A Social Security Administration employee was formally reprimanded earlier this month for excessive workplace flatulence, according to a Dec. 10 letter obtained by The Smoking Gun.

The 38-year-old, who worked out of a Baltimore office, was hit with a five-page letter detailing the dates and times of his noxious offenses.

They would rather employ someone “who will be their friend or maybe even their romantic partner”, with whom they feel a “spark”, researchers have suggested.

A study, conducted by American sociologists, has found interviewers at banking, law and management consultancy firms consistently prefer applicants they “feel good around”.