With the first month of a new year coming to a close, employers are starting to get a feel for some of the particular challenges and opportunities 2019 will bring. While the longest government shutdown in U.S. history dominates headlines and affects hundreds of thousands of workers, that’s hardly the only thing on many HR managers’ minds this January. Between hiring woes, relevant court decisions, and a myriad of other issues affecting the American work landscape, January has been action-packed. In case you’ve missed any of it, here’s what you need to know:

Labor headwinds like demographic shifts and changing employee expectations have kept HR managers on their toes. Between tailoring education and training to the needs of the modern workforce, HR managers also face considerable pressure to keep top talent happy and engaged.

We’ve officially entered the holiday season, and we’re within striking distance of the new year. Just in time for the holiday rush, Walmart adopted a predictive scheduling system—a big move for the retail giant that may help set the standard for other retail employers. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of firefighters in a unanimous vote, work stress has continued to increase in the last five years, and employers shudder at the thought of competing with Amazon’s HQ2 in the already-tight talent pool. That’s what we’re covering in this month’s edition of the HR Roundup, a collection of the top news HR professionals need to know.

If October seems like the month for scary tricks, don’t forget there’s always something to sweeten the news.

This month, we cover payroll phishing emails, a new employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave, Halloween workplace do’s and don’ts, and more. That’s a lot to take in—but don’t get spooked! We’re going to break it all down for you in our monthly roundup below.