discontinue the 
use of the HCP tradename during 2012. The Company’s allocation of the purchase price for HCP and Valesta is preliminary, as the amounts related 
to working capital and income taxes are still being finalized. Any measurement period adjustments will be recorded retrospectively to the acquisition 
date.  

The fair value of earn-out obligations is based on the present value of the expected future payments to be made to the sellers of the acquired 
businesses in accordance with the respective purchase agreements. See Note 13 for further information regarding the fair value of earn-outs and the 
level 3 rollforward disclosure. 

The following table summarizes (in thousands) the purchase price allocation, subject to finalization during the allocation period, of the 

purchase price for the acquisitions of Cambridge, Sharpstream, HCP and Valesta: 

2011 Acquisitions 

2010 Acquisitions 

HCP 

Valesta 

Total 

Cambridge 

Sharpstream 

Total 

Current assets 

 $           3,941  

 $           6,332  

 $         10,273  

 $           1,472  

 $           3,437  

 $          4,909  

Property and equipment 

Goodwill 

Identifiable intangible assets 

123 

14,407 

1,784 

Long-term deposits 

                    13  

299 

16,097 

5,679 

26 

422 

                     - 

                     - 

                     - 

30,504 

7,463 

6,591 

746 

39 

                    32  

5,714 

1,015 

18 

12,305 

1,761 

50 

Total assets acquired 

 $         20,268  

 $         28,433  

 $         48,701  

 $           8,841  

 $         10,184  

 $        19,025  

Current liabilities 

 $           1,070  

 $           4,774  

 $           5,844  

 $              731  

 $           1,175  

 $          1,906  

Other long-term liabilities 

                  49  

                     -  

                  49  

                  525  

                  383  

                908  

Total liabilities assumed 

               1,119  

4,774 

5,893 

               1,256  

1,558 

2,814 

Total purchase price 

 $         19,149  

 $         23,659  

 $         42,808  

 $           7,585  

 $           8,626  

 $        16,211  

40 

 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Intangible assets allocated in connection with the preliminary purchase allocation, subject to finalization during the measurement period as 

necessary, consisted of the following amounts (in thousands): 

Contractor relations 

Customer relations 

Useful Life 

2 – 3 years 

2 - 10 years 

Non-compete agreements 

2 years 

Trademarks 
Total intangible assets 

acquired 

Intangible Asset Value 

2011 Acquisitions 

2010 Acquisitions 

HCP 

  Valesta 

Total 

  Cambridge 

  Sharpstream 

Total 

 $       814  

 $    266  

 $ 1,080  

$           550 

$           530 

 $        1,080  

indefinite 

                -  

950 

20 

2,395 

440 

2,578 

3,345 

460 

96 

100 

5 

30 

                101    

                130    

2,578 

                -  

 450 

               450    

 $    1,784  

 $5,679  

 $7,463  

 $         746  

 $        1,015  

 $         1,761  

The summary below (in thousands, except for per share data) presents pro forma consolidated results of operations for the years ended 

December 31, 2011 and 2010 as if the acquisitions of HCP and Valesta occurred on January 1, 2010. The acquisitions in 2010 and 2009 were not 
material to the Company, therefore pro-forma information related to these acquisitions has not been presented. The pro forma financial information 
gives effect to certain adjustments, including: the amortization of intangible assets and interest expense on acquisition-related debt and changes in the 
management fees as a result of the acquisition. Acquisition-related costs of $0.4 million and $57,000, which were expensed in the three months ended 
March 31, 2011 and the three months ended September 30, 2011, respectively, are assumed to have occurred in 2010. The pro-forma financial 
information is not necessarily indicative of the operating results that would have occurred if the acquisition had been consummated as of the date 
indicated, nor are they necessarily indicative of future operating results.  

Revenues 

Operating income 

Net income 

Basic earnings per share 

Diluted earnings per share 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

 $           614,383  

 $           478,356  

 $             45,584  

 $               3,872  

 $             24,785  

 $              (9,789) 

 $                 0.67  

 $               (0.27) 

 $                 0.66  

 $               (0.27) 

Weighted average number of shares outstanding 

Weighted average number of shares and dilutive shares outstanding 

36,876 

37,758 

36,429 

36,429 

4. Long-Term Debt. 

Long-term debt at December 31, 2011 and 2010 consisted of the following (in thousands): 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

Senior Secured Debt: 

$75 million revolving credit facility, due December 2015 

 $                            43,000  

 $                            18,000  

$50 million term loan facility, due December 2015 

43,750 

48,750 

Total 

$                           86,750 

 $                            66,750  

On December 3, 2010, the Company replaced its $145 million term loan facility (the Old Term Loan Facility) with a new senior secured 

credit agreement (the New Term Loan Facilities), which consists of a $50.0 million, five-year term loan facility, a $75.0 million, five-year revolving 
loan facility and a $10.0 million sublimit for letters of credit, as well as the ability to increase the loan facilities for up to an additional $50.0 million, 
subject to receipt of lender commitments and satisfaction of specified conditions. In connection with the extinguishment of the Old Term Loan 
Facility, the Company expensed and included in interest expense in 2010 the unamortized capitalized loan costs of $2.8 million of that facility.  

Borrowings under the new credit agreement bear interest through maturity at a variable rate based upon, at the Company’s option, either the 

Eurodollar rate or the base rate (which is the highest of the administrative agent’s prime rate, one-half of 1.0 percent in excess of the overnight 
federal funds rate, and 1.0 percent in excess of the one-month Eurodollar rate), plus in each case, an applicable margin. The applicable margin for 
Eurodollar rate loans ranges, based on the applicable leverage ratio, from 2.0 percent to 3.25 percent per annum and the applicable margin for base 
rate loans ranges, based on the applicable leverage ratio, from 1.0 percent to 2.25 percent per annum. The Company is required to pay a commitment 
fee equal to 0.5 percent per annum on the undrawn portion available under the revolving loan facility if its leverage ratio is less than 3.0:1.0 and a 
commitment fee equal to 0.625 percent per annum if its leverage ratio is equal to or greater than 3.0:1.0. Additionally, the Company is required to 
pay variable per annum fees equal to the applicable margin for Eurodollar rate loans in respect of outstanding letters of credit. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
  
The Company made principal reducing payments to the New Term Loan Facilities of $20.5 million and $1.3 million for the years ended 

December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The Company made principal reducing payments related to the Old Term Loan Facility of $77.9 million 
for the year ended December 31, 2010. During the five years after the closing date, the Company is required to make quarterly amortization payments 
on the term loan facility in the amount of $1.3 million. The Company is required to make mandatory prepayments of loans under the new credit 
agreement, subject to specified exceptions, from excess cash flow, and with the proceeds of asset sales, debt issuances and specified other events.  

The Company’s obligations under the New Term Loan Facilities are guaranteed by substantially all of its direct and indirect domestic 
subsidiaries, which are secured by a lien on substantially all of the Company’s tangible and intangible property, and by a pledge of all of the shares of 
stock, partnership interests and limited liability company interests of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries. 

In addition to other covenants, the New Term Loan Facilities place limits on the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ ability to incur liens, incur 

additional indebtedness, make loans and investments, engage in mergers and acquisitions, engage in asset sales, declare dividends or redeem or 
repurchase capital stock, alter the business conducted by the Company and its subsidiaries, transact with affiliates, make capital expenditures, prepay, 
redeem or purchase subordinated debt and amend or otherwise alter debt agreements. 

The New Term Loan Facilities contain financial covenants requiring the Company to (i) maintain a maximum ratio of consolidated funded 
debt to consolidated EBITDA of 3.0 to 1.0, with a one-time election, upon notice to the administrative agent, to temporarily increase the maximum 
ratio to 3.25 to 1.0; (ii) maintain a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of consolidated EBITDA to consolidated interest charges of 
1.25 to 1.0 as of the end of any fiscal quarter of the Company ending on or before March 31, 2011 and 1.5 to 1.0 as of the end of any fiscal quarter 
ending on or after June 30, 2011; and (iii) to limit its operating lease payments to not more than $10.0 million in 2010 and 2011, $10.5 million in 
2012, $11.0 million in 2013, $11.5 million in 2014 and $12.0 million in any fiscal year thereafter. A failure to comply with these covenants could 
permit the lenders under the new credit agreement to declare all amounts borrowed under the new credit agreement, together with accrued interest 
and fees, to be immediately due and payable. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010 the Company was in compliance with all of its financial covenants, 
including minimum quarterly principal payment requirements.  

5. Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets. 

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 are as follows (in thousands): 

Balance as of January 1, 2010 

Gross goodwill 
Accumulated impairment loss 

Cambridge acquisition (see Note 3) 
Sharpstream acquisition (see Note 3)  
Goodwill impairment 

Balance as of December 31, 2010 

Gross goodwill 
Accumulated impairment loss 

Valesta acquisition (see Note 3) 
HCP acquisition (see Note 3) 
Translation adjustment 

Balance as of December 31, 2011 

Gross goodwill 
Accumulated impairment loss 

Life Sciences 

Healthcare 

Physician 

IT and 
Engineering 

Total 

 $            1,197  

- 

               1,197  
               5,650  
               5,714  

 $        122,230  
        (106,318) 
             15,912  

   - 
 - 

     - 

          (15,399) 

             12,561  

     - 

             12,561  
             16,097  

   - 

               (990)   

           122,230  
        (121,717) 
                  513  

   - 
  - 
      - 

 $          37,163  
                    -  
             37,163  
                  - 
                     - 
                      - 

             37,163  
                      -  
             37,163  
                      - 
             14,407  
- 

 $        148,542  
                      -  
           148,542  
                  941  
                      - 
                      - 

           149,483  
                      -  
           149,483  
                      - 
                      - 
                      - 

 $        309,132  
        (106,318) 
           202,814  
               6,591  
               5,714  
          (15,399) 

           321,437  
        (121,717) 
           199,720  
             16,097  
             14,407  
               (990) 

             27,668  

   - 

 $          27,668  

           122,230  
        (121,717) 
 $               513  

             51,570  
                     -  
 $          51,570  

           149,483  
                      -  
 $        149,483  

           350,951 
        (121,717) 
 $        229,234  

The goodwill impairment charge in 2010 related to the Nurse Travel reporting unit.   

