Over a one week period beginning May 11 and running through May 18, nearly 12,000 U.S. visitors to Monster.com participated in the Monster Meter poll.

Of those who go to work sick, “33 percent fear losing their job if they take a sick day, while 38 percent admit their workload is too busy to take a day off from work even when they are ill,” said Norma Gaffin, director of career content at Monster.com, said in a statement.

Only 19 percent of respondents say they stay home from work when sick in order to rest up and get well. The remaining 10 percent who avoid the workplace when sick actually work from home, even though they’re ill.

The results of the poll are as follow:

Do you go into work sick?

• Yes, work is too busy for me to miss a day: 38 percent

• Yes, in this economy, I’m afraid I’ll lose my job: 33 percent

• No, I work from home if I’m sick: 10 percent

• No, I rest up to get better: 19 percent

“Whether it’s the sniffles or H1N1 Swine Flu influenza, a recent Associated Press report addressed the fact that sick or not, many workers cannot afford to stay home when ill because an estimated 57 million working Americans do not have paid sick days,” Gaffin added.