Best "Personal Reasons" Resignation Letter Example (2022)

A resignation letter is a formal notice to an employer by an employee of an impending plan to transition out of the job duties and responsibilities of the current employee’s job. When the employee decides to leave the position for personal reasons or write a resignation letter for personal reasons, a few aspects should be included to indicate this resignation reason to the current employer.

When resigning for personal reasons, many employees desire to have a short notice or no notice period at all (an immediate resignation for personal reasons). Using the “personal reasons” resignation method often means that the employee feels the work environment is hostile or simply isn’t getting along with their colleagues, manager, supervisor, or boss.

Related: Notice Period

If an employee decides they would like to submit their formal resignation with a concise notice period or no notice period at all, they will usually forfeit parts of the resignation process. For example, the employer may choose to skip performing an exit interview, which allows the employee to provide feedback to the company about the job, management, and more. Additionally, a recommendation letter or reference letter may be “off the table” for the employee due to the short notice period.

A short notice period often puts the employer in a difficult situation. They cannot transition job duties to another colleague or make a new hire to fill the position with ease.

Tip: It is okay to have a new job in place and write a resignation letter with “personal reasons” as the reason for resigning. The immediate supervisor of the employee won’t inquire further about the personal reason for leaving. If they do, the employee should show gratitude for the opportunity but say, “this is a really private matter. I’m very sorry I cannot share more.”

Resignation Process

Before writing a formal resignation letter, an employee should speak with their manager, boss, supervisor, or other human resources personnel and inform them of the upcoming resignation due to personal reasons or family reasons. Employers shouldn’t require any further information about the reason for their resignation. Once the employee informs their manager about the upcoming resignation, it is considered a formal notification of the resignation.

Related: Employee Departure

The employee and the manager should determine the appropriate last employment date for the employee. That should be part of the professional resignation letter the employee writes. Once the official document and official resignation letter are submitted to the human resources department, the resignation is considered formal. The document will be on the employee’s personnel file for the foreseeable future.

Tip: If you’re an executive and have an employment contract with the company, you may want to refer to that document to understand the formal notice period and benefits that may be relinquished upon resignation.

Resignation Letter Format

The resignation letter format should be as follows:

The document should follow business letter format.
Use 9pt to 11pt font at the most.
Use a professional typeface for writing like Garamond or Helvetica.
Include the current date, employee contact information and the employer contact information.
Ensure the end of employment date with the employer is within the letter.
Show gratitude to the employer.
Use proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Resignation Letter Template

[Your Name]
[Your Email]
[Your Title]

[Current Date]

[Manager's Name]
[Manager's Title]
[Company Name]
[Manager's Email]

Dear [Manager's Name] —

This letter expresses my gratitude for the position and the opportunity to work here and submit my formal resignation from the company effective [End Employment Date]. I apologize for the last-minute resignation. Unfortunately, the issue that I am experiencing is quite personal, and it is going to force me to have to place my attention away from work and on a greater challenge. Unless this issue were not extremely personal, I would share more.

I want you to be assured that my health is okay and that I will be fine in the future. Though, for the next few months, I will be fighting a different battle.

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

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About the author

Patrick Algrim is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), NCDA Certified Career Counselor (CCC), and general career expert. Patrick has completed the NACE Coaching Certification Program (CCP). And has been published as a career expert on Forbes, Glassdoor, American Express, Reader's Digest, LiveCareer, Zety, Yahoo, Recruiter.com, SparkHire, SHRM.org, Process.st, FairyGodBoss, HRCI.org, St. Edwards University, NC State University, IBTimes.com, Thrive Global, TMCnet.com, Work It Daily, Workology, Career Guide, MyPerfectResume, College Career Life, The HR Digest, WorkWise, Career Cast, Elite Staffing, Women in HR, All About Careers, Upstart HR, The Street, Monster, The Ladders, Introvert Whisperer, and many more. Find him on LinkedIn.

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