About a month ago, HR professionals were challenged to “run toward the storm” at the Society for Human Resource Management’s annual conference in Chicago.

HR leaders now have a seat at the table, SHRM president Johnny C. Taylor said, but the hardest work is yet to come. Perhaps that is why some of the most popular sessions of the event included instruction on the fundamentals of people management, including documentation, DEI guidance and interviewing.

But sessions on the new overtime rule, the state of benefits and HR mental health also attracted strong audiences, signaling the breadth of challenges that talent leaders face.

Talent professionals are being pulled in many directions, and the current business environment may be on the cusp of incredible, unprecedented change. Below is the HR Dive team’s coverage of what was on tap at SHRM’s annual conference — and a snapshot of the profession’s potential future.