Friday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, working from home, music industry

(Sharecast News) - The number of households seeking help to deal with court action over their unpaid energy bills has doubled in the last year, according to Citizens Advice. The charity said suppliers were increasingly opting to take their customers to court to recover their energy debts, which could ruin household finances for years. It said the use of legal action to pursue unpaid bills appeared to have increased since the industry regulator, Ofgem, introduced strict restrictions on the forced installation of prepayment meters. - Guardian Small businesses such as care homes, and enterprises including charities and faith groups, will be granted new protections to guard against rogue energy brokers using rip-off deals to secure hidden commission fees. The measures mark the first big step by the government and the industry regulator to bring unregulated energy brokers to heel after a growing outcry over aggressive sales tactics and undisclosed commissions, which have inflated costs for small businesses. - Guardian

Men who work entirely from home are more likely to get overlooked for promotions and pay rises than women who do the same, academics have found. A survey of 937 UK managers by the University of Warsaw found that bosses were 15pc less likely to promote men who worked from home full-time compared with their peers who were entirely office-based, and 10pc less likely to increase pay. They are much more likely than their female colleagues to be overlooked, with bosses saying they were 7pc less likely to promote home-working women than those in the office and 8pc less likely to give pay rises. - Telegraph

The global music industry is fighting back against the use of artists' work by technology companies to power artificial intelligence. Companies, including Sony and Universal, have launched a website that will both allow labels to protect their copyright and also warn technology businesses that are trawling their content not to use or distribute their work illegally. - The Times

A former senior executive at Accenture is suing the consulting giant and several of his former colleagues, including the firm's chief executive, for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination in a claim valued by experts at up to £100 million. Peter Lacy, 45, had been with Accenture for 15 years and worked as its chief responsibility officer and global sustainability services lead when his lawyers claim he was "abruptly" dismissed from the £4.3 million-a-year role in March last year. - The Times