42 

 
 
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
As of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company had the following acquired intangible assets (in thousands): 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

Estimated 
Useful Life 

Gross 
Carrying 
Amount 

Accumulated 
Amortization 

Net 
Carrying 
Amount 

Gross 
Carrying 
Amount 

Accumulated 
Amortization 

Net 
Carrying 
Amount 

Subject to amortization: 

Customer relations 
Contractor relations 
Non-compete 
agreements 
In-use software 

3 months - 
10 years 
3 - 7 years 

2 - 3 years 
2 years 

Not subject to amortization: 

Trademarks 
Goodwill 

Total 

$   11,077 
27,276 

 $      7,891  
25,599 

 $     3,186 
1,677 

 $     7,740  
26,111 

 $     6,830  
24,600 

 $        910  
1,511 

899 
500 
39,752 

604 
500 
34,594 

295 
— 
5,158 

470 
500 
34,821 

371 
500 
32,301 

99 
— 
2,520 

25,048 
229,234 
 $ 294,034  

— 
— 
 $    34,594  

25,048 
229,234 
 $ 259,440  

22,650 
199,720 
 $ 257,191  

— 
— 
 $    32,301  

22,650 
199,720 
$ 224,890  

Identifiable intangible assets are amortized on an accelerated or straight-line basis over their respective useful lives depending on the 

intangible asset. Amortization expense for intangible assets with finite lives was $2.3 million, $2.1 million, and $6.1 million for the years ended 
December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Estimated amortization for each of the next five fiscal years and thereafter are as follows (in thousands): 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

Thereafter 

 $          2,315  

1,425 

469 

227 

194 

528 

 $           5,158  

Goodwill and other intangible assets having indefinite useful lives are not amortized for financial statement purposes. Goodwill and 

intangible assets with indefinite lives are reviewed for impairment on an annual basis as of December 31, and whenever events or changes in 
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. 

6. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, Deferred Compensation Plan and Change in Control Severance Plan. 

 Under the Company’s 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan, which covers eligible employees of On Assignment and its wholly-owned 
subsidiaries, Assignment Ready Inc., On Assignment Staffing Services, Inc., VISTA, and Oxford, eligible employees may elect to have a portion of 
their salary deferred and contributed to the plans. The amount of salary deferred, up to certain limits set by the IRS, is not subject to federal and state 
income tax at the time of deferral, but together with any earnings on deferred amounts, is subject to taxation upon distribution. The plan covers all 
eligible employees and permits matching or other discretionary contributions at the Company’s discretion. Eligible employees may enroll once they 
complete three months of service prior to the next quarterly offering. The Company pledged to make contributions to the 401(k) plan of $1.1 million 
in 2011 and made contributions of $0.4 million and $0 in 2010 and 2009, respectively. 

Effective January 1, 1998, the Company implemented the On Assignment, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan. The plan permits a select group 
of management and highly compensated employees and directors that contribute materially to the continued growth, development and future business 
success of the Company to annually elect to defer up to 100 percent of their base salary, annual bonus, stock option gain or fees on a pre-tax basis 
and earn tax-deferred returns on these amounts. On September 4, 2008, effective as of January 1, 2008, the Company amended the On Assignment 
Deferred Compensation Plan so that it applies to deferrals made before January 1, 2005 only (hereinafter referred to as the 1998 Deferred 
Compensation Plan) and, also effective January 1, 2008, adopted a new plan, called the On Assignment Deferred Compensation Plan – Effective 
January 1, 2008, applicable to deferrals made on or after January 1, 2005 (referred to herein as the 2008 Deferred Compensation Plan). On April 20, 
2011, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized and directed the termination of the 1998 Deferred Compensation Plan and the 2008 Deferred 
Compensation Plan (collectively referred to as the Plans), effective May 2, 2011. Pursuant to the terms of the Plans, the Company may terminate at 
any time and immediately distribute the accrued account balances held in the Plans in accordance with the provisions of the Plans and applicable law 
including, but not limited to, Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. The Board of Directors believes termination of the Plans is in the best 
interest of the Company due to low participation and the cost of maintaining the Plans. The Company does not incur any costs or penalties in 
connection with termination of the Plans. The plans were not intended to be “qualified” within the meaning of IRS Code Section 401(a), rather, the 
plans were “unfunded and maintained by an employer primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation for a select group of 
management or highly compensated employees” within the meaning of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended 
(ERISA), Sections 201(2), 301(a)(3) and 401(a)(1).  

43 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
 
Distributions from the 1998 Deferred Compensation Plan are commenced within 60 days after the participant’s retirement, death or 

termination of employment, in a lump sum, or over five, ten or fifteen years, except that payments made upon termination (other than due to death or 
retirement), are paid in a lump sum if the participant’s account balance at the time of termination is less than $25,000. Furthermore, if the Company 
determines in good faith prior to a change in control that there is a reasonable likelihood that any compensation paid to a participant for a taxable year 
of the Company would not be deductible by the Company solely by reason of the limitation under IRS Code Section 162(m), (Section 162(m)) then 
the Company may defer all or any portion of a distribution until the earliest possible date, as determined by the Company in good faith, on which the 
deductibility of compensation paid or payable to the participant for the taxable year of the Company during which the distribution is made will not be 
limited by Section 162(m), or if earlier, the effective date of a change in control. 

Distributions from the 2008 Deferred Compensation Plan are commenced within 60 days following the participant’s termination of 
employment, in a lump sum or in annual installments of up to fifteen years, except that if the participant’s account balance is less than the applicable 
dollar amount specified in IRS Code Section 402(g)(1)(B), in effect for the year in which the distribution is to occur, payment shall be made in a 
lump sum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in compliance with certain requirements of IRS Code Section 409A, plan distributions to “specified 
employees” will commence the first day after the end of the six month period immediately following the date on which the participant experiences a 
termination of employment. Furthermore, if the Company reasonably anticipates that the Company’s deduction with respect to any distribution from 
the 2008 Deferred Compensation Plan would be limited or eliminated by application of Section 162(m), then to the extent permitted by applicable 
treasury regulations, payment shall be delayed until the earliest date the Company reasonably anticipates that the deduction of the payment will not 
be limited or eliminated by application of Section 162(m). 

The deferred compensation liability under the deferred compensation plans was approximately $1.9 million and $2.2 million at December 31, 
2011 and 2010, respectively. Life insurance policies are maintained as a funding source to the plans, under which the Company is the sole owner and 
beneficiary of such insurance. At December 31, 2011, the cash surrender value of these life insurance policies was $2.1 million, reflected in other 
current assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. At December 31, 2010, the cash surrender value of these life insurance policies was 
$2.3 million, reflected in other long-term assets in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company intends to terminate the life 
insurance policies in 2012.  

The Company adopted the On Assignment, Inc. Change in Control Severance Plan (the CIC Plan) to provide severance benefits for officers 

and certain other employees who are terminated following an acquisition of the Company. This CIC Plan was adopted on February 12, 1998 and 
amended on August 8, 2004, January 23, 2007, May 21, 2009, December 10, 2009 and May 20, 2010. Under the CIC Plan, if an eligible employee is 
involuntarily terminated within eighteen months after a change in control, as defined in the CIC Plan, then the employee will be entitled to (i) a 
payment equal to the employee’s annual salary plus the employee’s target bonus, payable in a lump sum, and (ii) a lump sum payment representing 
the cost of continuation of health and welfare benefits, under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) for periods of 
time ranging from nine months to eighteen months, for employees with titles of vice president or higher. Severance benefits under the plan range 
from one month to eighteen months of salary and target bonus, depending on the employee’s length of service and position with the Company. 

The Company entered into an Amended and Restated Executive Change of Control Agreements with the Chief Executive Officer and the 
Chief Financial Officer on December 11, 2008, primarily for the purpose of causing their existing agreements to meet the requirements of Code 
Section 409A. These agreements supersede the CIC Plan with respect to these officers and provide, in the event of an involuntary termination 
occurring within six months and ten days following a change of control of the Company, for the following benefits (i) a lump-sum payment equal to 
three times (for the Chief Executive Officer’s salary plus target bonus) or two and a half times (for the Chief Financial Officer) the sum of the 
officer’s base salary plus target bonus, (ii) eighteen months continuation of the officer’s health and welfare benefits and car allowance, (subject to 
limitations in connection with subsequent employment), (iii) cash payments equal to insurance premiums and retirement and deferred compensation 
contributions that the Company would have paid (in each case, if any), over a period of eighteen months following termination, and (iv) payment of 
up to $15,000 of the cost of outplacement services. Additionally, under the arrangements, immediately prior to a change of control, all outstanding 
Company stock options, restricted stock and stock units held by the officer will become fully vested (and, in the case of options, remain exercisable 
for an extended period), subject, in the case of certain performance-vesting awards, to any express limitations contained in the officer’s employment 
or other governing agreement. In addition, the agreements entitle the executives to tax gross-up payments in the event that any payments to the 
executives are subject to “golden parachute” excise taxes under IRS Code Section 280G. 

