A maid who caused hurt to her employer's 75-year-old mother because she was unhappy about her workload was jailed for two months on Monday.

Indonesian Siti Maesaroh, 24, admitted grabbing the face of Madam Lai Guat Kean and, in the resulting struggle, causing her head to hit a wooden shelf as the victim tried to remove the maid's hand.

A magistrate's court heard that Siti Maesaroh had been working for the household in Bedok North Street 3 for two months before the incident on Dec 26 last year.

She had been unhappy about the workload given to her by her employer and his elderly parents, particularly because she felt she had not been given enough sleep.

At about 6.20am that day, she went over to Madam Lai who was sleeping on the sofa and grabbed her face - eventually releasing her grip when the victim screamed for help. The attack left Madam Lai with cuts to her head and cheekbone.

The maximum penalty for the offence is one year's jail and a $5,000 fine.