Robert Half, most recently, Robert Half International, is an American human resource consulting firm based in Menlo Park, California. It is a member of the S&P 500, and is credited as being the world's first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm, with over 325 locations worldwide. In 2009, the company was ranked first in the temporary help industry on Fortune magazine's list of World's Most Admired Companies, and was ranked 9th by global staffing revenue.
History
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The company's founding was in 1948, in New York City, with its original name being variously reported as being Robert Half Inc., Robert Half Finance & Accounting, and Robert Half Personnel Agency. The founding, in any case, is reported to have been of two separate business entities, the Robert Half (RH) portion as "an employment agency for accountants," and the Accountemps portion "to supply accountants and other financial professionals… on a temporary basis." Founder Robert Half had previously managed the hiring of accounting staff for a sizeable textile manufacturing concern, and saw an opportunity as no placement agency had been focusing on this sector of the market.
In the mid- to late-1980s, Robert Half (RH) altered its prior focusâ€"which had been like that of the field in generalâ€"from relatively undifferentiated temporary clerical and light industry staffing, to providing temporary workers at higher skill levels via new "professional staffing divisions". Having grown to over 150 locations in the United States and launched an aggressive campaign to re-purchase many of the separate franchises, the firm went public in 1987, then expanded its operations into Europe in 1993. In addition to their Accountemps brand, the firm expanded to include specialty groups focusing on technology, legal and creative services personnel. Inroads into the legal sector began with the company's 1991 acquisition of "The Affiliates, a firm in Southern California that placed temporary and permanent paralegal, legal administrative, and other legal support personnel," with it being renamed as Robert Half Legal.
Robert Half went on to establish itself as a key information provider for government agencies and others seeking statistics and trends regarding employment, with its market-specific salary guides being used as a resource by the U.S Department of Labor in the preparation of their own forecasts.
In addition to their main staffing line of business, RH also provides independent risk consulting, internal audit and information technology consulting services via its Protiviti subsidiary, which was founded in 2002 with the acquisition of former employees of Arthur Andersen. Since then, the group has grown from 700 to over 2,900 staff, and continues to be led by Andersen alumni.
In 2003, the company was finally able to buy back the last of the few remaining independent franchise operations.
In 2006, RH acquired the assets of PG Lewis & Associates, a leading national provider of Data Forensics and Cyber Security services founded in 2003 by serial technology entrepreneur, Paul G. Lewis. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Published works
Founder Robert Half's tradition of authoring books on the industryâ€"such as Making It Big in Data Processing and How to Get a Better Job in This Crazy Worldâ€"was continued by the CEO of this date, Harold M. "Max" Messmer, in the form of works like Job Hunting for Dummies.
See also
References
Further reading
Verified sources
- AT Staff, "Staffing Firm Founder Robert Half Dead at 82," Accounting Today, September 24 2001, p. 56.
- Brandstrader, J.R., "It's an Ill Wind," Barron's, March 25, 1996, p. 18.
- Byrnes, Nanette, et al., "The Good CEO," Businessweek, September 23, 2002.
- Caldwell, Douglas E., "The New Economy's Gold Digger," Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, March 16, 2001, p. 38.
- Desloge, Rick, "Robert Half, Kelly Services Share in Temp Firm Growth," St. Louis Business Journal, December 1, 1997, p. 24.
- Fleming, Eric C., "Job-Recruiter Blues: Will Paltry Demand Drain Robert Half Shares?," Barron's, November 11, 2002, p. T8.
- Jordon, Steve, "New Risk-Consulting Firm Lures Ex-Andersen Employees," Omaha World Herald, June 6, 2002.
- Lenz, Edward. "Flexible Employment: Positive Work Strategies for the 21st Century," Journal of Labor Research, 1996.
- Marsh, Ann, "We're Your Talent Agent," Forbes, August 10, 1998, p. 104.
- Morningstar Staff, "Morningstar Names Max Messmer of Robert Half International as 2003 CEO of the Year," Morningstar, January 6, 2004.
- Murphy, Victoria, "Robert Half International: Everyone Need Apply," Forbes, January 8, 2001, p. 106.
- NATSS Staff, "Temporary Help Services Continue Growth; Several Factors Cited," Alexandria, Va.: National Association of Temporary Staffing Services, June 17, 1996.
- Robson, Douglas, "Half's Measures: Robert Half Harnesses Outsourcing Trend to Prove that Even Big Businesses Can Grow Quickly," San Francisco Business Times, April 18, 1997, p. 5A.
- Siwolop, Sana, "Renting the Workers, But Buying the Stock," The New York Times, December 15, 1996.
- Svaldi, Aldo, "California-Based Staffing-Services Firm Hires 760 Andersen Accountants," Denver Post, June 6, 2002.
Other sources
- RH Intl. & RedOrbit.com Staffs (July 8, 2009). "30 Companies Will Be Represented at the Job Fair [Entry 12]". RedOrbit.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
[Quote:] The brief bios below give information about the 30 companies that will have representatives at the Job Fair on Tuesday. This information was submitted by the companies. [Emphasis added.]
 Note, this source contains no content other than an advertising blurb and a 2009 contact phone number for job seekers. Specifically, it contains no reliable information on this company's sector, or its being a member of the S&P 500, or its size and rank among accounting and finance staffing firms.
External links
- Official website
- Robert Half (personal) at Library of Congress Authorities, with 9 catalog records (1981â€"1993)
- Works by or about Robert Half in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Robert Half International and Robert Half Legal at LC Authorities
- RH International and RH Legal at WorldCat
