Communication Policy Review: 5 Areas to Update before 2027

The communication policy is one of those documents that rarely gets opened until something has gone wrong. Yet it underpins your brand, your reputation and your crisis preparedness. The reality it is meant to guide has changed more in the past few years than in a long time. Maybe it’s time to dust it off?

A communication policy no one uses is no policy at all

Many communication policies were written for an era of press releases, newsletters and one or two social channels. Today, organizations communicate across an omnichannel landscape, AI tools sit on almost every desktop, disinformation spreads faster than it can be countered, and employees are visible in their own right on social media. When the policy doesn’t answer the questions employees actually ask, they make their own judgment call every time. That usually works, but not always when it really matters.

Five areas to review:

• AI in everyday work
  The transparency obligations under Article 50 of the EU AI Act took effect on August 2, 2026, and were not postponed by the so-called Digital Omnibus. Among other things, they require you to disclose when someone is chatting with an AI and to label AI-generated content. Your policy needs to set out who may use which tools, for what purpose, and how you disclose it.

• Influence operations and disinformation
  False information about an organization can spread within hours, in comment sections, local groups or forums. And it isn’t only an issue for public authorities. Sweden’s civil defense is described as the civilian activities that authorities, municipalities, regions, businesses, civil society and individuals carry out to prepare the country for war.

• Social media policy
  Handled well, your employees are your most credible ambassadors and a key part of your employer branding. But where is the line between representing the organization and speaking as a private individual? And what should employees do if they face hate or harassment because of their job?

• Plain language and accessibility
  Clear, inclusive communication tailored to its audience should be a given for everyone, and in the Swedish public sector it is also a legal requirement. The Swedish Language Act states that language in the public sector must be clear, simple and easy to understand. The Act on Accessibility to Digital Public Services requires public actors’ digital services to be accessible and to include an accessibility statement.

• Roles and mandates
  Who is allowed to speak on what? Who makes the call when something blows up on a Friday night? Effective crisis communication depends on clear mandates and short decision paths.

A fresh pair of eyes can make all the difference.

A review doesn’t have to be a major project, but it takes time the communications team rarely has. It also benefits from someone without preconceptions asking the questions.

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Lovisa Wetterholt, Marketing Manager