A WhatsApp message from a househelp informing her employer that she wouldn't be returning after the holidays because she had gotten married - and, ironically, was now looking for a house help herself - has gone viral on social media.

The story has struck a chord with many who have had similar experiences of the unpredictability of domestic managers in a month that is supposed to be about new beginnings.

Anne's story is all too common.

Her 22-year-old housekeeper returned from the Christmas break with a noticeable behaviour change. "She extended her holiday by two weeks without telling me.