A city boss who praised a fellow colleague for his use of 'inappropriate language' has left his £650,000-a-year job.

Stuart Rouse has reportedly 'moved on' from his role at insurance firm Nexus Underwriting after sending an 'offensive' farewell email to a colleague who was semi-retiring from the company.

The chief executive praised the veteran staffer's 'his ability to include the words 'hairy' and 'growler' into a conversation, quite often leaving the room to howl'.

Members of staff reportedly thought the email, sent on June 30, was a spoof after it was also sent to recent school leavers, the Sun reported.

One staff member told the newspaper that Mr Rouse had been trying to be 'laddish' to bond with employees after a 'series of bust-ups'.