Compensation still matters, of course, but it finished second (23%) behind lifestyle when workers were asked to name the primary reason they accepted their current positions.

“Money will always be important to people, but in this age of Internet powered remote access where there are so many virtual options, employees place a much higher premium on flexible work arrangements,” said Robert Morgan, co-president of Recruitment and Talent Management, Hudson, which conducted the survey.

“As the pool of qualified candidates shrinks, it seems that employers can compete more effectively for talent if they can offer work-life balance to go along with the competitive pay.”

When it comes to interviewing for jobs, the survey also found that workers are generally quite satisfied with how their current employer handled it. Three-quarters of workers rated their company’s interview process as “excellent” or “good.” Only 5% rated it as “poor.” 68% of workers said there was less than one month between the time when they applied for the position and when they actually began work.

However, there remains room for improvement. 20% of workers said that the position they accepted did not quite match up with the job they heard about during their interview. And remarkably, a similar number (19%) actually claim that they did not meet their boss before joining the company.

“It is the company’s responsibility to make sure all candidates considered for a position understand what the job will entail. Failing to do so will create retention problems and may even have legal consequences,” Morgan added.

Additional survey findings include:

-Only 26% of workers were recruited for their current job, while 66% responded that they were actively seeking a job.

-61% of workers met with just one to two people during the interview process. 19% met with three to four people. -Among workers who earn $75,000-$100,000 per year, 32% said that compensation was the primary reason they accepted their current job. This Hudson survey is based on a national poll of 1,634 U.S. workers who have been with their company for less than five years conducted Jan. 26-27, 2008 and was compiled by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research firm.