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     Kara L. Miller writes a Washington Post advicecolumn (专栏) on finding your way around the modern workplace. Each week she will answer one or two questions from readers.

      Question:I’m Sam. I work part-time, paid hourly. There are only two employees: me and my boss. I receive no paid holidays or sick time, no health insurance, and one week’s paid vacation. For me, this job is just a job, and the salary I earn doesn’t guarantee a 24/7 on-call mentality.

     From almost the beginning, my boss has freely called me at home, called my personal cellphone, and emailed my personal account during my off-hours and vacation.

      Five years later, it’s still happening despite my having politely asked her several times not to contact me during my non-working hours.

     Each time I ask, she apologizes and stops for a while, but always goes back to the behavior. I never take her phone calls on my cell, but she hasn’t got my point.

     The point is, it is never anything that can’t wait until the next business day! I am ready to lose it!

      Answer:If it won’t cost you your job, call block and email filter (过滤器) are one easy path to inner peace.

     It puzzles me that your boss seems to agree she’s out of bounds, but then continues to contact you.

      Either she occasionally gets enough response from you to make it worth trying, or she can’t help firing off questions on impulse (一时冲动).

      You could ask her, once and for all, whether she’s OK with waiting for responses—in which case her after-hours calls and emails will be answered the next business day—or whether she wants instant answers—in which case, you will be tracking the time you spend responding so you can be paid for it.