I resigned last year. HR said the reason had to be clearly stated.

I wrote: Personal reasons.
She said it was too vague. It had to be specific.
I added a line: A family emergency.
She asked, what kind of emergency. Who. What relationship. Whether the company needed to help.
I said, my father was hospitalized.
She nodded. She recorded it. Then she asked, what illness. Which hospital. How long he’d be staying in the hospital.
I looked at her and told the truth.
“It’s not an illness. It’s gambling debts. The creditor came calling. My mom told me to go back.”
Her pen stopped, and the air conditioner suddenly got very loud.
Then she said something I remember to this day.
“Even so, you should include that. The company needs to assess your resignation risk level.”
Only later did I find out.
They weren’t looking for reasons. They wanted data.
Every “personal reasons” on each resignation form would be broken into tags: family emergency, hospitalization of an immediate family member, specific illness, and length of hospitalization.
They calculated something called an “Employee Stability Index.”
It was used to decide who would get a raise next year, who would get reassigned, and who wouldn’t have their contract renewed.
In the end, my form was submitted.
The reason field still had four words: personal reasons.
On the back, I wrote one small line:
“If they ask again, I’ll write ‘Company reasons.’”
She saw it, stamped it, and didn’t say anything else.
On the day I resigned, I ran into a graduate in the elevator. He was clutching a leave request form. Reason: personal matter.
An older employee next to him patted him on the shoulder: “Change it to family reunion. It’ll be approved faster.”
The elevator doors closed.