7. Commitments and Contingencies. 

The Company leases its facilities and certain office equipment under operating leases, which expire at various dates through 2021. Certain 

leases contain rent escalations and/or renewal options. Rent expense for all significant leases is recognized on a straight-line basis. At December 31, 
2011 and 2010, the balance of the deferred rent liability reflected in other current liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets was 
$0.3 million and $0.2 million, respectively and the balance reflected in other long-term liabilities was $2.1 million and $0.6 million, respectively. 

The following is a summary of specified contractual cash obligation payments by the Company as of December 31, 2011 (in thousands): 

2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 
2016 
Thereafter 

Total 

Long-Term Debt 

$ 

$ 

5,000   
5,000   
5,000   
71,750   
―   
―   
86,750   

  $ 

   Operating Leases 
  $ 

7,028   
6,079   
5,558   
4,955   
3,203   
5,954   
32,777   

Total 

12,028 
11,079 
10,558 
76,705 
3,203 
5,954 
119,527 

  $ 

  $ 

Rent expense, which is included in SG&A expenses, was $8.6 million for 2011, $8.4 million for 2010, and $8.2 million for 2009. 

44 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
As discussed in Note 1, the Company is partially self-insured for its workers’ compensation liability and its medical malpractice liability. The 

Company accounts for claims incurred but not yet reported based on estimates derived from historical claims experience and current trends of 
industry data. Changes in estimates, differences in estimates and actual payments for claims are recognized in the period that the estimates changed 
or the payments were made. The self-insurance claim liability was approximately $10.4 million and $10.2 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, 
respectively. Additionally, the Company has unused stand-by letters of credit outstanding to secure obligations for workers’ compensation claims 
with various insurance carriers. The unused stand-by letters of credit at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 were $2.4 million and $2.8 
million, respectively. 

The Company is subject to earn-out obligations entered into in connection with its acquisitions. If the acquired businesses meet predetermined 

targets, the Company is obligated to make additional cash payments in accordance with the terms of such earn-out obligations. As of December 31, 
2011, the Company has potential future earn-out obligations of approximately $10.2 million through 2013. 

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company has an income tax reserve in other long-term liabilities related to uncertain tax positions of 

$0.3 million. 

Legal Proceedings 

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. However, based on the 

facts currently available, the Company does not believe that the disposition of matters that are pending or asserted will have a material effect on its 
consolidated financial statements. 

8. Income Taxes. 

The provision for income taxes consists of the following (in thousands): 

2011 

Year Ended December 31, 
2010 

2009 

Current: 

Federal 
State 
Foreign 

Deferred: 
Federal 
State 
Foreign 

Change in Valuation Allowance 

$ 

  $ 

9,814  
1,447  
1,465  
12,726  

3,759  
488  
(261 ) 
3,986  

454  

  $ 

1,748   
522   
412   
2,682   

2,271   
-   
(212 ) 
2,059   

215   

Total 

$ 

17,166  

  $ 

4,956   

  $ 

Income (loss) before provision for income taxes consists of the following (in thousands): 

(736 ) 
75   
452   
(209 ) 

3,852   
427   
(98 ) 
4,181   

106   

4,078   

2011 

Year Ended December 31, 
2010 

2009 

United States 
Foreign 

$ 

$ 

37,405  
4,058  
41,463  

  $ 

  $ 

(6,071 ) 
1,130   
(4,941 ) 

  $ 

  $ 

7,602 
1,183 
8,785 

45 

 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
  
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
    
  
  
  
    
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
    
    
  
  
 The components of deferred tax assets (liabilities) are as follows (in thousands): 

Deferred income tax assets (liabilities): 
Current: 

Allowance for doubtful accounts 
Employee related accruals 
State taxes 
Workers’ compensation loss reserve 
Medical malpractice loss reserve 
Net operating loss carry-forwards 
Prepaid insurance 
Other 

Total current deferred income tax assets 

Non-current: 

Net operating loss carry-forwards 
Stock-based compensation 
Purchased intangibles 
Depreciation and amortization expense 
Employee related accruals 
Other 

Total non-current deferred income tax 

liabilities 

December 31, 2011 

Federal 

State 

December 31, 2010 

Federal 

State 

$ 

   $ 

909  
2,690  
534  
671  
3,274  
—  
(297 ) 
803  
8,584  

—  
3,243  
(14,180 ) 
(3,574 ) 
—  
661  

(13,850 ) 

98  
233  
—  
325  
7  
52  
(22 ) 
(6 ) 
687  

384  
185  
(1,379 ) 
(293 ) 
—  
97  

(1,006 ) 

$ 

   $ 

698   
3,114   
178   
615   
2,990   
—   
(281 ) 
749   
8,063   

—   
2,244   
(9,294 ) 
(2,778 ) 
(72 ) 
108   

(9,792 ) 

73   
246   
—   
69   
236   
75   
(21 ) 
43   
721   

578   
133   
(822 ) 
(265 ) 
(9 ) 
21   

(364 ) 

Total deferred income tax assets (liabilities)    

$ 

(5,266 ) 

   $ 

(319 ) 

$ 

(1,729 ) 

   $ 

357   

The reconciliation between the amount computed by applying the U.S. federal statutory tax rate of 35.0 percent for 2011 and 34.0 percent for 

2010 and 2009 to income before income taxes and the income tax provision is as follows (in thousands): 

Income tax provision at the statutory rate 
State income taxes, net of federal benefit 
Impairment of goodwill 
Permanent difference – (gain)/loss on cash surrender value of life 

   $ 

insurance 

Permanent difference – non deductible items 
Permanent difference – settlement of earn-out 
Valuation allowance 
Income tax contingency 
Return to provision adjustment 
Foreign tax rate differential 
Other 
Total 

   $ 

2011 

Year Ended December 31, 
2010 

2009 

14,512  
1,527  
—  

13  
1,263  
(445 ) 
454  
(91 ) 
—  
(222 ) 
155  
17,166  

$ 

$ 

(1,680 ) 
460   
5,236   

(72 ) 
901   
—   
215   
(16 ) 
—   
(181 ) 
93   
4,956   

$ 

$ 

3,075   
471   
—   

(178 ) 
614   
—   
106   
(232 ) 
280   
46   
(104 ) 
4,078   

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had no federal net operating losses and total combined state net operating losses of $9.3 million. The 

state net operating losses can be carried forward up to 20 years and begin expiring in 2013. The Company has recorded a valuation allowance of 
approximately $0.7 million and $0.2 million at December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, related to state and foreign net operating 
loss carryforwards and credits.  

At December 31, 2011, the Company had accumulated net foreign earnings of $10.7 million. The Company intends to reinvest the 

undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries and, therefore, no U.S. income tax has been provided on the foreign earnings. The determination of 
additional deferred taxes that have not been provided is not practicable.  

The Company had gross deferred tax assets of $14.4 million and $12.7 million and gross deferred tax liabilities of $19.9 million and $10.3 

million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Foreign deferred tax assets and liabilities were not material as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. 

The Company receives a tax deduction for stock-based awards upon exercise of a non-qualified stock option or as the result of disqualifying 

dispositions made by directors, officers and employees. A disqualifying disposition occurs when stock acquired through the exercise of incentive 
stock options or the Employee Stock Purchase Plan is disposed of prior to the required holding period. The Company also receives a tax deduction 
upon the vesting of restricted stock units or restricted stock awards. The Company received tax deductions of $7.5 million and $3.8 million, 
respectively, from stock-based awards in 2011 and 2010. 

As of December 31, 2011, the estimated value of the Company’s uncertain tax positions is a liability of $0.2 million, which includes penalties 

and interest, all of which was carried in other long-term liabilities. If the Company’s positions are sustained by the taxing authority in favor of the 

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Company, the entire $0.2 million would reduce the Company’s effective tax rate. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to 
uncertain tax positions in income tax expense. 

The following is a reconciliation of the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands): 

Unrecognized Tax Benefit beginning of year 
Gross Decreases - tax positions in prior year 
Reductions for tax positions as a result of a lapse of the applicable statute of 

limitations 

Unrecognized Tax Benefit end of year 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

  $ 

  $ 

358      $ 
—        

(107 )      
  $ 
251  

  $ 

397   
(39 ) 

—   
358   

  $ 

812   
—   

  (415 ) 
397   

During 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized ($5,000), $5,000 and $8,000, respectively, in interest on unrecognized tax benefits. 

Accruals for interest and penalties totaled $43,000 at December 31, 2011 and $61,000 at December 31, 2010. 

The Company believes that there will be no significant increases or decreases to unrecognized tax benefits within the next twelve months. 

The Company is subject to taxation in the United States and various states and foreign jurisdictions. The IRS has examined and concluded all 

tax matters for years through 2006.The IRS has commenced an examination of the Company’s U.S. income tax returns for the 2009 tax year. Open 
tax years related to federal, state and foreign jurisdictions remain subject to examination but are not considered material. 

9. Earnings per Share. 

Basic earnings per share are computed based upon the weighted average number of shares outstanding and diluted earnings per share are 
computed based upon the weighted average number of shares and dilutive share equivalents (consisting of incentive stock options, non-qualified 
stock options, restricted stock units, restricted stock awards and employee stock purchase plan contributions) outstanding during the periods using the 
treasury stock method. 

