The past year has been filled with challenges for the human resources industry, but throughout it all, I have been excited to deliver you the news that matters to your business. Part 1 of this SmartBrief on Workforce special year-end report aggregates the most important trends, stories and events of 2008. Part 2, which will hit your inbox on Thursday, will take a look at what's in store for 2009.

Containing health care costs continued to top the concerns of employers small and large. Many of you want to offer great benefits to your workers, but worry the costs could get out of hand. You reported interest in alternative insurance coverage, such as high deductible plans combined with medical savings accounts, but found they were a hard sell among many of your workers.

Wild gyrations in the stock market put many of you in the position of explaining details of your organization's 401(k) plan that workers once were content to gloss over.

The tough economy also posed challenges for managers in other ways, as hiring freezes and layoffs forced you to look for ways to squeeze maximum productivity out of the staff you have – and keep them happy.

All the while, you continued to worry about your own career. Many of you are middle managers, tasked with the responsibility of directing up to workers while also making sure you get proper attention from your own supervisor. You were especially interested in learning more about networking effectively and giving more polished presentations.

And now, here's what was most important to YOU in 2008.