Wanting to earn more money is rarely the main reason for people leaving their jobs, according to recent research by a Sheffield-based recruitment consultancy.

Benchmark Recruit conducted a survey of over 3,000 employees and found that more than one in five (22 per cent) left their last job because they did not have faith in their managers.

Nineteen per cent said they felt unappreciated in their last role and the same proportion quit because of a lack of engagement or motivation.

The findings could encourage employers to rethink issues such as their staff rostering arrangements to keep hold of their most valuable employees.

Only 13 per cent of the people participating in the Benchmark Recruit study said they left their previous job because of unsatisfactory financial rewards.

Louisa Harrison-Walker, director at the recruitment consultancy, said the firm was surprised to see that salary and financial remuneration featured so low down on the list of reasons for people changing employment.

"Some bosses assume that to keep staff motivated and happy you need to give them a pay rise, but the survey shows this is not a priority for most employees," she added.

"People simply want to feel valued, appreciated and motivated far more than having a bigger pay packet."

Ms Harrison-Walker also underlined the importance of employee retention, which can be just as important as recruitment but is often overlooked by many organisations.

Other findings from the survey showed that a fifth (19 per cent) of workers see their current role as a 'dead end', although a quarter (25 per cent) of respondents thought their job was 'perfect'.

More than a third (33 per cent) of people said their current position is a 'stepping stone' that should lead them to greater things.

A recent study by the Association of Accounting Technicians found that six out of ten British workers feel they could be in a better job and have wasted their potential.