The following is a reconciliation of the shares used to compute basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands): 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

Weighted average number of common shares 

          36,876  

              36,429  

              36,011 

Dilutive effect of stock-based awards 

882                  

                    -      

                   324  

Number of shares used to compute diluted earnings per share 

37,758 

36,429 

36,335 

The following table presents the weighted average share equivalents outstanding during each period that were excluded from the computation 

of diluted earnings per share because the exercise price for these options was greater than the average market price of the Company’s shares of 
common stock during the respective periods. Also excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share were other share equivalents that 
became anti-dilutive when applying the treasury stock method. 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

Anti-dilutive common share equivalents outstanding 

1,039 

1,339 

2,660 

10. Stock-based Compensation: Incentive Award Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan. 

The Company believes that stock-based compensation better aligns the interests of its employees and directors with those of its shareholders 
versus exclusively providing cash-based compensation. Stock-based compensation provides incentives to retain and motivate executive officers and 
key employees responsible for driving Company performance and maintaining important relationships that contribute to the growth of the Company. 

Compensation expense charged to operations related to stock-based compensation was $6.9 million, $7.7 million, and $5.0 million for each of 

the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, and is included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive 
Income (Loss) in selling, general and administrative expenses. The Company has recognized an income tax benefit of $2.5 million, $2.9 million, and 
$1.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively in the consolidated statements of operations for stock-based 
compensation arrangements. 

Effective June 3, 2010, the shareholders approved the adoption of the On Assignment, Inc. 2010 Incentive Award Plan (the 2010 Plan), which 

replaced the Company’s Restated 1987 Stock Option Plan. The 2010 Plan permits the grant of stock options, including incentive stock options, 
nonqualified stock options, restricted stock awards (RSAs), dividend equivalent rights, stock payments, deferred stock, restricted stock units (RSUs), 
performance shares and other incentive awards, stock appreciation rights and cash awards to its employees, directors and consultants for up to 
2,184,983 shares of common stock, which included the 884,983 shares that remained available for issuance under the 1987 Plan as of June 3, 2010. 
The 2010 Plan allows for stock option awards to be granted with an exercise price equal to the closing market price of the Company’s stock at the 

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date of grant. Stock option awards generally vest over four years of continuous service with the Company and generally have ten-year contractual 
terms. RSUs and RSAs generally vest over a three year continuous service period, though individual award vesting terms vary within these 
parameters. Certain stock option awards and RSUs and RSAs provide for accelerated vesting in the event of a change in control (see Note 6). Options 
or awards that are cancelled or forfeited are added back to the pool of shares available for issuance under the 2010 Plan. As of December 31, 2011, 
there were 1,606,921 shares available for issuance under the 2010 Plan. 

The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option valuation model that incorporates 
assumptions disclosed in the table below. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of the underlying stock for a period consistent with the 
expected lives of the stock options as the Company believes this is a reasonable representation of future volatility. Additionally, the Company 
analyzes historical stock option exercise behavior and vesting patterns for RSUs and RSAs in order to estimate employee turnover rates (i.e. 
forfeiture rates). The forfeiture rate, set by management, is used to estimate the number of options and awards that will eventually vest and the 
associated impact on stock-based compensation expense. The expected life, or term, of options granted is derived from historical exercise behavior 
and represents the period of time that stock option awards are expected to be outstanding. The Company has selected a risk-free rate based on the 
implied yield available on U.S. Treasury Securities with a maturity equivalent to the options’ expected term. For RSUs and RSAs, the Company 
records compensation expense based on the fair market value of the awards on the grant date. 

Officer Awards 

The preceding paragraphs describe the general terms of most stock-based incentive awards granted by the Company. However, the Company 

has granted a discrete set of stock-based awards to its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and other corporate officers that differ from those generally 
stated terms. The grant-date fair-value of these awards, which was determined by applying certain provisions of the stock compensation guidance 
relative to performance-based and market-based awards, is generally being expensed over the vesting term. The impact of these awards is reflected in 
the detailed RSU and RSA disclosures below. All awards are subject to the officer’s continued employment through such vesting dates, however, the 
vesting of certain awards will accelerate upon the occurrence of a change in control of the Company and/or upon certain qualifying terminations of 
employment. 

In March 2011, the CEO was awarded the following incentive equity grants: (i) On March 8, 2011, the CEO was awarded a number of RSUs 

that will be determined by dividing $0.5 million by the closing price of the Company’s stock on each of February 1, 2013 and February 1, 2014 
contingent upon the Company meeting certain financial performance objectives measured over the twelve month period between January 1, 2011 and 
December 31, 2011, which were met. Certain provisions of ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, require the Company to classify 
and account for this award as a liability award until the number of shares is determined. The associated liability related to this award included in the 
Consolidated Balance Sheets in other long-term liabilities was $1.0 million as of December 31, 2011; and (ii) 58,754 RSUs granted on March 8, 2011 
with a grant date fair market value of $0.6 million, which will vest in two equal components of $0.3 million on January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2013, 
contingent upon the Company achieving certain performance objectives based on adjusted EBITDA approved by the Compensation Committee over 
the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2011, which were met and approved. The grant-date fair value of the RSUs described in this 
paragraph is being expensed over the vesting term, based on an estimate of the percentage achievement of the applicable performance targets. All 
awards were subject to the CEO’s continued employment through applicable vesting dates. All awards may vest on an accelerated basis in part or in 
full upon the occurrence of certain events. 

In the first quarter of 2011, the Company granted RSUs to certain other executive officers with an aggregate grant-date fair value of $1.6 

million. Of the $1.6 million, $0.9 million will vest in three annual increments subject to continued employment on each succeeding grant-date 
anniversary. The remaining $0.7 million vested on January 3, 2012, as certain performance objectives approved by the Compensation Committee 
were attained. The Company records stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period of the awards based on the probability that the 
performance objectives will be met and that the executives will maintain their employment through the respective vesting dates. 

On June 3, 2010, the CEO was awarded a number of RSUs that will be determined by dividing $0.5 million by the closing price of the 
Company’s stock on February 1, 2013 contingent upon the Company meeting certain stock price performance objectives measured over the thirty-six 
month period between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012. As of December 31, 2011, the fair value of the award was $0.5 million and is being 
expensed over a derived service period of 2.6 years, determined by applying certain provisions relative to market-based awards in ASC Topic 718, 
Stock Compensation. Furthermore, certain provisions of ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, require the Company to classify and 
account for this award as a liability award until the number of shares is determined and the fair value of the award is remeasured at each reporting 
period until the award is settled. Fluctuations in the fair value of the liability award and its derived service period are recorded as increases or 
decreases to stock-based compensation cost. The associated liability related to this award included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets in other long-
term liabilities was $0.3 million as of December 31, 2011. 

On March 17, 2010, the CEO was granted 67,568 RSUs, with a grant-date fair value of $0.5 million, of which 33,784 RSUs vested on 

February 1, 2011 and the remaining 33,784 RSUs vested on February 1, 2012. As of December 31, 2011, the performance targets had been fully 
achieved and the grant-date fair value was expensed over the respective vesting periods for each of the two components. All awards were subject to 
the CEO’s continued employment through applicable vesting dates and may have vested on an accelerated basis in part or in full upon the occurrence 
of certain qualifying terminations of employment and/or corporate events. 

In the first quarter of 2010, the Company granted RSUs to certain other executive officers with an aggregate grant-date fair value of $1.2 

million. Sixty percent of the total RSU award will vest in three annual increments subject to continued employment on each succeeding grant-date 
anniversary. Forty percent of the awards will vest in three consecutive annual installments contingent upon the officer attaining certain performance 
objectives approved by the Compensation Committee. Accordingly, the Company records stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period 
of these awards based on the probability that the performance objectives will be met and that the executives will maintain their employment through 
the respective vesting dates. 

On November 4, 2009, we entered into an employment agreement with our Chief Executive Officer that provides for three annual stock 
award grants with grant-date values of $0.8 million each, based on performance objectives for 2010 through 2012 that vest and become payable, 

48 

 
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
subject to continued employment, on February 1, 2011, January 1, 2012, and January 1, 2013, respectively, contingent upon achieving positive 
adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) during the thirteen month period ending on February 1 the year 
following the grant for the 2010 award, and the twelve month period ending January 1 the year following the grant for the 2011 and 2012 awards.  

On January 2, 2009, the Chief Executive Officer was granted (1) 90,252 RSUs valued at $0.5 million which vest on the third anniversary of 
the date of the grant, (2) 90,252 RSAs valued at $0.5 million, which were to vest on December 31, 2009, but did not vest because the performance 
objectives approved by the Compensation Committee (based on adjusted EBITDA) were not met, and (3) 90,252 RSUs valued at $0.5 million, which 
vested December 30, 2011. 

On January 2, 2008, the Chief Executive Officer was granted (1) 78,369 RSUs valued at $0.5 million which vest on the third anniversary of 
the date of the grant, (2) 78,369 RSAs valued at $0.5 million, which vested December 31, 2009 when the Company met the performance objectives 
approved by the Compensation Committee (based on adjusted EBITDA), and (3) 78,369 RSUs valued at $0.5 million, which were to vest on 
December 31, 2010, subject to the Company meeting certain stock price performance objectives relative to its peers, however, only 75,615 shares, or 
96.5 percent of the original award, vested on December 31, 2010.  

