I am employed through a staffing agency. They placed me in a city run public health lab that is chronically understaffed. I have been multitasking this job from the moment I get there until I leave. Here are the issues:
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My boss has been blaming me for bad data on a certain machine. It took a month of switching out responsibilities before he finally accepted I wasn't the issue. The company who owns the machine said the bad data is because the hot lab (88-92 °F) was cooking the reagents. No apology given.
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This week he has been coming into my shared office to have in person updates on my work progress. I frequently remind him that the technology does not work for me. He even notes that the technology is taking too long to work. Then he demands to know if I ever multitask and I “shouldn't just be watching” the process happening. I remind him that other employees frequently ask me for help, to which I always say yes.
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He and I had a minor miscommunication, so he walks into my office to interrogate me on why “nothing is done” when I had just explained that the technology isn't working. I made a mistake showing him the issue and he asked “what is going on with you?”
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I got pissed and told my staffing agency that I don't get paid enough to multitask all day to have my work ethic questioned. I mentioned that I frequently stay over time, which isn't allowed. I mentioned that all of July I was blamed for an issue that was determined to be not my fault in any way. And I also explained that I communicate technical issues and my boss still holds firm deadlines. I even mentioned that they use a clunky excel spreadsheet as a database that only allows one user on at a time. The staffing agency representative told me I should reach out to my boss so he can discuss his issues with me. I do not feel as though I should be the one to start the discussion when: 1) He's the one who has a problem with me. 2) I am not in charge, so why am I setting up meetings to discuss anything? 3) Again, I make less than $3k a month here, and I live in an expensive US city.
Edited to add: I told the staffing agency I am applying for other employment. They mentioned that my boss was respectful before recently and to talk to him because maybe he's stressed. I don't get why that's my problem?? I am looking for any open ended advice because I'm truly lost here. Thanks for reading