It has always been important for CEOs to take strong stands on matters that affect the business of the organizations they represent. Only in recent decades, however, has it become clear that business leaders often speak out on a range of other, often controversial, issues. This is especially the case when the issues involved are important to their employees and the communities in which they operate.

This has not been easy for many CEOs, raised to believe that they should separate business and “politics” to avoid alienating important stakeholders. Business leaders have not always been comfortable taking public positions on controversial issues, but more and more are stepping out of their comfort zone.

A new Harris Poll suggests that business leaders — managers as well as CEOs — also need to address matters of public interest that might seem far removed from the immediate needs of the business or the well-being of employees and their communities. They need not take public positions on some of these issues, but they will benefit from addressing such issues in their internal communications efforts.

The data, collected late last year by The Grossman Group, looked at employee attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the extent to which employees in the U.S. feel affected by developments in the Middle East and how internal communications from their employers influence their feelings about the organization.