Stock Options 

The following table displays the weighted average assumptions that have been applied to estimate the fair value of stock option awards on the 

date of grant: 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

Dividend yield 
Risk-free interest rate 
Expected volatility 
Expected lives 

— 
0.92% 
75.67% 
  3.6 years 

— 
1.47% 
73.26% 
  3.6 years 

— 
1.64% 
73.09% 
  3.5 years 

The following summarizes pricing and term information for options outstanding as of December 31, 2011: 

Options Outstanding 

Options Exercisable 

Range of Exercise Prices 

$ 

    2.82   ─  $ 
    5.13   ─   
    7.39   ─   
  10.69   ─   
  18.63   ─   

5.11 
7.31 
10.46 
13.31 
19.86 

Number 
Outstanding at 
December 31, 
2011 

588,429 
478,524 
453,241 
714,561 
28,450 

$ 

2.82  ─  $ 

19.86 

2,263,205 

Weighted 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Life (years) 

3.2 years 
5.2 years 
9.0 years 
5.1 years 
0.4 years 

5.3 years 

Weighted Average 
Exercise Price 

Number 
Exercisable at 
December 31, 
2011 

Weighted Average 
Exercise Price 

$ 

$ 

4.87 
6.21 
9.36 
12.41 
19.75 

8.62 

$ 

553,712 
380,031 
37,503 
710,361 
28,450 

1,710,057 

$ 

4.91 
6.00 
8.88 
12.42 
19.75 

8.60 

The following table is a summary of stock option activity under the Plan as of December 31, 2011 and changes for the year then ended: 

Incentive 

Non- 
Qualified 

Stock Options      

Stock Options      

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise Price 
Per Share 

Weighted 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term (Years)       

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value 

Outstanding at January 1, 2011 

Granted 
Exercised 
Canceled 

Outstanding at December 31, 2011 

341,836      
―      
(110,310 )    
(10,060 )    
221,466      

1,904,767       $ 
424,854       $ 
(183,583 )     $ 
(104,300 )     $ 
2,041,738       $ 

8.32       
9.42       
5.87       
12.75       
8.62       

5.3      $ 

3,655,000 

5.3      $ 

6,928,000 

Vested and Expected to Vest at December 31, 2011      

221,334      

1,893,333       $ 

8.59       

5.1      $ 

6,620,000 

Exercisable at December 31, 2011 

221,235      

1,488,822       $ 

8.60       

4.2      $ 

5,539,000 

The table above includes 54,000 and 90,000 non-employee director stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2011, 

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respectively. 

The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $5.04, $3.80, 

and $3.45 per option, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $1.3 
million, $0.2 million, and $27,000. 

As of December 31, 2011 there was unrecognized compensation expense of $1.6 million related to unvested stock options based on options 

that are expected to vest. The unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.11 years. 

In January 2009, the Company implemented a stock option exchange program that gave eligible employees the opportunity to exchange 
options with an exercise price greater than $8.00 per share that were granted on or after December 31, 2000, for a reduced number of restricted stock 
units at an exchange price with a fair value approximately equivalent to the fair value of the cancelled options. Certain executive officers and the 
Board of Directors were not eligible to participate in the stock option exchange program. As a result of this stock option exchange program, 603,700 
stock options were cancelled and exchanged for 87,375 RSUs which vested 50.0 percent on January 22, 2011, and 25.0 percent on January 22, 2012 
and will vest 25.0 percent on January 22, 2013 subject to the employee’s continued employment through such vesting dates. Incremental 
compensation cost related to the option exchange was not significant to the Company’s financial statements. 

Restricted Stock Units and Restricted Stock Awards 

A summary of the status of the Company’s unvested RSUs and RSAs as of December 31, 2011 and changes during the year then ended are 

presented below: 

Unvested RSUs and RSAs outstanding at January 1, 2011 

Granted 
Market value share count adjustment for liability awards 
Vested 
Forfeited 

Unvested RSUs and RSAs outstanding at December 31, 2011 
Unvested and expected to vest RSUs and RSAs outstanding at December 31, 2011       

Restricted Stock 
Units / Awards 

Weighted Average 
Grant-Date Fair Value 
Per Unit / Award 

1,205,851   
776,922   
(25,564 )      
(699,421 )      
(49,622 )      

1,208,166   
1,117,839  

$             7.15 
9.51 
11.02 
6.41 
7.76 
 $             8.99 
$             9.12 

The number of shares vested in the table above includes 243,551 shares surrendered by the employees to the Company for payment of 
minimum tax withholding obligations. Shares of stock withheld for purposes of satisfying minimum tax withholding obligations are again available 
for issuance under the Plan. 

Additionally, the table above includes 27,272 RSUs that were awarded to non-employee directors on August 9, 2011, of which 13,636 shares 
vested immediately upon issuance and the remaining shares will vest on August 9, 2012. The weighted average grant-date fair value of these awards 
was $8.80. There was unrecognized compensation expense of $73,000 as of December 31, 2011 related to these RSUs that will be recorded over the 
remaining term of approximately seven months. 

The weighted-average grant-date fair value of RSUs and RSAs granted during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was $9.18, 

$7.26 and $5.62 per award, respectively. The total intrinsic value of RSUs and RSAs vested during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 
2009 was $6.4 million, $3.7 million and $2.9 million, respectively. 

As of December 31, 2011, there was unrecognized compensation expense of $3.7 million related to unvested RSUs and RSAs based on 
awards that are expected to vest. The unrecognized compensation expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years. 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan 

Effective June 3, 2010 when the shareholders approved the On Assignment 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP), the Company 
reinstated the employee stock purchase program for issuance of up to 3,500,000 shares of common stock with the first offering periods. The ESPP 
allows eligible employees to purchase common stock of the Company, through payroll deductions, at 85.0 percent of the lower of the market price on 
the first day or the last day of semi-annual purchase periods. The ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under IRS Code 
Section 423. Eligible employees may contribute up to a certain percentage set by the plan administrator of their eligible earnings toward the purchase 
of the stock (subject to certain IRS limitations). Previously, the Company maintained a shareholder-approved Employee Stock Purchase Plan which 
was originally adopted by the Board of Directors on March 1, 1993 (the Prior ESPP). The pool of shares available for issuance under the Prior ESPP 
was fully depleted on February 27, 2009. As a result, the Prior ESPP was terminated and no additional shares will be issued under the Prior ESPP. 

In accordance with the ESPP, shares of common stock are transferred to participating employees at the conclusion of each six month 
enrollment period, which now end on the last business day of the month in March and September each year. The Company issued 187,036 shares of 
common stock in 2011 under the ESPP. In 2010, no shares were issued under the ESPP or the Prior ESPP. In 2009, the Company issued 227,784 
shares of common stock under the Prior ESPP plan. 

Compensation expense of shares purchased under the ESPP is measured based on a Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The model accounts 
for the discount from market value and applies an expected life in line with each six month purchase period. The weighted average fair value of stock 
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purchased under the ESPP was $2.10 for the year ended December 31, 2011. The weighted average fair value of stock purchased under the Prior 
ESPP was $2.67 per share for the year ended December 31, 2009. The amount of stock-based compensation expensed related to the ESPP was $0.4 
million for the year ended December 31, 2011 and less than $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009. 

11. Business Segments. 

The Company has four reportable segments: Life Sciences, Healthcare, Physician and IT and Engineering. The Life Sciences segment 

provides contract, contract-to-permanent and direct placement services of laboratory and scientific professionals to the biotechnology, 
pharmaceutical, food and beverage, medical device, personal care, chemical and environmental industries. These contract staffing specialties include 
chemists, clinical research associates, clinical lab assistants, engineers, biologists, biochemists, microbiologists, molecular biologists, food scientists, 
regulatory affairs specialists, lab assistants and other skilled scientific professionals. 

The Healthcare segment includes the combined results of the Nurse Travel and Allied Healthcare lines of business. The lines of business have 

been aggregated into the Healthcare segment based on similar economic characteristics, end-market customers and management personnel. The 
Healthcare segment provides contract, contract-to-permanent and direct placement of professionals from a number of healthcare, medical financial 
and allied occupations. These contract staffing specialties include nurses, specialty nurses, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, imaging 
technicians, x-ray technicians, medical technologists, phlebotomists, coders, billers, claims processors and collections staff. 

The Physician segment provides contract and direct placement physicians to healthcare organizations. The Physician segment works with 

nearly all medical specialties, placing locum tenens physicians in hospitals, community-based practices, and federal, state and local facilities. 

The IT and Engineering segment provides high-end contract and direct placement services of information technology and engineering 

professionals with expertise in specialized information technology; software and hardware engineering; and mechanical, electrical, validation and 
telecommunications engineering fields. 

The Company’s management evaluates the performance of each segment primarily based on revenues, gross profit and operating income. The 

information in the following table is derived directly from the segments’ internal financial reporting used for corporate management purposes. 

The following table represents revenues, gross profit and operating income by reportable segment (in thousands): 

Revenues: 

Life Sciences 

Healthcare 

Physician 

IT and Engineering 

Total Revenues 

Gross Profit: 

Life Sciences 

Healthcare 

Physician 

IT and Engineering 

Total Gross Profit 

Operating Income (Loss): 

Life Sciences 

Healthcare 

Physician 

IT and Engineering 

Total Operating Income 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

$     155,324  

         94,598  

          80,617  

        266,742  

 $     597,281  

 $       52,643  

          26,637  

          25,858  

          94,967  

 $     200,105  

 $       10,727  
         (3,491)   

            5,347  

          31,816  

 $       44,399  

 $     109,495    
          76,287    
          73,595    
        178,688    
 $     438,065    

 $       37,776    
          23,058    
          23,847    
          64,775    
 $     149,456    

 $         5,305    
       (20,998)   
            5,010    
          13,910    
 $         3,227    

 $     93,664  

        97,137  

        87,719  

      138,093  

 $   416,613  

 $     30,470  

        27,329  

        28,545  

        50,024  

 $   136,368  

 $       6,176  

       (3,074) 

          8,214  

          3,911  

 $     15,227  

51 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Company does not report Life Sciences and Healthcare segments’ total assets separately as the operations are largely centralized. The 

following table represents total assets as allocated by reportable segment (in thousands): 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

December 31, 2009 

Total Assets: 

Life Sciences and Healthcare 

$                107,915 

 $                74,979  

 $                78,645  

Physician 

IT and Engineering 

Total Assets 

83,940 

218,810 

63,908 

202,229 

69,912 

194,905 

$                410,665 

 $              341,116  

 $              343,462  

The Company does not report all assets by segment for all reportable segments. The following table represents identifiable assets by 

reportable segment (in thousands): 

Gross Accounts Receivable: 

Life Sciences 

Healthcare 

Physician 

IT and Engineering 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

December 31, 2009 

 $                21,727  

 $                14,107  

 $                10,548  

11,568 

15,749 

47,658 

9,628 

10,233 

30,725 

9,722 

12,453 

19,399 

Total Gross Accounts Receivable 

 $                96,702  

 $                64,693  

 $                52,122  

The Company operates internationally, with operations in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The following 

table represents revenues by geographic location (in thousands): 

Revenues: 

Domestic 

Foreign 

Total Revenues 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

 $    529,150  

 $    407,317  

 $    393,846  

68,131 

30,748 

22,767 

$    597,281 

 $    438,065  

 $    416,613  

The following table represents long-lived assets by geographic location (in thousands): 

Long-lived Assets: 

Domestic 

Foreign 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

December 31, 2009 

$                19,078 

 $                19,826  

 $               20,364  

1,033 

754 

569 

Total Long-lived Assets 

$                20,111 

 $                20,580  

 $               20,993  

12. Derivative Instruments. 

The Company utilizes derivative financial instruments to manage interest rate risk. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for 

trading or speculative purposes, nor does it use leveraged financial instruments. The Company reports its derivative instruments separately as assets and 
liabilities unless a legal right of set-off exists under a master netting agreement enforceable by law. The Company’s derivative instruments are recorded at 
their fair value, and are included in other long-term liabilities and other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. 

On May 2, 2007, the Company entered into a transaction with a financial institution to fix the underlying interest rate on $73.0 million of its 

then outstanding bank loan for a period of two years beginning June 30, 2007 (the 2007 Interest Rate Swap). This transaction essentially fixed the 
Company’s base borrowing rate at 4.9425 percent as opposed to a floating rate, which reset at selected periods. On June 30, 2009, the 2007 Interest 
Rate Swap expired in accordance with the terms of the agreement, thus there was no related fair value measurement as of December 31, 2010 or 
December 31, 2009. The Company recorded a gain of $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2009 for the change in fair value of the 2007 
Interest Rate Swap. The 2007 Interest Rate Swap was not designated as a hedging instrument for accounting purposes.  

Effective July 1, 2009, pursuant to terms of the amended credit agreement, the Company entered into an interest rate cap contract, in order to 
mitigate the interest rate risk. The interest rate cap contract was for a notional amount of $51.0 million with a one-month LIBOR cap of 3.0 percent 
for a term of one year and expired on July 1, 2010, thus there was no related fair value measurement as of December 31, 2010. As this agreement was 
not designated as a hedging instrument, changes in the fair value of this agreement increased or decreased interest expense. 

52 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
 
 
On February 18, 2011, the Company entered into an interest rate swap agreement to hedge a portion of its interest rate exposure on its senior secured 

debt (the 2011 Interest Rate Swap). The 2011 Interest Rate Swap has a notional amount of $25.0 million and fixes a portion of the Company’s base borrowing 
rate, which is a floating rate based on a LIBOR swap rate that resets periodically. The 2011 Interest Rate Swap was designated as a hedging instrument for 
accounting purposes and is accordingly accounted for as a cash flow hedge. Any unrealized losses on the 2011 Interest Rate Swap agreement are included in 
accumulated other comprehensive income until the periodic interest settlements occur, at which time they will be recorded as interest expense in the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss). The Company expects to reclassify losses of $0.3 million (pretax) from 
accumulated other comprehensive income to interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) within the 
next twelve months. 

As a result of the use of derivative instruments, the Company is exposed to risk that the counterparties will fail to meet their contractual obligations. 

To mitigate the counterparty credit risk, the Company only enters into contracts with carefully selected major financial institutions based upon their credit 
ratings and other factors, and continually assesses the creditworthiness of counterparties. As of December 31, 2011, the counterparty to the 2011 Interest Rate 
Swap had investment grade ratings and has performed in accordance with their contractual obligations. 

The fair values of derivative instruments in the Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): 

Derivative designated as hedging instrument under ASC 815 

Balance Sheet Classification 

December 31, 2011 

December 31, 2010 

2011 Interest Rate Swap - current portion 

Other liabilities 

 $                      310  

 $                          -  

2011 Interest Rate Swap - long-term portion 

Other long-term liabilities 

298 

                             -  

$                      608 

 $                          -  

The following tables reflect the effect of derivative instruments on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for 

the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands): 

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging Relationships 

Amount of Gain(Loss) Recognized in Accumulated Other 
Comprehensive Income on Derivative, net of tax 

2011 Interest Rate Swap 

 $              (380) 

 $                     -  

$                    - 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

Derivatives in Cash Flow Hedging 

Relationships 

Location of Gain/Loss Reclassified from 
Accumulated Other Comprehensive  

Income into Income 

Amount of Gain/Loss Reclassified from Accumulated 
Other Comprehensive Income into Income 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

2011 Interest Rate Swap 

Interest expense 

 $             310  

 $                  -  

 $              -  

  The following table reflects the effect of derivative instruments on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income 

(Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010, and 2009 (in thousands): 

Derivates Not Designated as 

Hedging Instruments 

Location of Gain/Loss Recognized in  
Income on Derivate 

2007 Interest Rate Swap 

Interest rate cap 

Interest expense 

Interest expense 

13. Fair Value Measurements. 

Amount of Gain/Loss Recognized in  
Income on Derivative 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

2009 

 $               -  

 $               -  

 $      1,345  

 $               -  

 $               -  

$               - 

The valuation techniques utilized are based upon observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from 

independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect internal market assumptions. These two types of inputs create the following fair value 
hierarchy: 

53 

 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
Level 1: Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. 
Level 2: Observable market based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data. 
Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data. 

The assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are as follows (in thousands): 

As of December 31, 2011 

Fair Value Measurements Using 

Quoted Prices in 
Active Markets for 
Identical Assets 

Significant Other 
Observable Inputs 

Significant 
Unobservable 
Inputs 

(Level 1) 

(Level 2) 

(Level 3) 

Total 

 $                               -  

$                       608 

 $                   -  

$           608 

2011 Interest Rate Swap 
Contingent consideration to be paid in cash for 

the acquisitions 

 $                               -  

 $                            -  

 $           9,856  

 $          9,856  

As of December 31, 2010 

Fair Value Measurements Using 

Quoted Prices in 
Active Markets for 
Identical Assets 

Significant Other 
Observable Inputs 

Significant 
Unobservable 
Inputs 

Contingent consideration to be paid in cash for 

the acquisitions 

 $                             -  

 $                         -  

 $           3,700  

 $                   3,700  

(Level 1) 

(Level 2) 

(Level 3) 

Total 

The 2011 Interest Rate Swap liability is measured using the income approach. The fair value reflects the estimated amounts that the Company would 

pay or receive based on the present value of the expected cash flows derived from market rates and prices. As such, this derivative instrument is classified 
within Level 2. There were no derivative instruments outstanding as of December 31, 2010. 

The Company has obligations, to be paid in cash, to the former owners of acquired companies if certain future financial goals are met. The fair value 

of this contingent consideration is determined using an expected present value technique. Expected cash flows are determined using the probability - weighted 
average of possible outcomes that would occur should certain financial metrics be reached. There is no market data available to use in valuing the contingent 
consideration, therefore, the Company developed its own assumptions related to the future financial performance of the businesses to evaluate the fair value of 
these liabilities. As such, the contingent consideration is classified within Level 3. The liabilities for the contingent consideration were established at the time 
of the acquisition and are evaluated at each reporting period. The current liability is included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets in the current portion of 
accrued earn-outs and the non-current portion is included in accrued earn-outs. 

Reconciliations of liabilities measured and carried at fair value on a recurring basis with the use of significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) are as 

follows (in thousands): 

Year Ended December 31, 

2011 

2010 

Contingent consideration for acquisitions 

Balance at beginning of year 

 $      3,700 

 $              -  

Additions for acquisitions 

       10,346 

         3,700  

Payments on contingent consideration 

      (1,731) 

                 -  

Settlements of contingent consideration 

      (1,369) 

                 -  

Fair value adjustments 

         (640) 

                 -  

Foreign currency translation adjustment 

         (450) 

                 -  

Balance at end of year 

 $      9,856 

 $      3,700  

54 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
During 2011, there were no fair value measurements of assets or liabilities on a non-recurring basis. The following table summarizes the fair value 

measurements of assets measured on a non-recurring basis during 2010 (in thousands): 

As of December 31, 2010 

Fair Value Measurements Using 

Quoted Prices in 
Active Markets for 
Identical Assets 

Significant Other 
Observable Inputs 

Significant 
Unobservable Inputs 

(Level 1) 

(Level 2) 

(Level 3) 

Total 

Total Losses 

Goodwill 

 $                     -  

 $                      -  

$          199,720  

$          199,720  

$            15,399  

The Company determines the fair value of its reporting units primarily based on level 3 inputs such as discounted cash flows which are not observable 

from the market, directly or indirectly. The Company recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $15.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2010.  

14. Unaudited Quarterly Results. 

The following tables present unaudited quarterly financial information for each of the four quarters ended December 31, 2011 and 
December 31, 2010. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the quarterly information contains all adjustments, consisting only of normal 
recurring accruals, necessary for a fair presentation thereof. The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results for any 
future periods. In the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company recognized goodwill impairment of $15.4 million related to its Nurse Travel reporting 
unit.  

Revenues 

Gross profit 

Net income 

Earnings per share: 

Basic 

Diluted 

Revenues 

Gross profit 

Net income 

Earnings per share: 

Basic 

Diluted 

2011 

Dec. 31, 

Sep. 30, 

Jun. 30, 

Mar. 31, 

(in thousands, except per share data) 

$   161,790  

$     53,629  

$       7,501  

 $  162,370  

$    54,528 

 $      7,767  

 $  143,683    

$    48,794 
 $      5,865    

 $  129,438  

$    43,154 

 $      3,164  

$          0.20    

 $       0.21 

 $       0.16  

 $       0.09  

$          0.20    

 $       0.21 

 $       0.16  

 $       0.08  

2010 

Dec. 31, 

Sep. 30, 

Jun. 30, 

Mar. 31, 

(in thousands, except per share data) 

 $  121,152  

$    42,234 

 $  116,141    

$    41,103 

 $   (13,698) 

 $      3,163    

 $  104,459    
$    35,296   
 $         940    

$     96,313 

$     30,823 

$         (302 ) 

 $       (0.38) 

 $        0.09 

 $        0.03  

 $        (0.01 ) 

 $       (0.38) 

 $        0.09  

 $        0.03  

 $        (0.01 ) 

55 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 

Not applicable. 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s management carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the 

participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as 
defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Based on this evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial 
Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this report. The term 
“disclosure controls and procedures” means controls and other procedures of the Company that are designed to ensure that information required to be 
disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and 
reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. “Disclosure controls and procedures” 
include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it 
files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal 
executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required 
disclosure. 

56 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of 

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) for the Company. The term “internal control over financial reporting” is defined as a process designed by, or 
under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by 
the Company’s board of directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting 
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those 
policies and procedures that: 

•   Pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable  detail,  accurately  and  fairly  reflect  the  transactions  and  dispositions  of  the 

assets of the Company; 

•   Provide reasonable assurance that the transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance 
with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance 
with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and 

•   Provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  prevention  of  timely  detection  of  unauthorized  acquisition,  use,  or  disposition  of  the 

Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any 

evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the 
degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

Management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, assessed the 

effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011. In making this assessment, management used the 
criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on 
our assessment and those criteria, management believes that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of 
December 31, 2011. Our independent registered public accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, has included an attestation report on our internal 
control over financial reporting, which is included below. 

Changes in Internal Controls 

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s fourth quarter that 

have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

Item 9B. Other Information 

None. 

57 

 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of On Assignment, Inc. 
Calabasas, California 

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of On Assignment, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2011, 
based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway 
Commission. The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of 
the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial 
Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards 
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was 
maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a 
material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing 
such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the company's principal executive and 
principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected by the company's board of directors, management, and other 
personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external 
purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies 
and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions 
of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial 
statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in 
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely 
detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management 
override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any 
evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, based 
on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway 
Commission. 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated 
financial statements and financial statement schedule as of and for the year ended December 31, 2011 of the Company and our report dated March 
14, 2012 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and financial statement schedule. 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP 

Los Angeles, California 
March 14, 2012 

58 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 

PART III 

Information responsive to this item will be set forth in the Company’s proxy statement for use in connection with its 2012 Annual Meeting of 

Stockholders (the 2012 Proxy Statement) and is incorporated herein by reference. The 2012 Proxy Statement will be filed with the SEC within 120 
days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year. The information under the heading “Executive Officers of the Registrant” in Part I, Item 1 of this 
Form 10-K is also incorporated by reference in this section. 

Item 11. Executive Compensation 

Information responsive to this item will be set forth in the 2012 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the 

Company’s fiscal year and is incorporated herein by reference. 

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 

Information responsive to this item will be set forth in the 2012 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the 

Company’s fiscal year and is incorporated herein by reference. 

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence 

Information responsive to this Item will be set forth in the 2012 Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the 

Company’s fiscal year and is incorporated herein by reference. 

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 

Information responsive to this Item will be set forth in the 2012 Proxy Statement, to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the 

Company’s fiscal year and is incorporated herein by reference. 

59 

 
 
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 

(a) List of documents filed as part of this report 

1. Financial Statements: 

PART IV 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 
Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2011 and 2010 
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Years Ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 
2009 
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

                        2.  Financial Statement Schedule: 

Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 
Schedules other than those referred to above have been omitted because they are not applicable or not required under the 
instructions contained in Regulation S-X or because the information is included elsewhere in the financial statements or notes 
thereto. 

(b) Exhibits 

See Index to Exhibits. 

60 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this to 

report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on this 14th day of March 2012. 

ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. 

SIGNATURES 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of 

the registrant and in the capacities indicated and on the dates indicated. 

Signature 

Title 

Date 

Peter T. Dameris 
Chief Executive Officer and President 

Peter T. Dameris 

Chief Executive Officer, President and Director 
(Principal Executive Officer) 

March 14, 2012 

James L. Brill 

/s/ William E. Brock 

William E. Brock 

/s/ Jonathan S. Holman 

Jonathan S. Holman 

/s/ Edward L. Pierce 

Edward L. Pierce 

/s/ Jeremy M. Jones 

Jeremy M. Jones 

Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer 
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 
Director 

Director 

Director 

Director 

March 14, 2012 

March 14, 2012 

March 14, 2012 

March 14, 2012 

March 14, 2012 

61 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
ON ASSIGNMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES 
SCHEDULE II—VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS 
 Year Ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 
(In thousands) 

Description 

beginning of year     Provisions     

Balance at 

Deductions 
from reserves       

Balance at  
end of year 

Year ended December 31, 2011 

Allowance for doubtful accounts and billing 

adjustments 

Workers’ compensation and medical 

malpractice loss reserves 

Year ended December 31, 2010 

Allowance for doubtful accounts and billing 

adjustments 

Workers’ compensation and medical 

malpractice loss reserves 

Year ended December 31, 2009 

Allowance for doubtful accounts and billing 

adjustments 

Workers’ compensation and medical 

malpractice loss reserves 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

2,175       

1,127       

(525 )    $ 

2,777 

10,244       

2,339       

(2,182 )    $ 

10,401 

1,949       

644       

(418 )    $ 

2,175 

10,349       

4,310       

(4,415 )    $ 

10,244 

2,443       

296       

(790 )    $ 

1,949 

9,754       

4,283       

(3,688 )    $ 

10,349 

62 

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
    
      
      
       
    
      
      
       
  
    
        
        
         
  
    
      
      
       
  
    
        
        
         
  
    
        
        
         
  
  
  
  
  
Number 
3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

4.1 

4.2 

10.1 

10.2 

10.3 

10.4 

10.5 

10.6 

10.7 

10.8 
10.9 
10.10 

  Footnote 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(6) 

(10) 

(9) 

(10) 

(9) 

(12) 

(9) 

(9) 

(16) 
(17) 
(14) 

INDEX TO EXHIBITS 

  Description 
  Certificate of Amendment of Restated Certificate of Incorporation of On Assignment, Inc. 

  Restated Certificate of Incorporation of On Assignment, Inc., as amended. 

  Amended and Restated Bylaws of On Assignment, Inc. 

  Specimen Common Stock Certificate. 

  Rights Agreement, dated June 4, 2003, between On Assignment, Inc. and U.S. Stock Transfer Corporation as Rights 

Agent, which includes the Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of Series A Junior Participating 
Preferred Stock as Exhibit A, the Summary of Rights to Purchase Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock as 
Exhibit B and the Form of Rights Certificate as Exhibit C. 

  Form of Indemnification Agreements. † 

  Restated 1987 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated April 7, 2006. † 

  First Amendment to Restated 1987 Stock Option Plan, dated January 23, 2007. † 

  Second Amendment to the Restated 1987 Stock Option Plan, dated April 17, 2007. † 

  Third Amendment to the Restated 1987 Stock Option Plan, dated December 11, 2008. † 

  2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, dated March 18, 2010. † 

  On Assignment, Inc. 2010 Incentive Award Plan, dated March 18, 2010. † 

  Office Lease, dated August 18, 2010, by and between On Assignment, Inc. and Calabasas BDC, Inc. 
  On Assignment, Inc. Amended and Restated Change in Control Severance Plan and Summary Plan Description. † 
  Amended and Restated Senior Executive Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and Peter Dameris, dated 

December 11, 2008. † 

10.11 

(15) 

  First Amendment to Amended and Restated Senior Executive Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and Peter 

Dameris, dated March 19, 2009. † 

10.12 

10.13 

(17) 

(18) 

  Senior Executive Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and Peter Dameris, dated November 4, 2009. † 

  First Amendment to Senior Executive Agreement, dated March 30, 2010 by and between On Assignment, Inc. and 

Peter Dameris. † 

10.14 

(14) 

  Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between Oxford Global Resources, Inc., On Assignment, Inc. and 

Michael J. McGowan dated December 30, 2008. † 

10.15 

(20) 

  Second Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc., On Assignment, 

Inc. and Mark S. Brouse, dated August 1, 2011. † 

10.16 

(20) 

  Employment Agreement between VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc., On Assignment, Inc. and Christian Rutherford, 

dated August 1, 2011. † 

10.17 

(14) 

  Amended and Restated Senior Executive Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and Emmett McGrath, dated 

December 11, 2008. † 

10.18 

(14) 

  Amended and Restated Executive Change in Control Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and Peter T. Dameris, 

dated December 11, 2008. † 

10.19 

(14) 

  Amended and Restated Executive Change in Control Agreement between On Assignment, Inc. and James L. Brill, 

(5) 

(7) 

(8) 

(10) 

(13) 

(19) 

10.20 

10.21 

10.22 

10.23 

10.24 

10.25 

10.26* 

10.27* 

10.28* 

10.29* 

10.30* 

21.1* 

dated December 11, 2008. † 

  Form of Option Agreements. 

  Executive Incentive Compensation Plan. † 

  Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreements. 

  Form of On Assignment, Inc. Stock Option Agreement † 

  Form of On Assignment, Inc. Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement  † 

  Credit Agreement, dated as of December 3, 2010, among On Assignment, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., as 

administrative agent, swing line lender and letter of credit issuer, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as syndication agent, 
Union Bank, N.A. and BBVA Compass as co-documentation agents and the lenders party thereto. 

  Amendment No. 1 to Security and Credit Agreement, dated as of January 27, 2011, by and among On Assignment, 

Inc. and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders party thereto. 

  Consent, Waiver and Amendment No. 2 to Credit Agreement, dated as of February 17, 2011, by and among On 

Assignment, Inc. and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders party thereto. 

  Third Amendment to Senior Executive Agreement, dated March 8, 2011 by and between On Assignment, Inc. and 

Peter Dameris. † 

  Fourth Amendment to Senior Executive Agreement, dated March 25, 2011 by and between On Assignment, Inc. and 

Peter Dameris. † 
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 1, 2011 by and between On Assignment, Inc. and Christian Rutherford. 

  Subsidiaries of the Registrant. 

63 

 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23.1* 

31.1* 

31.2* 

32.1* 

101.INS* 

101.SCH* 

101.CAL* 

101.DEF* 

101.LAB* 

101.PRE* 

* 

† 

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5)   

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

(10) 

(11) 

(12) 

(13) 

(14) 

(15) 

(16) 

(17) 

(18) 

(19) 

(20) 

  Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. 

  Certification of Peter T. Dameris, Chief Executive Officer and President pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a). 

  Certification of James L. Brill, Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) 

or 15d-14(a). 

  Certification of Peter T. Dameris, Chief Executive Officer and President, and James L. Brill, Senior Vice President, 

Finance and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. 

  XBRL Instance Document 

  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document 

  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document 

  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document 

  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document 

  XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document 

  Filed herewith. 

  These exhibits relate to management contracts or compensatory plans, contracts or arrangements in which directors 

and/or executive officers of the Registrant may participate. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 5, 2000. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 1993. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3, 2002. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 33-50646) 
declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 21, 1992. 
Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2005. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 5, 2003. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2005. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 8, 2005. 

Incorporated by reference from our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission on April 27, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2007. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 22, 2006. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 16, 2008. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2009. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11, 2009. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 0-20540) filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 8, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 16, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (File No. 0-20540) filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 8, 2010. 

Incorporated by reference from an exhibit filed with our Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 0-20540) filed with 
the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 5, 2011. 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 EXHIBIT 21.1 

SUBSIDIARIES OF THE REGISTRANT 

Assignment Ready, Inc., a Delaware corporation 
On Assignment Staffing Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation 
VSS Holding, Inc., a Nevada corporation 
VISTA Staffing Solutions, Inc., a Utah corporation 
VISTA Physician Search and Consulting, Inc., a Utah corporation 
VISTA Staffing International, Inc., a Nevada corporation 
VISTA Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, a Hong Kong corporation 
Oxford Global Resources, Inc., a Delaware corporation 
Other subsidiaries of the Registrant are omitted from this exhibit pursuant to Regulation S-K 601(b)(21)(ii) 

65 

 
 
  
  
  
Exhibit 23.1 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement Nos. 333-38849, 333-61998, 333-106203, 333-143907, 333-148000, and 
333-168041 on Form S-8 and 333-13065, 333-88034, 333-134479 and 333-142382 on Form S-3 of our reports dated March 14, 2012 relating to the 
financial statements and financial statement schedule of On Assignment, Inc. and the effectiveness of On Assignment, Inc.’s internal control over 
financial reporting, appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of On Assignment, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2011. 

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP 

Los Angeles, California 
March 14, 2012 

66 

 
 
  
  
  
  
Exhibit 31.1 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) 
 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO 
 SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002 

I, Peter T. Dameris, certify that: 

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of On Assignment, Inc.; 
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to 

make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered 
by this report; 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material 

respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as 
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-
15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: 

(a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our 
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by 
others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; 

(b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed 

under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial 
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; 

(c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about 

the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and 

(d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s 

fourth fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial 
reporting; and 
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial 
reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): 

(a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are 

reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and 

(b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s 

internal control over financial reporting. 

 Date: March 14, 2012 

Peter T. Dameris 
Chief Executive Officer and President 

67 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
Exhibit 31.2 

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) 
 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO 
 SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002 

I, James L. Brill, certify that: 

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of On Assignment, Inc.; 
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to 

make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered 
by this report; 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material 

respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as 
defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-
15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: 

(a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our 
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by 
others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; 

(b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed 

under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial 
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; 

(c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about 

the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and 

(d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s 

fourth fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial 
reporting; and 
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial 
reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): 

(a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are 

reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and 

(b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s 

internal control over financial reporting. 

 Date: March 14, 2012 

James L. Brill, 
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer 

68 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Exhibit 32.1 

Written Statement of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer 
 Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (18 U.S.C. Section 1350) 

The undersigned, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of On Assignment, Inc. (the Company), each hereby certifies 

that, to his knowledge on the date hereof: 

(a) the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the period ended December 31, 2011 filed on the date hereof with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (the Report) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange 
Act of 1934; and 

(b) information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the 

Company. 

Date: March 14, 2012 

Date: March 14, 2012 

Peter T. Dameris 
Chief Executive Officer and President 

James L. Brill 
Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer 

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906, or other document authenticating, acknowledging, or otherwise adopting 

the signature that appears in typed form within the electronic version of this written statement required by Section 906, has been provided to the 
Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request. 

The foregoing certification is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K and shall 
not be deemed to be considered filed as part of the Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

69 

 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Our Profile

On Assignment, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASGN), is a leading global 
provider of highly-skilled, hard-to-find professionals in the 
growing life sciences, healthcare, and technology sectors, 
where quality people are the key to success. We go beyond 
matching résumés with job descriptions to match people 
we know into positions we understand for temporary, 
contract-to-hire, and direct hire assignments. Clients 
recognize On Assignment for our quality candidates, quick 
response, and successful assignments. Professionals 
think of us as career-building partners with the depth and 
breadth of experience to help them reach their goals. 

On Assignment was founded in 1985 and went public in 
1992. Corporate headquarters are located in Calabasas, 
California, with a network of approximately 76 branch 
offices throughout the United States, Canada, United 
Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, and Spain. 
Additionally, physician placements are made in Australia 
and New Zealand. The corporate offices are organized to 
perform many functions that allow staffing consultants 
and recruiters to focus more effectively on business 
development and successful matching of professionals. 

Our Mission 

On Assignment’s mission is to help organizations thrive and 
people build rewarding careers by putting highly-skilled 
professionals to work exactly when and where they are 
needed.

Our Business Model 

Our business model reflects our focus on highly-skilled, 
hard-to-find professionals in the growing life sciences, 
technology, and healthcare fields, and is as follows:

•  Strong revenue growth
•  Significant investment in our people and support systems
•  Profit margins that are at the top of the staffing industry
•  Leadership in our core segments through specialized 

divisions

•  Leveraging of our branch network
•  Growth into new sectors that fit this profile

Common Stock
On Assignment, Inc. common stock is traded on the 
NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol ASGN.

Independent Accountants
Deloitte & Touche LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Legal Counsel
Latham & Watkins LLP
Los Angeles, CA

Transfer Agent
Computershare
Canton, MA

About
On Assignment

Board of Directors
Jeremy Jones 2, 3, 4
Chairman of the Board, On Assignment, Inc.

Named Executive Officers
Peter T. Dameris
President and Chief Executive Officer

Peter T. Dameris 1 
President and Chief Executive Officer,
 On Assignment, Inc.

Senator William E. Brock 3, 4
Chairman of Nominating and Corporate 
 Governance Committee
Board Member of Strayer Education, Inc.
Board Member of ResCare

Jonathan Holman 2, 3, 4 
Chairman of Compensation Committee
President, The Holman Group, Inc.

Edward L. Pierce 2
Chairman of Audit Committee

Mark Brouse
President,
VISTA Staffing Solutions

Michael McGowan
President,
Oxford Global Resources

Emmett McGrath
President,
Life Sciences and Allied Healthcare

Jim Brill
 Senior Vice President, 
Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Senior Management Team

Peter T. Dameris
President and Chief Executive Officer

Jim Brill
Senior Vice President,
Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Michael Payne
Senior Vice President,
Shared Services and Chief Information Officer

Michael McGowan
President,
Oxford Global Resources

Emmett McGrath
President,
Life Sciences and Allied Healthcare

Christian Rutherford
President,
VISTA Staffing Solutions

Kathryn Hoffman-Abby
President, 
Nurse Travel

Christina Gibson
Vice President,
Finance and Corporate Controller

Tarini Ramaprakash
Vice President and
General Counsel

Karen Keppel
Vice President,
Support Services

Angela Kolarek
Vice President,
Human Resources

Carol McNamara
Vice President,
Recruiting

Form 10-K
Additional copies of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2012, are available 
without charge upon request to:

On Assignment, Inc.
Investor Relations Department
 26745 Malibu Hills Road
Calabasas, CA 91301
 Telephone: 818.878.7900

1 Member of the Stock Option Committee
2 Member of the Audit Committee
3 Member of the Compensation Committee

4 Member of the Nominating and    
  Corporate Governance Committee

 
Putting People First since 1985.

NASDAQ: ASGN

26745 Malibu Hills Road, Calabasas, CA 91301
818.878.7900  |  www.onassignment.com